The Nose Douche*

I've been told I do "edgy" things, but when it comes to abbreviating sickness and getting rid of boogers without having to "dig for gold," I am all ears. That's why I use a neti pot.

I was introduced to this process when I was having a bout of really gnarly boogers that eventually led to my becoming a bit under the weather. I happened to run into a thread that recommended to use this ancient Ayurvedic technique to clear your sinuses from bad stuff and watched this lovely video:



The concept is simple enough: use water to flush your sinues from gunk! I'm lucky that I don't suffer from allergies to pollen, dust, dander and the like, but I have a pretty weak respiratory system, and knowing that using a cute, ceramic pot to help shorten sickness is all good in my book!

I do admit it does seem like a strange thing to do, but hey, if Dr. Oz on Oprah says it's okay, it shouldn't be bad, right?

I have heard people who tried using it to help get better faster, and neti pot use only made the sickness even worse. Not knowing the details of that try, I 'm surprised that it did more harm than good, but it's not deterring me from using it.

I've been using the neti pot for a bit over a year now. I used it particularly after running on a dirt track on the outer edge of Downtown Los Angeles, just to get particulate matter and other bad stuff out of my system, and also for the aforementioned booger bust (Works like a charm). Any time I'm feeling a little congested or snotty, I get some warm water, a bit of epsom salt and flush my nasal passage! I remember getting sick on vacation, and while I was miserable and congested, I wished I had packed my neti pot to clear myself from all the sinus pressure of snot.

I'm not going to lie and say using it is like taking a deep breath of clear, mountain air, but yeah, it's sometimes uncomfortable to use, particularly if you haven't used it in a while, or if you use too much salt, or the water is too hot or cold. In the end, I find the momentary discomfort worth the investment of not being so sick for so long.

Yes, it is possible to flush one's nasal passage when congested, but it takes A LOT of time and patience. Yes, I have tempered discomfort with patience while holding a slowly cooling pot of hot water tilted into one nostril while nothing comes out of the other. Given a lot of time, physics and the properties of water finally managed to create a snot poop out of the other nostril and flush most, if not all of that gunk out of my system.

I know such a practice isn't ideal for everyone, but I like it myself. Just some warm water and epsom salt through my nasal cavity will do me fine. I will not, however, fathom to try more "advanced" techniques that I've read about, like allowing the water to go down your throat to spit out, or using milk or ghee, or even crazier...your own urine (I AM NOT MAKING IT UP...CLICK ON THE ABOVE LINK). Supposedly, with the right balance of diet and I don't care what else will help balance you so that when you flush your body from outside toxins from your own waste, it won't be that bad. I'm not that "edgy" enough to try that.

And for heaven's sake, please don't try flushing out your sinuses with alcohol.


*No, this wasn't my wording. It was a Google ad that I came across.