How to Use a Neti Pot to Improve Your Health
Don’t know how to use a neti pot? Or does flushing out your nose intimidate you?
If you haven’t been introduced to the neti pot before, consider your mind about to be blown. The neti pot is a nasal irrigation device that helps to clear your sinus pathways and allows you to reclaim your health in a simple, direct way. The effects are temporary, but the more you use the neti pot, the better you are to keep up with ailments, such as nasal congestion, sinus headaches, runny nose, post nasal drip, cold and flu, allergies, sinusitis and rhinitis. Learn how to use a neti pot and how it can improve your health.
What it is a Neti Pot?
A neti pot is a personal hygiene tool that allows you to flush your nasal cavity of excess mucus and other debris. They are typically made of metal, glass, ceramic and plastic. They have a handle and a spout and depend on gravity and the tilting of the head to rinse out sinus cavities.
What can it do?
The neti pot has proven to be able to provide sinus relief. According to one study, daily use of the neti pot improved sinus-related quality of life, decreased symptoms and decreased medication use in patients with frequent sinusitis.
How to use a Neti Pot
To use a neti pot correctly, you will need the neti pot itself and a saline solution. I recommend making the solution yourself just to be sure of what is going into your body. To make the saline solution, boil 16 ounces of water and dissolve between 1/2 and 1 teaspoon of salt in the solution. This ration is equivalent to the body’s saline concentration of 0.9 percent. Let the water cool to a warm temperature before using in your neti pot. Once you are ready, here’s how to do it:
- Add the saline and water solution to the pot so that it’s almost all the way full.
- Lean over a sink or bowl and tilt your head sideways so that it is horizontal.
- Insert the pot’s spout fully into your upper nostril.
- Open your mouth, relax, and breathe through your mouth while you pour. Don’t be startled. Keep calm.
- The water will begin to run out of the lower nostril.
- Tilt you head straight and blow your nose before moving on to the next nostril.
- Tilt your head in the other direction and repeat the process but now on the other nostril.
- Once finished, blow your nose gently.
- Rinse your pot and put it somewhere to dry.
Related on Organic Authority
3 Natural Ways to Unclog Sinuses
Try These 7 Essential Oils for Seasonal Allergy Relief
Photo Credit: Gauvra Mishra
