Neti Pot!
January 22nd, 2007
Today I tried the Neti Pot my friend Alex gave me. What is a Neti Pot, you ask? Well, it looks like a gravy boat, except instead of gravy you use salt water and instead of a turkey you use your nostril.
You see, a Neti Pot is some sort of ancient (?) Hindu holistic medical device that is meant to cleanse your sinuses. I have terrifically poor sinuses, so I’m the perfect candidate for said pot.
You fill the pot with very hot water and 1⁄4 teaspoon of salt. You then tip your head to one side, shove the spout up a nostril and pour the contents of the Neti Pot directly into your nose. The salt water travels through your nasal passage and sinuses and back out the other nostril. The whole process is utterly bizarre.
Here is a picture of me and the Neti Pot:
The sensation of hot water passing through your head is a strange one but it’s one I’d recommend. I mean, I imagined it would sort of feel like drowning but I found it weirdly comforting—just me and the Neti Pot, alone at my bathroom sink on a Sunday afternoon.
Alex expects the pot back, so I’ll be cleaning it vigorously.
EDIT: category changed to “Products I Find Myself Using”
January 22nd, 2007 at 1:20 am
I think you’ve found your new blog-header picture!
January 22nd, 2007 at 1:21 am
this should be tagged “products i find myself using.” Or possibly, “dudes with attitudes.”
January 22nd, 2007 at 2:09 am
How did you take the picture? Both your hands are on the neti pot.
January 22nd, 2007 at 2:47 am
After doing the first nostril I thought, ‘I should blog about this.” So I set up a tripod.
January 22nd, 2007 at 6:49 am
splendid photograph, but what about your sinuses? how do they feel?
January 22nd, 2007 at 7:33 pm
Well, I’m not sure. A lot of snot emptied out of my nose—that was an interesting experience. A lot of my problems may be ear canal-related. Are your sinuses connected to your ear canals? I think the Neti (or Netti) Pot helped; I’m going to try it again.
January 22nd, 2007 at 8:11 pm
According to Wikipedia, there’s 3 yogic layers to neti use… maybe once you’re stage three, your ears open like a third eye.
January 22nd, 2007 at 10:32 pm
yeah, your sinuses are connected to your ear canals….
January 22nd, 2007 at 11:15 pm
Alex LENT you a neti pot? Gross.
My ex-roomate Josh was very pro-neti pot. He used salt and baking soda and hot water. I’m intrigued, as I am a snotty dude, but have yet to partake.
January 26th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
I wish I had video of you using the neti pot and the tripod set up, hitting the timed exposure button, then quickly ducking into frame to take the shot. I imagine it took a few tries to get the right shot?
Oh and how much is said neti pot on “the streets”?
January 31st, 2007 at 7:35 am
Afrin, my son, Afrin!
The middle ear drains through the Eustachian Tube which empties in the same area as the sinuses do.
Hope the neti pot helped. It does basically what saline sprays do but with much greater volume and style.
February 7th, 2007 at 2:31 am
I’m bored with Neti Pot, but do include it in your 30 Rock spec script
Look, your phone number is at the bottom of the page… do strangers call you?
February 28th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
I’ve been using it for a week now. Do your ears feel plugged after it? Mine do for like 20 minutes. It’s kind of annoying. I can’t figure out if this pot thing works for me. I do like your 2 hand approach. I use one. Like I’m pouring tea into my nose
March 25th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Both of my ears are plugged from using the neti pot, or feel that way anyway. I can’t hear as well now and it’s been a couple weeks since I used it. How do you fix this?
March 27th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
yeah, maybe it just pushes stuff into your ears. I don’t know. People swear by the Neti Pot, but I gave up on it.
April 29th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Please tell me were I can buy a Nedi pot
June 16th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
My husband & I started using the NETI pot about a month ago. It was great but then all of a sudden we both experienced severe pressure on the top of our heads while “using”. It scared us to stop but we want to start up. Anyone else have this? What is the cause & what will stop it?
June 16th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
If Deborah hasn’t found one yet, you can buy a Neti Pot at any health food store.
June 21st, 2007 at 1:16 am
Just wait until you try using a neti pot when you have a cold. The crap that comes out is ridiculous. But it will clear up your sinuses and often prevent the cold from moving down into your chest. I got over my cold in a couple days after using it.
For those wanting to prevent the whole ‘ear thing.’ I find that is often caused by tipping my head too far when performing neti. You have to get the head tilt just enough that the water drains out the nose, and not so much that it runs into the ears. Also, the pressure of blowing your nose too hard after using neti can often push stuff into your ears. Most neti pots come with instructions for some Yoga poses after you neti. These seem to help immensely with draining the water out of the sinuses, because there’s usually some still up there after using it.
June 27th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
It is all in the TILT angle of your head (how it affects ears and throat).
Also, baking soda is only needed to tone down certain types of water, as in softened water. If your passages are burning… then you’ve got too much salt. Adjust 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. - if it’s still burning, then it’s the water you’re using… try a bit of baking soda.
Sometimes I’ve breathed in my hair dryer heat to ‘dry’ my passages. Not directly mind you!
August 5th, 2007 at 1:28 am
I want to buy a neti pot. Is this the neti pot that was on Oprah?
http://www.arnoldsupplements.com/Neti_Pot_p/him-001.htm
January 1st, 2008 at 7:15 pm
My dad just tried this method with a green water bottle. He said it worked. im kind of scared of putting a big nozzle in my nose. so yea
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:43 pm
I have been using mine for about a week, week in a half, I am
having dizzy sensations, like my equilibruim is off(inner ear stuff)
but my head doesn’t hurt. They sell a cheap version of the neti at good old Wally World and it comes with 50 pre-mix solutions. It seems to help with my allergies and such. I just sound like I have a cold all the time and I am dizzier than normal,ha ha
January 6th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
hi
it says everywhere - do not use HOT or COLD water, just lukewarm water with non-iodized salt. i saw you said u used hot water!
January 20th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Hey-i cant hear well after using it a few times….i can breathe which is great…but cant hear anything!
January 26th, 2008 at 11:53 am
NeilMed has the best ever designed netipot due to cap, aperture to control the flow, perfectly angled spout and available in Porcelain (better than ceramic) as well as plastic (HDPE). Comes with 50 premixed packets and available widely at WalMart, RiteAide, Longs and major drug chain stores. In addition it gives 90 days full money back guranty. Each purchaser also receives a free patented bottle, cap and tube device upon faxing the free item form in the netipot.
May 21st, 2008 at 9:53 am
i love this thing!!!!
June 27th, 2008 at 12:15 am
Use WARM water….as close as you can to body temp. Also add 1/4 tsp of baking soda and it makes the solution much much smoother. The most important part is to expell (blow out of your nose) the fluid. I use my Neti whenever i feel any sort of sinus pressure and it makes it go away.
July 21st, 2008 at 7:49 pm
It’s a better idea to use warm (body-temperature) water, 1/4 tsp salt (not iodized salt!) added to 1/2 cup of water. Very hot water is unnecessary and uncomfortable.