Neti Pot

Neti pots get almost universal praise for helping reduce allergy and sinus symptoms.  Despite the raves, I've been hesitant to try using one.  After all, pouring water through your nose sounds both unpleasant and gross.  On the other hand, I hate taking medicine so a none chemical treatment is something I should try.  I checked prices, and decided that a pot could be obtained at a low enough price that it wouldn't feel like a complete waste if I hated using the thing.

I went with the NeilMed Neti pot despite it having some of the most unattractive packaging ever.  Any time I see that many words on a medical product, I get the feeling it must be snake oil to need so many testimonials to justify purchasing it.  The two main things it had going for it was that it had a lid and came with 50 salt packets for making the solution.  Sure you can mix your own solution, but pre-measured packs are convenient and help make sure you aren't pouring too much or too little salt in your nose (plus they're about $.10 a pack).  The end of the spout is a little big and the lid leaks a little, but it works well.

There is a moment of unpleasantness when you start pouring the water, but it is not as nasty as I feared.  The trick is to tilt your head both to the side and far enough forward to keep the solution from draining down the back of your throat.  Using the pot while I was slightly congested meant water down my throat no matter how far front I turned my head, but it was just a minor inconvenience.  The instruction book (27pages!) says filtered or bottled water is okay, but I use water from the teapot that was boiled earlier in the day.  I heat it for 27 seconds in the microwave to get it close to body temperature.  The pot is microwavable, but I use a measuring cup since I don;t like microwaving plastic.  Room temperature water is probably fine as well.  You're supposed to pour half the solution through one side, blow your nose, then pour the rest through the other.  I find counting to 20 at a normal tempo works out to about half the pot.

But does it work?  It's nit allergy season, so I haven't really ben having major sinus issues.  My nose does seem a bit clearer than normal (one girl at work said I sounded clearer, but that was after I told her I'd tried the pot, so I'm not sure her opinion counts).  I don't wake myself up snoring when I fall asleep on the couch with my head at a bad angle, which I guess is something.  It certainly does no harm, so I'm going to keep up regular use in hopes that it will help when the bad allergy season starts.  It is definitely a maintenance product and not a miracle cure, but anything that helps without leaving me doped is a good thing.