Recently, my wife had a bad sinus infection. When antibiotics didn’t help, she turned to alternative medicine. The one approach that (we think) worked best in helping to clear out her sinuses was the neti pot. If you don’t know what a neti pot is (and we didn’t before the sinus infection), it’s an ancient cleansing technique developed in India and South Asia. In Sanskrit, jala neti, means nasal cleansing with water.
By mixing salt in water and pouring it through the nasal passages, the neti potter clears out mucus and pollen, which is said to help prevent/cure sinusitis and relieve the headaches associated with it.
Before we tried out the pot, we looked on YouTube to see if there were any clips of other potters, figuring there might be one, or possibly two. Turns out, there’s a whole neti potter community! Dozens of people looking for their 15-minutes, or, alternatively, people really really passionate about their neti pots. Here are nine that made us giggle.
A neti pot virgin trying it out for the first time on camera.
This gal is pretty eloquent, and does a great job of instructing.
This one definitely takes the award for best soundtrack! Cyber hi-5s to the first person who can name the tune.
Wait, with a watering can??? You go girl!
Another hilarious soundtrack. Love the faces this bloke makes. (Not sure why I thought he was British… but I did.)
That’s the exact same neti pot we used, vis-a-vis the blue one you see in some of the other clips. This guy’s eyes kill me.
This gal takes the Chipmunk approach, proving that even speeded up, the neti delivers. We especially liked her nose-blowing technique at the end.
The parents seem to be enjoying this more than their kid!
Even a two-year old is getting in on the act!
Comments (27)
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I lovw my neti pot!! My S-I-L turned me on to it. Have not had a sinus infection since I started using it. Bravo to these folks for filming it cause I look like a nut when using it
posted by JaneM on 2-12-2009 at 10:22 am
I’ve been using a neti pot for a couple of years now, ever since my doctor recommended it to me for my recurring sinusitis. It works wonders, but freaks my wife out. My left side drains better than the right.
posted by Jason! on 2-12-2009 at 11:27 am
Doesn’t it hurt?? I know that when I get water in my nose (at the pool, lake, in the shower, whatever) it burns like a son-of-a-gun. I can’t imagine that pouring water in your nose would feel very good.
ReCaptcha WTF?: curry lion-a-year
posted by Heather Dawn on 2-12-2009 at 11:39 am
I use NeilMed sinus rinse and have used it for over a year. It has kept me free of sinus infections and I used to get them all the time! My husband laughs at me doing it but it really works well.
posted by Carol on 2-12-2009 at 11:45 am
I love neti-ing! Really, its one of the best things you can do for your head. I got turned on to it by a yoga teacher a few years ago and it’s really become a nice part of my morning and evening ritual. I actually look forward to it and it really helps with pollution, headaches and when I have a cold.
Heather Dawn, you’d think that it would hurt, but it’s really a breeze and feels good. My tip is: if you start getting that “water up your nose” feeling, tip your head back a bit. If you start feeling a bit of water going down your throat, tip forward a bit. Finding the angle that works for you is key.
Try it! It’s pretty scary and weird at first, but I promise it’s worth it!
posted by Jenny on 2-12-2009 at 11:48 am
I find myself attracted to the woman in th fourth video which actually disturbs me. I never thought I would be one to become attracted to someone shoving gardening implements up their nose. I think I need help.
posted by Scott-O on 2-12-2009 at 11:49 am
Okay, apparently I’m an idiot. I tried the neti pot, and it worked well, though I had terrible trouble getting all of the water out of my nose, despite intense blowing. I’d roll over in the middle of the night, choking on the sudden gush of water in my nose! I stopped using it when I got water in my ear that turned into an infection. Maybe some of us are just not born to use a neti pot.
posted by loripop on 2-12-2009 at 11:49 am
If you are squeamish about the water thing, you can buy commercial nasal mist by Hydrasense – it comes in different nostril sizes (really!). My kids used to flip out when the saw the bottle, but now even the two year old will go get it when she’s feeling stuffed up.
Studies show that regular nasal irrigation can actually prevent colds and infections from taking root.
posted by Mare on 2-12-2009 at 1:06 pm
Another neti-pot fan here. Swear by them. We tried them after my daughter was diagnosed with chronic sinusitis. At one point they had her on really strong antibiotics for 6 weeks straight.
We noticed that she always did better after the beach, tried the neti pot and it worked. Far better than the nasal sprays IMO.
Want to tackle colon cleansing next?
posted by Karen on 2-12-2009 at 2:11 pm
I used the neti-pot and it felt great but very soon after I used it, within 15 minutes, my nose stuffed up. I used it again and my nose, after the inital cleansing, stuffed up again. This lasted about a week. I am not really sure what happened there but now I am afraid to use it again.
posted by Kevin on 2-12-2009 at 2:23 pm
Yeah, you could use a neti pot. Or you could simply warm up a bowl of water, dissolve some salt into it, stick your face in the water an slowly rinse out your nasal passages by slowly sucking the water into your nose and back out before you swallow it. Yes, it is disgusting, but it does work.
posted by That Jeff on 2-12-2009 at 2:25 pm
How long before we see websites turn this into a sexual fetish? Or has it started already?
posted by Craig on 2-12-2009 at 2:44 pm
I second the testimony for NeilMed – got one of these from Walgreens recently and it’s GREAT http://www.neilmed.com/usa/sinusrinse.php
I didn’t really need the pre-mixed packets of salt + soda, but they’re fine. The only problem I’ve had is using too-hot water which resulted in a canker sore-like thing in my nostril :)
posted by Julie on 2-12-2009 at 3:29 pm
Dude’s not British, he’s from Ohio. That’s the guy behind toothpastefordinner.com
posted by joe on 2-12-2009 at 3:41 pm
The 5th video features Drew (aka Kompressor), author/artist of the awesome webcomic ‘toothpaste for dinner’.
posted by Sarah on 2-12-2009 at 4:20 pm
You know, it’s called alternative medicine because it’s not actually medicine or necessarily well reasoned. The mucus in your head serves a purpose. Maybe watching Oprah would help your sinuses. This is cut from the same cloth as colon cleanses, magic berries and Kinoki footpads. Giving it to a two-year-old is really stupid and irresponsible.
posted by Marvin on 2-12-2009 at 6:18 pm
When I was small, I had a stuffy nose from Nov to March. The only relief I could get was from filling the sink with warm water and snarfeling the water up my nose and blowing it back out again. I never told anyone I did this because I thought it was somehow bad. Now, its a widespread fad. Who knew!?!
posted by Nicole on 2-12-2009 at 8:08 pm
I
posted by fruppi on 2-12-2009 at 9:50 pm
Marvin, I can’t help but think that you’ve never suffered from a sinus infection (or chronic sinusitis, for that matter).
My dad loves the neti pot and uses it when he has sinus infections, apparently it clears them up and stops the headaches. I’m still too scared to try it.
posted by Lynne on 2-12-2009 at 10:45 pm
there’s another great video about this at http://www.wheezywaiter.com
it’s worth finding, the guy’s hilarious
posted by Emily on 2-13-2009 at 9:15 am
It’s been very helpful for me but I do get nasal burning at times. I use kosher salt, and find that the burning happens if the salt/water ratio is a bit off or the temp isn’t quite right(lukewarm to a fingertip.)
The instructions said you should turn your head down to let the fluid drain. They suggested the yoga “rag doll” pose(stand bent at the waist with your head dangling.) Flushing my nose makes me briefly dizzy and I find its safer and easier to get on my knees and elbows and put my head down with the top of my head resting on the floor. It only takes 10-20 seconds. If you od this there will be no fluid left.
It’s not ususally painful to use a neti pot, but I don’t; enjoy it and only do so when I’m congested.
posted by little gator on 2-13-2009 at 10:16 am
I also love my neti pot. I used to get sinus infections 3-4 times a year. Nothing worse than knowing one was coming on and there was nothing I could do about it. Now at the first sign of infection (for me, a burning dry feeling in my sinuses) I flush and it goes away. I haven’t had a sinus infection in over 10 years now.
Addressing a few of the comments here:
Never blow “intensely” when you’ve just irrigated. It can indeed force water that was in your sinuses into your ears. Instead, allow the 10-20 seconds little gator suggested for your sinuses to drain normally. If you still feel some trapped water, blow VERY gently through both nostrils; do NOT plug one nostril and blow through the other. If you feel any pressure on your ears, you’re blowing too hard. Also, your nasal passages will become less inflamed and will drain easier over time with regular flushes and trapped water should become less of a problem.
Do not irrigate more than twice a day. I can only handle one flush a day, or my sinuses get too dried out and actually become more irritated because of the loss of protective mucus. You’re trying to flush out some irritants and/or germs, not get rid of all the mucus.
If you’re too congested for a flush to work normally (where water flows in one nostril and out the other), keep trying alternate sides, a little at a time until you loosen the congestion enough to drain. In this case be VERY careful not to blow your nose hard. You already have restricted space for water to flow out.
If you’re plugging up after flushing, I’d suggest monkeying with the salt/water ratio. This happens to me when I don’t have enough salt. Also, if you’re on city water, consider using filtered or bottled water for your flushes. You might be reacting to some chemicals in the water (like chlorine).
posted by Michelle on 2-13-2009 at 2:12 pm
All of these videos pale in comparison to Amy Sedaris instructing David Letterman on correct neti pot usage. YouTube fails me now, but find it, watch it and fall in love with Sedaris all over again.
posted by Alison on 2-15-2009 at 8:23 pm
I just found a modern neti pot called the Navage Nasal Hygiene System. Has anyone else seen it?
posted by Lisa Lehman on 10-30-2009 at 4:20 pm
LOL some of the vids look a bit difficult but it’s really easy to use. I like the fast one with the girl and the blue neti pot “Nasal Neti Pot Idiot”.
posted by Dan Gonzalez on 12-14-2009 at 9:04 pm
What do I do If I get water trapped inside my ear (sinus cavity) while
douching nasally. I have a head cold
and the extra water and pressure in my inner head space is very discomforting.
What do I do? Help!!!
posted by Gabrielle on 3-19-2010 at 4:51 am
Just got my neti pot a couple of days ago – went with this blue plastic neilmed one. I have always had a clogged nose since I was a kid. I forgot what it was to not have a sinus headache ENT doc had just said I had tiny sinuses and to do my best at keeping them clear, this is the only thing I have found to help and after the hundreds of dollars I’ve spent on doc bills and scripts the 15 bucks was definatly worth it. Though I can only get good results if the water is really hot – not boiling just very hot. Get over the gross factor – if you have sinus issues go out and get one of these!
posted by Duck on 6-30-2010 at 3:35 pm