Nettiiiieeee! (a la Color Purple)


Peace.

I wanted to build this morning on something that is a regular part of my morning routine. The neti pot. I say regular part because I do this right after I shower. But if I’m running late, it’s the 1st thing I give up. I have owned one now for over a year and it has finally become a serious part of the toilette. What is that you ask? You have never heard of such a thing? Well let me explain….

A neti pot is a device used for irrigating the nasal passages. Typically it has a spout attached near the bottom, sometimes with a handle on the opposite side. It looks like a child’s toy kettle. Mine is made of recycled plastic. Neti pots flush out the nasal cavities by using gravity to draw the flow of saline. Now why do I do this? That is very easy to answer…

I use it as an internal wash of my nasal passages. Follow me on this… Everyday we inhale and exhale. We don’t just inhale and exhale air and nothing else. We inhale impurities too. The hairs in our noses catch most of it. That combined with normal mucous creates boogers. I know. But it’s a natural process. You don’t want them in your lungs now do you? Salted water provides an osmotic gradient that pulls excess fluid out of the tissues. The flow of salted warm water flushes the passages out. That is especially good during hay fever season.

I warm I add the salt solution, add warm water to the pot and tighten the cap. I lean my head away from the side nostril that I put the spout into. Spout in the nostril and pour. It is obvious and important to breathe through your mouth the entire time. Otherwise you will choke on salt water. I use half of the saline on one side and the other half through the other nostril. I feel compelled to blow after each pouring. If y’all saw all the crap that floats out of my nose, you would rush out and buy one!

Initially it took some time to perfect the technique. You have to really relax because if you don’t the flow of fluid will be obstructed. Swallowing or holding one’s breath will obstruct the flow as well.

Try it. You will like it!



Peace

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