How to "Neti" and why?

I hope you all had a great Halloween. I already feel horrible from the bit of chocolate I consumed last night. My children came home with a year supply of candy much to my dismay. I have tried to convince them that we should just pitch it all but I am accused of being a kin to the dad on the new version of Willie Wonka ,sucking all the fun out of Halloween. I know I consumed loads of the Halloween loot as a child and I am still here alive and kicking but I know too much now and it disgusts me. I know they need their childhood so we will figure something out. Yuck.

Anyways, to the topic of discussion today: How to "Neti"

First, you will need a Neti Pot as pictured above. No, this is not for gravy, it is for your nose. I was first turned on to this ancient practice by my SIL, Laurie who used it for her sinus infection. I read more about it and decided that my family must become netists. We have, and we are converted. For those of you in the dark, let me explain. Neti is the practice of nasal irrigation. It has been used by Yoga Guru's for hundreds if not thousands of years. Yoga practitioners use it to cleanse the energy channels and to promote health and wellness. I am in it for the purpose of helping my little ones get those allergies under control and to ward off any sinus infections. It is a simple process, a form of a bath for those irritated and clogged nasal passages. My poor little ones suffer from allergies and I hear the constant sniffing or snorting all during the night from their irritated noses. After the first night, the sniffs were silent. Here is how it goes:

You fill the pot with 8 oz of warm water and 1/4 tsp salt. You tip your nose up to one side over the sink and tilt neti pot slightly. The water will go in through one side and out the other bringing with it mucous and irritating pollutants. It is a bit weird at first but after you get the hang of it, it feels very soothing. I did it and I felt like I could breath in better than ever. My nose felt cleansed and moist. My children are converts as well. We cleanse them nightly and have noticed a big difference. If you think about it, the nose is a filter to the body but so much gets trapped inside . We must cleanse the filter now and then to keep the germs and allergens from brewing. By doing this, we can ward off so many infections and illnesses. The pots are cheap and can be purchased at any health store. I bought mine through Azure Standard which I blogged about last month. It was about $1o. I love it and will be a Netist for life!