Neti Pots are Gross

OK...seriously. Neti Pots?

Does anyone remember swimming as a kid, jumping into the pool, and that delightful feeling when you forgot to exhale through your nose and you took a gallon of water all the way into your nose.

Now people are doing that in the name of 'health'.

I know, I know: "The neti pot has been around for centuries...". Why is it that we keep looking backwards for health solutions? Didn't the people who invented neti pots also bury twin babies alive because they couldn't tell which one was the demon? These are the people we look to for our health solutions?

If you don't know what it is, a neti pot is like a teapot with a long spout. You put a warm saline mixture, called a neti pot solution, in it, turn your head to the side, insert the spout in your upper nostril, and let it rinse through your sinus cavities and out the bottom nostril.

Yummy.

Seriously, there probably are some benefits. But the 'yuck' factor of rinsing my snot out with a teapot is too high for me. For kicks and giggles, go to YouTube and search for neti pot and watch the grossness.

Neti Pot Sinus Treatment

What is a Neti Pot Sinus Treatment?

Simply put, it's a small kettle used to pour a saline solution up one's nose into the sinuses to help sanitize and disinfect them.

From Cincinnati Citybeat:

I've suffered with a seasonally clogged nose for as long as I can remember. It's kept me awake at night and made me gag during the day. There's a long list of coworkers who can testify to the annoying snorts and drips coming from my schnoz.

I've tried many remedies: prescribed and over-the-counter cold medications that were equally ineffective and nasal sprays that made the inside of my nose raw and painful. Nothing worked like I felt it really should until I tried the neti pot.

The name refers to an Ayurvedic technique called "jala neti," which means "water cleaning." The pot is just a simple, miniature teapot that's used to deliver the water into your snout.

You can also use a simple syringe or even an enema bottle. What's important is that it can hold water and the nozzle fits snugly in your nostril so the contents are delivered into your sinuses rather than onto your face.

Saline solution with no additives is what's used. You can cook up your own on your stove, mixing in 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt into a liter of water at the lowest temperature possible. Ideally, the recipe calls for a saline solution made from distilled water and iodine-free salt. Kosher or sea salt works well. The mixture should be warm, around 100 degrees.

Turn your head sideways over your sink and seal the nozzle of your neti pot to your nostril. Gently pour the solution into your nose until it trickles out the other nostril, into the sink. Breathe normally through your mouth. When the pot is empty, switch sides.

There are two more stages to jala neti if you're feeling adventurous: You can, after some practice, snort the water into the deep sinus cavities and spit it out through your mouth. Harder still, and considered an advanced yoga technique, is forcing the water from your mouth out through the nose.

Though the idea of pouring water up your nose is a little intimidating at first, the process is as effective as it is ancient and leaves you able to breathe clearly and sharply through both nostrils.

You can also by the over-the-counter saline nasal sprays. Use them in the shower while the steam is helping your sinuses clear.

A Neti Pot does make a great sinus treatment even though it sounds strange.