Friends have been singing neti pot-praises for a while, but I’ve been a little too frightened to try it. This long weekend, though, L. and I are going to try some form of cleanse (which will probably mean we eat soup for half a day and then get really hungry). In any case, in the spirit of cleansing the system, I thought I’d give my lonely neti pot a try.
Right there on the instructions it recommends against using sea salt, as it can be an irritant. I think that this is a bit understated. We don’t have regular table salt in the house, so I figured, “eh, I’ll give it a go.”
But “irritant” wasn’t quite accurate. I would have preferred if the instructions had a big red star and arrows and a warning that said something along the lines of: Danger! Sea salt will melt your eyeballs from the inside out!
After some minutes of waterboarding myself, I finally got the hang of it. And with water skillfully flowing out my opposite nostril I gave myself a well-deserved (and mental) pat on the back. Until I read the next step: Some people use one full pot for each nostril.
Are you kidding me? I’d rather wash my brains with saltines.
Needless to say, I’ll be picking up some nice, gentle table salt in the near future. And then, maybe, I’ll try this whole thing again.
Anyone have any tips on making this process more pleasant? Or less unpleasant? Leave a note in the comments. Thanks!
martinis and mantras 
I suggest starting with about 1/2 the amount of salt they recommend, and working your way up.
Also, give the process time to work. It took me 3 or so weeks to really enjoy the benefits.
Thanks D.D. Those are good tips. Do you neti each day?
I try neti in the evening, as part of my bedtime routine, although there are days I just don’t want to! Those days are when I feel the most relief the next morning.
Beware of the post nasal drip, it can be a little intense.
Your comment inspired my second try. I think it’s all about the head angle for me. I am far from perfecting my technique, but I’ll keep at it! Thanks again.