RL rec: Have sinus problems? Cough? Get lots of colds? Get a Neti Pot!

[thistlechaser]

I don't know if I've ever recced a RL product in my journal before, but this one is good enough for me to take the time to write about it.

I don't talk much about my RL, but a little background is necessary: I have big sinus problems. My nose is always stuffy, I can never breathe through it, I cough a lot, and when I try to sleep I often wake up choking/coughing/feeling like I'm drowning because my nose/throat is so blocked up. It's not a nice thing and it really affected my sleep.

Years back, my mother recommended a Neti Pot to me. You put warm salty water in it, stick the nozzle into your nose, tilt your head, and let the water run through your sinuses and out your other nostril. That sounded way, way, way, way too strange and freaky to me, so I said no way.

A few days ago I read a thread on a message board. One person recommended it, a couple tried it and loved it, so a few more tried... and suddenly hundreds of people had tried it and there was not one negative comment about it. People with colds, people with allergies, people with lifetime sinus problems recommended feeling much, much better.

So, after reading through all that and recalling my mother's recommendation, I decided to try it. I was still leery -- I'm not into "new age" stuff at all, and I think that in general "holistic medicine" is a scam. But man, my sinuses kill me on a daily basis, meds don't help much anymore, so I was willing to try.

Unsurprisingly, all those hundreds of people were right. This "nasal irrigation" thing actually works! I can breathe through my nose easily! (That doesn't happen more than a couple times a year for me!) I feel so much better -- many many times better than the medicine I'm on makes me feel. I'm also sleeping better and coughing a lot less. (Cough isn't totally gone, but maybe it will be as I continue with this.)

Neti pot kits can now be bought at any drug store (and people report online as well -- one person said Amazon has them) for about $15. Mine was $12.00 and came with 50 packets of the salt you use (shouldn't use table salt). Refill packets of 50 or 100 are cheap.

Oh how I wish I had listened to my mother years ago! (And I told her that!) Not only do I feel so much better (I actually look forward to pouring water through my nose!), supposedly it helps reduce the number of colds you get (germs lodge in your nose and this not only washes them away, but by moistening your nasal membranes you can fight them off better).

I know this sounds really freaky, but it's been around a long time and is apparently common practice in other countries. So, if you have the same sort of troubles as me, please give it a try! It doesn't even feel as odd as I thought it would, it just creates a little pressure (the same exact feeling you get when you swim, though I hadn't understood that comparison until I actually tried it).

Comments

[firebyrd.livejournal.com]

Huh. I think I'm going to have to try that.

[machinegirl.livejournal.com]

I've been doing this for months. It is awesome. I use sea salt, like what you would use for piercings. A big box was like a dollar or two at the grocery store, and you use 1/4 teaspoon per cup of warm water. NETI POTS FOR LIFE

[ghostandfriends.livejournal.com]

Nimbex and his mom both use neti pots and say they are awesome. I'm still scared to do it, so I put up with the sneezing and stuffy nose. But maybe someday. ;3

[laurelwood.livejournal.com]

Wow, you couldn't have made this post at a better time! Dennis has been having some ferocious sinus problems- bloody noses every night, stuffiness, etc., and this sounds like it could be just the ticket.

Did you buy yours online, or somewhere locally? And Dennis wants to know, doesn't the salt water run down your throat and choke you?

Glad you found something that works for you. Interesting article you linked to about how people in India and Southeast Asia do this every day, right along with brushing teeth and bathing! Makes perfect sense, though- all the crap we breathe in every day really should be washed out.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I bought mine at Rite-Aid. The brand is Ayr and it's slightly different than a real Neti Pot (it's a plastic bottle that you have to squeeze). I'd rather have a real one, and next time I'm at a store that carries them I'm going to get another. The kind I have works, but the first time I did it I was chicken and didn't want to squeeze the bottle to make the water go in -- it would have been easier to let gravity do the work.

I was really worried that it would go down my throat, too! But nope! The trick is you have to keep your mouth open and/or breathe (lots of people said you just had to keep your mouth open, a few said you had to keep breathing, I intended to just keep my mouth open but found myself breathing without realizing it).

Last night (for the first time) I tasted it in the back of my throat, which was really gross! But that just meant I wasn't paying attention to the angle I was holding my head. (The instructions that came with it said it's okay to let it run out of your nose or out of your mouth, but ... blech! Don't want it to run from my nose and out of my mouth!)

I get (used to get?) lots of nosebleeds, too. They weren't daily though, so I'm not sure yet if they're gone for good. People in that mega-thread I mentioned in my post said this is helpful for that, too.

[gconnor.livejournal.com]

Thank you for that post... I will definitely try that out.

I have been using a CPAP machine due to snoring/apnea and the machine uses a humidifier. I usually crank up the humidity to almost the highest level, and usually that is enough to keep my sinuses clear all night. I think if I ever stop using CPAP I might want to get a humidifier for the bedroom.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Humidifiers are great, I need to get a new one. It's so dry here!

I hope the neti pot works well for you, too!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I know, I was scared too. A big chicken! But really, it's not anywhere near as bad as you imagine -- you can't hardly feel anything at all, just a slight pressure/tickle. No chance of choking or swallowing -- though I don't suppose you have any issues with swallowing. ;)

Edit: I fail at spelling while thinking about you swallowing!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks for the info! I figured in the long run the packets wouldn't be the way to go. (If nothing else, that's a lot of paper-waste for a bit of salt!)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

You should, they're great! And if you like it, spread the love! :)

[iniadelphinae.livejournal.com]

Hmm... going to see if I can get Loki to try this. Wonder if it would help with his snoring, too.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

People say it does, but I live alone so I can't give you first-hand info on that part. Good luck!

[2515049.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've been happy with nasal irrigation. I heard about the idea months or a year ago, but didn't get a pot until last month while in Ann Arbor at a new agey store. I'm not sure how often I should be using it, but I do feel like it's helped when I've used it.

Congestion has been a part of my life for most of my life, and I don't find most medication to really be what I need. *Quil works, but that's pretty drastic stuff, and I don't want to rely on a chemical solution.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how often I should be using it, but I do feel like it's helped when I've used it.

The instructions with the kit I got said once a day, so that's what I've been doing. My friend had it recommended by his doctor though, and she said "twice a day when you're healthy, four times a day when you have a cold". So I guess once to twice a day when you're healthy, more is okay when you're sick. (I do it once.)

and I don't want to rely on a chemical solution.

Same. I'd much rather have a drug-less solution to my congestion!