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I like neti pots a lot. I’ve been using one or for a couple of years now, and I wouldn’t be without it. But maybe you don’t know what one is, or why you would use it.

A neti pot is a small container that looks a little like a miniature teapot. You put a salt solution in it and stand over the bathroom to irrigate your nostrils and sinuses. I do this with a tissue at the ready in my other hand, to  blow my nose gently afterwards. I breathe through my mouth while doing it.

This process isn’t always the most fun,  but I really do like the results. My nasal allergies are greatly diminished, and I do think I am getting fewer colds. It’s quite common for me to feel like I might be getting a cold, use the neti pot, and not catch the cold. This is not proof, though, as I usually throw vitamin C, garlic, or echinacea at the cold as well.

Here is a neti pot… clicking on the image will take you to its page at Amazon, where you can read more about it. Neti pots come with little instruction leaflets.

Neti pots can be ceramic, plastic, or metal. I started with a ceramic one but when I traveled this past summer I left it at home. I found I missed it so I bought a plastic one and I like it better. This has something to do with the fact that my cats sometimes jump up on the bathroom counter when I’m at the sink!

They say it’s good to use warm water in it, but I make up my own neti pot solution by boiling water in my teakettle. Then I pour out a pint of the hot water into a measuring cup or mug. The boiling gets rid of any chlorine in the water. I add 1/2 a teaspoon of salt — I use sea salt, not regular iodized table salt. Pickling salt is fine. I give it a stir and the salt dissolves. Once the solution has cooled, I put about half in my neti pot and the other half into a very clean jar for use later. I find room temperature water to be pleasant enough, but it would be easy to make it fresh from warm water each time if you preferred.

Neti is Sanskrit for “nasal cleansing” and sometimes people misspell it as nettie pot or netty pot. Holistic doctors are more likely to recommend neti pots than are conventional doctors, but their use is pretty widely accepted.

Curious? Here’s a  list of neti pots at Amazon.