For the last year or so my allergist and my primary care physician have been telling me to use a neti pot to do nasal rinses. I don’t have allergies, but have issues with rhinitis (inflammation of the nasal mucous membranes) and sinus infections. Neti pots have been proven to thin mucus and help rinse it out of nasal passages. For a more in depth explanation of how it works, see WebMD. Before the neti pot had been mentioned to me, my allergist gave me a syringe to do a nasal rinse with. My experience with that was HORRIBLE! That experience left such an impact that I was scared of trying the neti pot. After months of hemming and hawing, I got a sinus infection. I felt icky, wanted to feel better and gathered the courage to try the neti pot that had been sitting, unused, in my bathroom cabinet.

The Process:
One of my friends, who has horrible allergies (along with IBS), gave me the great advice of trying to use it while in the shower. I heated filtered water from my refrigerator in the microwave until it was warm. Next, I poured the water, along with the salt-baking soda mix into the neti pot and shook the pot until the water and powder were well dissolved and mixed. After ~5 minutes of showering I figured my sinuses should be loosened up and I picked up the neti pot.

First I tilted my head to the left and forward and poured water into my right nostril. My right nostril was completely clogged and nothing was really working. I tilted my head to the right and forward and poured water into my left nostril. After a few seconds the water started flowing out of my left nostirl. I stopped and lightly blew my nose (per the instructions). The directions said to make an “Ack” sounds while doing it. I switched back and forth between nostrils and blowing my nose until the pot was empty. Barely any liquid got into my throat, but one of the benefits of doing this in the shower was that I could use shower water to instantly rinse out the nasty taste when it did. At some points the top of my nose felt similar to when you get water up your nose when swimming. I wouldn’t say the process was pleasant, but it certainly did help. Other neti pot users assure me the process gets exceedingly easier over time.

The Results:
After I got out of the shower I sprayed my generic Flonase in my nose and realized that my nose was clearer than it had been in years! Over the next hour or so I’d get a lil bit of a salty taste in my throat, but taking a drink of water would make that disappear. For the next 24 hours or so my nose and sinuses were clear. It was amazing, considering how horribly clogged they had been feeling! The sinus pressure I’d been feeling in my face and ears was also almost completely eliminated.

What have your neti pot experiences been like?

The neti pot & nasal rinse mixture I used