I have been suffering from a head cold for the past three days, and I finally took the plunge and invested in a neti pot. I have been wanting to try this method of cleansing my sinuses for a long time, even though it looks pretty gross and unpleasant.
It is gross. And unpleasant. But my sinuses are now clear, and I'm really happy with this decision. With my asthma and hay fever season coming up, I'm pretty jazzed to make this part of my routine.
It hasn't really helped with the cold I have now, except to provide some temporary (as in five minute) relief, but maybe it will cut down on the time I spend being sick.
For anyone else who is curious or interested, Jala Neti is an old Hatha Yoga custom from India. The literal Sanskrit translation is "water cleansing," but it's basically nasal irrigation. You fill your neti pot with a warm saline solution, and you flush out your sinuses by putting the pot first in one nostril, letting the water flow out of the other nostril, then switching sides. You want to lean your head so that your forehead is level with your nose, so that none of the solution is coming out of your mouth. My pot came with pretty clear instructions, and after watching a few videos online, it came pretty naturally (I've been researching this for months, now, so I've seen my share of people demonstrating the neti pot).
This shouldn't burn and it shouldn't be completely unpleasant, although I don't think it's fun, nor does it feel very good the first few times, at least not while you're actually irrigating. And my nose is currently still running like crazy, but I'm not convinced that it's not just because of my cold.
Look for more on my neti pot and whether or not it makes allergy season remotely bearable.
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