Neti Pot Gave My Cold The Cold Shoulder

I've been breathing out of my mouth for two days, thanks to a nasty cold and mutinous mucous membranes. Blowing my nose became an exercise in futility because no matter how hard I blew or how much came out (sorry, TMI, I know), my nasal passages stayed perpetually clogged.

As a mom-to-be, I don't have many cold remedy options. So I decided to try the Neti Pot. Used by yoga practitioners for thousands of years, this therapy uses a salt and water solution to flush out the nasal cavity. Oprah featured the Neti Pot on her show, a few years back...and an O endorsement never hurts. On that eppy, Dr. Oz said, "The [ear, nose and throat] doctors who are specialists in this area will often say this is a better treatment than a lot of the other drugs that we try to offer folks, because it mechanically cleans out the problem."

As I was too ill for a trip to the drugstore, I asked Mr. Spoiled Pretty to look for a Neti Pot on his grocery sojourn to Whole Foods. He returned with Ancient Secrets Nasal Cleansing Pot, which I used as such:

1. I poured 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized table salt into the pot.
2. I filled the pot with warm water and mixed the solution to thoroughly dissolve the salt.
3. Then, I positioned my head over the bathroom sink and tilted my head to the side.
4. I inserted the spout of the pot into my raised nostril, creating a tight seal.
5. I then raised the pot to start a steady flow of saline solution into the raised nostril. If you're doing it right, the water will flow through the one nostril and exit via the other nostril.
6. During the process, I breathed through my mouth - which was, after two days of severe nasal congestion, old hat to me.
7. After I irrigated the first nostril, I blew my nose to clear everything out, and repeated the process on the second nostril.

I was planning on reviewing the Neti Pot on this blog, whether or not it worked. And I am happy to report that, thanks to this ancient wonder, I am now breathing easier. I was surprised by how immediate the results were. I have to admit that the feeling of pouring salty water up your nose and watching your other nostril flow like a faucet is kind of gross. And the sensation is weird, though not very uncomfortable. But you get over all that once the air starts flowing freely through your nose again.

At $15-20, a Neti Pot will run you about 2 or 3 times the cost of nasal spray/mist. But once you have the pot, you're all set because the only other ingredients you need are ones found in your home (water and table salt). And because the pot is reusable - you use it, wash it, and reuse it.

The Neti Pot gets Spoiled Pretty approval. Trust me...it's a hot pick during cold season.