In praise of pot

[Keroin]

Neti pot, that is.



I am here to sing the praises of this weird little tea-pot-like device and to recommend its use to anyone who faces a cold or sinus problems or such.

Background: The equation to determine how long a cold will last for me goes like so...

Normal person gets cold that lasts 2-5 days = K gets same cold that lasts 1-3 months.

Usually I end up with an upper respiratory infection and have to go through one or more courses of antibiotics. The last biggie, in January, was three courses of antibiotics + 65 codeine pills. This is normal for me, and immensely frustrating. My doc told me to get a neti pot last year, and I did, but I only ever used it once the cold was already settled in. It helped but not to any major degree.

HOWEVER.

Last week L contracted a doozy of a cold. I was quaking in my boots. But the client we're working for said, "Start using the neti pot now, three times a day, and don't stop." I heeded her advice and...WOW! Yes, I got the cold. Headache, sore throat, tired, but it has been 2 1/2 days and it's almost gone. By tomorrow or Sunday, I should be back to my normal self.

This borders on miraculous. Trust me.

So, I'm passing on this experience that others out there may also be 'saved'. If you come into contact with someone with a cold, or if you feel even a tickle, or if you're prone to hayfever and such, USE POT! Immediately.

If you don't know what a neti pot is, here's a photo.

http://littlemountainhomeopathy.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/neti_pot_woman.jpg

Warning: You will laugh the first time you use it, it's just that weird.

/PSA

 

[Curious_in_Cali]

Love it! Works fabby on cloggy heads due to allergies too! Yay pots!

 

[shewantsmore]

it does make a bad day seem a bit brighter some times

 

[bhndblueyes88]

This just never works well for me I have to do this odd contortion to get it to flow from one nostril to the other and I don't think it gets my sinuses at all. It does help a bit...but not much Which is a shame, because someone with my kind of chronic congestion could really use a good netipotting!

 

[Keroin]

Love it! Works fabby on cloggy heads due to allergies too! Yay pots!

Yay pots indeed! It will be a regular part of my arsenal now.

L calls it my "nose bong".

it does make a bad day seem a bit brighter some times

Um, you realize we're talking about neti pots, right? (just checking).

This just never works well for me I have to do this odd contortion to get it to flow from one nostril to the other and I don't think it gets my sinuses at all. It does help a bit...but not much Which is a shame, because someone with my kind of chronic congestion could really use a good netipotting!

Bummer. You know there are other kinds of sinus flush kits out there in spray bottles, that might work better for you. I think NeilMed makes a spray bottle type.

I'd actually written it off the neti pot as hocus pocus myself because I didn't feel any significant effects. Luckily, in my case, it was simply a matter of not starting early enough or using it often enough through the day.

 

[BiBunny]

I want to try this, but I'm deathly afraid of accidentally drowning myself.

Ok, not really drowning, but you know that feeling you get when you're swimming and water goes up your nose, and it burns for the next 2 hours? Yeah. That.

 

[FurryFury]

It only works okay for me. And it does feel like drowning. And it makes me throw up a bit. But it's a fun day for people who have always wanted to be water boarded but have to DIY it.

 

[Keroin]

And it does feel like drowning. And it makes me throw up a bit.

Really? I experienced none of that. The water just passes through, doesn't impede breathing at all (as long as you can remember to breathe through your mouth and not your nose, lol). Never thrown up from it. Very occasionally a tiny bit will trickle down my throat but that's nothing.

I'm not sure your experience is common, FF.


Don't be scared Bunny!

Also, you can't drown yourself. All you have to do is put down the pot.

 

[Dianthus]

I have used a neti pot for a few years now and, especially at this time of year when my allergies go nuts, its really helpful.

If you are new to neti pot use, I'll pass on something my doctor told me: use distilled water with the solution rather than tap.

Apparently, certain impurities in tap water (which vary according to region) can actually make you MORE congested and/or ill when they get into the sinus cavity.

 

[bhndblueyes88]

I have used a neti pot for a few years now and, especially at this time of year when my allergies go nuts, its really helpful.

If you are new to neti pot use, I'll pass on something my doctor told me: use distilled water with the solution rather than tap.

Apparently, certain impurities in tap water (which vary according to region) can actually make you MORE congested and/or ill when they get into the sinus cavity.

This, and neither tap water or distilled water are isotonic solutions. Which is part of the reason why it burns, BiBun. That's why the little salt packets you get to use are so helpful (or just a little bit of salt). You just need to make sure not to add too much salt

 

[Daddy2mylilgirl]

Just got done using this bad boy.
http://www.savingwithshellie.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/neilmed-sinus-rinse.jpg

 

[bhndblueyes88]

Just got done using this bad boy.
http://www.savingwithshellie.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/neilmed-sinus-rinse.jpg

I know someone mentioned this thing above...how does it work for you? do you find it comparable to the neti pot?

 

[DVS]

It only works okay for me. And it does feel like drowning. And it makes me throw up a bit. But it's a fun day for people who have always wanted to be water boarded but have to DIY it.

I have one, but have been afraid to try it for a number of reasons. One of them is I have a deviated septum. I broke my nose when I was a kid and nobody knew it, so it was never set correctly. So, I'm not sure the water would flow easily from one nostril to the other.

Also, there are times when my nose is so clogged up, I can't even blow it. At times like that, I'll have a sensation of throwing up and sometimes actually will or at least something similar to dry heaves, so I know what FF is talking about. If my nostrils have too much water in them, this can happen. Because of this, I'm kind of a germ-a-phobe about catching colds.

But, I also have bad allergies and they are similar to colds in many ways. And to top it all off, I get panic attacks and a stuffed up nose is my main trigger for them. So, because of my septum, I don't remember ever having a totally clear nasal passage, and am always looking for something that will help. I take allergy pills, but they don't really help with the congestion, even though they have the decongestant in them.

Also, I sometimes react differently to medications and such and I'd hate to have my nose congestion actually get worse because of the ingredient of the powder that you put in the neti. Yes, when it comes to my nose being clogged up, I'm a wuss and Xanax takes too long to start working. But, I'm getting closer to giving it a try. I've had it too long to just let it sit in my cabinet.

As for my special life saver if I catch a cold, I take Zycam. Like the neti, the key is to catch a cold as soon as possible. If you let it catch hold of you, it is more difficult to get rid of. But, I can start with Zycam early on and that cold won't be near as bad, and it won't last near as long. I'm also one of those that will keep a cold for a couple of weeks. But, with Zycam, it will only last about a week and even that week it won't even seem like much of a cold. Zycam has many different ways to take it, and I think any of them are suppose to work the same. I use the flavored lozenges these days, since the nasal gel, which I loved, has been taken off the market.

I do have a couple questions...if you don't get the water temp to be the correct temperature, is that a terrible thing? I know you don't want cold and you don't want hot, but body temp is preferred. But, if you mess up, is that going to make it work less or even hurt? And do you think my deviated septum will cause problems? I know you're not a doctor, but was just wondering.

This thread might actually give me the necessary guts to put my neti pot to use.

 

[DeepGreenEyes]

Duuuuude... I tried one once.

Once.

Total disaster.

I think it went into my brain, which, admittedly, is not a place where I keep anything particularly valuable. But it ended in blinding sinus pain, with coughing, spitting, cursing and head clenching.

Maybe I shouldn't have inhaled.

 

[DVS]

Duuuuude... I tried one once.

Once.

Total disaster.

I think it went into my brain, which, admittedly, is not a place where I keep anything particularly valuable. But it ended in blinding sinus pain, with coughing, spitting, cursing and head clenching.

Maybe I shouldn't have inhaled.

Kind of like brain freeze, only worse? I'll bet you got pretty fucking high though, right?

 

[graceanne]

We got one for B before her nose surgery. We were hoping to avoid surgery, but it didn't work. Nonetheless, I've never been able to convince myself to try it. I just know I'll sneeze and get water and snot all over myself. (I am the only person known to sneeze while getting a feeding tube put in). However, my allergies are so bad right now I'm seriously considering it. I would KILL for one night where I don't wake up clawing at my ears.

 

[YourCaptor]

Wow, so weird.

I kinda want to see the circumstances of the first person to try this.

 

[seela]

Anyone remember the House episode with the guy who used netipot with tap water, got an amoeba and kinda started dying? Yeah, don't do that.

I've never tried, because I'm afraid of drowning and the nose burn BB mentioned, but with the allergy season being incredibly horrible this year, I might have to start using it.

 

[DeepGreenEyes]

Kind of like brain freeze, only worse? I'll bet you got pretty fucking high though, right?

The pain was so hilarious. I just kept laughing and laughing. Then I ate two bags of Doritos.

 

[ecstaticsub]

Anyone remember the House episode with the guy who used netipot with tap water, got an amoeba and kinda started dying? Yeah, don't do that.

I've never tried, because I'm afraid of drowning and the nose burn BB mentioned, but with the allergy season being incredibly horrible this year, I might have to start using it.

That House episode was based on a real news story http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/201...t-death-from-amoeba-prompts-tap-water-warning

I have used a neti pot during allergy season for the past few years. I ALWAYS boil the water first then let it cool down. Don't skip the salt. I like it a little hypertonic. That way more fluid is pulled out. Of course this means I am sneezing out all kinds of snot and gross stuff but what happens in my bathroom stays in my bathroom

 

[FurryFury]

This whole tap water thing depends on your area. Distilled water is only sterile until you open that bottle btw.

Recently, my ENT gave me a bottle to blow some stuff into my nose that's "better than a neti pot". The stuff was, baby shampoo, glycerin and water. My first thought? No way in hell. That thought didn't change when I read the directions. You were supposed to microwave it and put some back and use some, blah, blah, blah.

So I have a grown daugther. She was also having serious sinus issues. She has many issues such as ADHD. She is the child that once came in from the back yard saying, "Hey mommy! I just ate something poison and didn't die!"

I gave this set up to her. She's the type to try it. Btw, she also finds the neti pot which she was using three times a day at that point to be a water boarding kind of experience.

But she is ADHD and she forgot the step to have the mixture cool down before squirting it into her nose. One hysterical call to mom and doc visit later she had first and second degree burns in her nose, on her face, mouth and eye. Great.

Happy the body is a miraculous thing that self heals nicely and quickly. The nose heals very quickly. She was already on antibiotics for something else. I'm sure that helped her not get an infection too.

So remember if you do warm up your neti pot water or do the squirty bottle stuff, let it cool down before pouring or squirting it in!

 

[Daddy2mylilgirl]

I know someone mentioned this thing above...how does it work for you? do you find it comparable to the neti pot?

Works good. It comes with 250 premixed packets and 2 bottles. It's always fun seeing the snot get flushed out and down the drain.

I've never actually used a neti pot. I've always used one that had some force to it. The one I used prior to this was a really big syringe looking one with a rubber tip on the end.

I do have a couple questions...if you don't get the water temp to be the correct temperature, is that a terrible thing? I know you don't want cold and you don't want hot, but body temp is preferred. But, if you mess up, is that going to make it work less or even hurt? And do you think my deviated septum will cause problems? I know you're not a doctor, but was just wondering.

I fill mine with filtered tap water then stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds. That makes it warm enough. (I'm sure time will vary depending on the microwave)

I'm pretty sure I have a deviated septum too. It hasn't really caused any problems that I've noticed.

 

[Licia]

Neti pot.

I've never used the "Neti", but I've done the warm sea-salt water in a bowl technique. Every. Single. Time...I'm scared that I'll drown. Rinsing even my worst congestion in this way drastically improves my healing time.

My grandma's hardcore as she simply snorts salt water into her sinuses. As a yonger child, I was mesmorized by the practice--much like watching a Hitchcock flick. (Love your avatar, DVS.)

 

[Keroin]

The instructions are very specific about using boiled water or distilled water only and letting it cool to room temperature. Testing the water for the right temperature is exactly the same as testing baby bottles - put some on the inside of your wrist. If it's too warm for your wrist, it's too warm for your nose. I use the little prepared saline packages instead of straight salt.

And if you look at the photo in the OP, that's the position you should be in - head tilted forward and to one side, mouth open (for breathing purposes, lol).

It's interesting to hear about these bad experiences. Once the initial weirdness and laughing fit wore off, I found it super simple. Maybe because I'm used to swimming in salt water and getting a certain amount up my nose?

Mind you, I cannot do it while L is watching, as we both end up cracking up.

Anyway, it is now day three of the cold and I feel great! I'm in awe.

ETA: Also, I have tried a mini-version of waterboarding in the bathtub, with a wet towel. Yeah, weird, but I wanted to know how it felt. (Answer: terrifying). And using the neti pot feels nothing at all like that. That was my experience, anyway.

 

[DVS]

This whole tap water thing depends on your area. Distilled water is only sterile until you open that bottle btw.

Recently, my ENT gave me a bottle to blow some stuff into my nose that's "better than a neti pot". The stuff was, baby shampoo, glycerin and water. My first thought? No way in hell. That thought didn't change when I read the directions. You were supposed to microwave it and put some back and use some, blah, blah, blah.

So I have a grown daugther. She was also having serious sinus issues. She has many issues such as ADHD. She is the child that once came in from the back yard saying, "Hey mommy! I just ate something poison and didn't die!"

I gave this set up to her. She's the type to try it. Btw, she also finds the neti pot which she was using three times a day at that point to be a water boarding kind of experience.

But she is ADHD and she forgot the step to have the mixture cool down before squirting it into her nose. One hysterical call to mom and doc visit later she had first and second degree burns in her nose, on her face, mouth and eye. Great.

Happy the body is a miraculous thing that self heals nicely and quickly. The nose heals very quickly. She was already on antibiotics for something else. I'm sure that helped her not get an infection too.

So remember if you do warm up your neti pot water or do the squirty bottle stuff, let it cool down before pouring or squirting it in!

OUCH!