Neti Knows Noses

Well, you can never assume; otherwise you make the first three letters of assume true about yourself. Yesterday, I assumed that everyone would be familiar with Neti Pots or Netipots, but that may not actually be the case. We don't all go to Oprah College after all.

It was Dr Oz on Oprah who first introduced me to Neti, and I could scarcely believe what I was seeing. In response to some sort of question about allergies or sinuses I (I think it was), he invited the lady to the stage. There he had her tilt her head over a basin and, using Dear Neti, pour water in one nostril so that it flowed out of the other nostril.

Who knew that such a concept for the cleaning of sinus cavities existed? Well, Dr Oz and a lot of other people knew, apparently, for it is not a new invention by any means.

Following are two excerpts from Wikipedia. Please visit Wiki for the whole article for links and references that I have eliminated from the these sections.

Nasal irrigation or nasal lavage or nose douche is the personal hygiene practice in which the nasal cavity is washed to flush out excess mucus and debris from the nose and sinuses. It has been practiced in India for centuries as one of the disciplines of yoga. Some clinical tests have shown that this practice is safe and beneficial with no significant side effects.[1][2] Nasal irrigation in a wider sense can also refer to the use of saline nasal spray or nebulizers to moisten the mucus membranes....

The simplest method, in that it does not require any equipment, is to snort water from cupped hands. The application of commercially available saline nasal spray is another simple alternative, but it is relatively inefficient for washing away debris although it may suffice for simple rehydration of mucous and tissues.[6]

A simple yet effective technique is to pour salt water solution into one nostril and let it run out through the other while the mouth is kept open to breathe, using gravity as an aid. This is an old Ayurvedic technique known as jala neti, and the container used to administer the saline is called a neti pot. (Neti is Sanskrit for "nasal cleansing". A second neti technique known as sutra neti uses a piece of string instead of water.)

Finally, here's one YouTube demonstration of a plethora of choices. I am surprised that there are so many examples as I, personally, wouldn't care to demonstrate Neti and me getting so close and personal. I'm appreciate, however, that others are not so disinclined to get their noses into it onstage. Or it into their noses, rather.