Neti Pot

Wow! What a cold winter, even here in Austin! My daily use of the neti pot prompted me to start my 2010 blog about it. If you don't have one, you may want to consider it. It's been around for a long time but I discovered it post diagnosis.

The neti pot flush out your nasal cavities using the flow of gravity. Yes, the spout you see does connect with one nostril and the saline inside comes out the other side. I usually use warm water with a pinch of Himalayan sea salt to make my saline.

I use it for several reasons. 1. I have allergies in Austin in March and May. I make sure I neti once to twice a day depending on how I feel. It helps flush out the pollen in my nose. I usually avoid allergies medicine. My main culprit is eye irritation which I flush out with some clean eye saline. 2. I use my neti religiously during the winter time when to combat arid temperature. It helps keep my nasal moist AND that helps it stay healthy against the cold. 3. I use it after I fly. The neti pot helps flush any germs and bacteria trapped inside my nose.

The white one on the left is my home neti pot and it's ceramic. The green one on the right is my travel neti pot. I recently bought the travel one and it was a life saver while I was in NM two weeks ago. It helped keep my nose moist and (knock on wood) I escaped another year back of getting sick.

Does it really work? It makes sense to me. It takes just about a minute or two so why not? I prep my neti pot by putting a pinch of salt in my pot. I typically neti when I'm in the shower so there's no mess and it's super quick. You can breathe through your mouth while you're using the neti pot. I've taught three friends to do the neti pot and they now do it religiously. It's amazing how well you can breathe and without medicine!

Your neti pot should come with instructions or you can google it. You can also buy solution for your neti pot rather than using the Himalayan sea salt. I know it sounds odd but what do you have to lose if you have bad allergies, live in an arid climate or if you're typically sick? You can find them in places like Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage and other health stores.