Saturday, November 1, 2008

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!

7 comments:

Megan said...

I'll have to try it out!

Laurie said...

The other wonderful thing about this little contraption is NO ANTIBIOTICS for sinus infections! woo hoo! I am totally prone to these annoying infections and haven't needed antibiotics since I discovered this awesome thing. If you find the pot odd you can also get a kit at Walgreens called Sinus Rinse (ask the pharm) it comes with the saline packets and a little squeegie bottle. It does the exact same thing. I've heard it does miracles for allergy sufferers too. Glad you're on board!

Megan said...

awesome! Who would have ever known???

wendybird said...

My sister in law got me one of these last year and I am a TOTAL believer. After running the gammit (sp?) of medications over the last ten years and having them all fizzle out I was miserable! I am outdoors all day all spring through fall. The Neti pot completely obliterated my spring and summer allergies. Fall allergies aren't gone, but they're hugely better! It's the strangest feeling to use one, but definitely worth the benefit.

Anonymous said...

I love the neti pot! I started using it months ago when I couldn't take the prescribed medicine for my sinus infection because I was nursing. It worked in just a couple of days! I have my children use it when they start to get sniffly. I found a nose spray that you can use for infants at Walgreens. It is SinuCleanse brand (same as my neti pot) and it is a fine mist that you can spray in their noses. I just bought it last night and haven't tried it on my baby's runny nose yet.

Anonymous said...

I heard it helps those who snore too. So as my husband does... I bought him the Neti and he loves it though I don't think i quite helps his snoring the way I wish it would. I never thought to try it for myself but maybe I will now. Thanks

Ashley said...

About the candy...a friend of mine told her kids they could trade in all of their candy (except for a few pieces each) for a ticket to the State Fair. Win/win situation.