I was a total slacker and forgot to take an official belly shot last week, so Belly Friday will have multiple pics next week. At least it will be cool to see progression. (Sorry to lovely reader MB, who checks in every Friday just for those pictures!)
So, the head cold. It’s a LOT better. It peaked Wednesday evening and by this morning it’s not more than a runny nose with some intermediate stuffiness. I still don’t feel 100%, but it’s definitely on the up and up.
While I was searching for sinus relief, a lot of people suggested using a neti pot — a small pot used to irrigate your nasal passages with a salt water solution. My mom, especially, has been suggesting I try one for years. She’s a firm believer in them, yet I’ve resisted.
I don’t know why I’m so weirded out by the neti pot. Well, no, that’s not true. I do know why. It just seems WEIRD. I get the point of it and logically, it probably does exactly what it’s supposed to do. However, in order to make it work, you have to do this:
Ew.
We’ve all seen people doing stupid human tricks like running a piece of string up one nostril and out the other, and although it’s natural that the body is made that way, it always skeeved me out. This is no exception. And yes, I know I’m going to be pushing a human being out of my nether regions and there’s way more going on with that than with a neti pot, but STILL. What can I say, I’m weird!
I’m kind of a believer that things don’t belong up your nose. Your fingers (unless you’re alone and they’re clean, because sometimes, you just need a pick. No judgement here.), drugs…neti pots. It’s kind of an exit only area, if you ask me. I was even grossed out using the saline solution this week.
I’ve asked around and the general conscious is that until you get used to it, the salt runs down your throat and it’s kind of like getting water up your nose in the pool. And you have to do it often to have a noticable effect. Which means lots of neti potting. Meh.
I passed on the neti pot this time around. Maybe if this cold was still raging I would revisit the idea of it, but for the time being, I’ll stick with my tissues.
These Little Moments 
17 comments
Comments feed for this article
March 26, 2010 at 10:26 am
littlespoon
You may want to try Afrin PureSea. It’s a one-ingredient version of a neti-pot with all natural salt water from a sea in France. I love neti-pots but my biggest problem with them is making sure the salt and water are thoroughly mixed…otherwise it’s Burn-city and that makes the whole process even more uncomfortable!
March 26, 2010 at 10:39 am
Rachel
I passed on the neti pot too! I had a stuffy nose for my entire 3rd trimester, and my OB told me I could use Afrin spray because it does not enter the blood stream (safe for pregnancy). It was the only thing that worked to give me any relief!
March 26, 2010 at 10:59 am
mb
Yay for multiple belly pics next Friday! Also, just for the record, I check in EVERY day, not just Fridays because, well, as you know, I heart you. That said, um neti pot? Neti-O THANK YOU… That picture totally skeeved me out too. Plus I’m a bit of a germophobe and the thought of that little pot just sitting around with its booger-y end exposed kind of makes me shudder. Also, I just realized it is sort of similar to those blue rubber squeeze-y things for baby’s noses. I’m sure they are very useful, but that thing goes into the nostril and then, like, sucks the boogers out and INTO it?! YIKES. Anyway, this is long and all over the place, but happy Friday, Molly! 🙂
March 26, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Erin
The squeezy bottle doesn’t have the running-down-your-throat issue. Seriously, I was freaked out by them too, but my doctor made me promise to try it because I get sinus migraines, and it was not at all as weird as you’d think. Especially if you do it in the shower, so it doesn’t matter if it’s messy.
March 26, 2010 at 12:23 pm
heather
i’ve very rarely had the saline solution run down my throat while using a Neti Pot, even my first time using it. My first one was the little teapot-looking one, and i recently bought the squeeze bottle one. they’re wonderful! you don’t need to use them all the time to have a noticeable effect – i only use mine when i’m feeling stuffy or feel a cold coming on (or have been in a larger city for the day – i hate the black crap that comes out of my nose after a city visit, and i want it OUT asap!). really, don’t be scared. the sensation is a bit odd, but it feels nothing like getting water up your nose at the pool. that is one of my least favorite sensations in the world (i am a nose-pincher when i jump in the pool!), and i still love my neti pot.
just give it a shot!
(i second erin’s suggestion of the squeeze-bottle one. it’s a bit more effective & user-friendly!)
March 26, 2010 at 12:56 pm
your mom
a number of the nurses and staff where i work use it. i was always a resistant skeptic. now i am a convert.
– if you keep your mouth open and tilt your head the right way, nothing will go down your throat, it will go out your mouth.
– you don’t have to use it all the time, but the more you use it, the more comfortable you get with it and it becomes less weird and more therapeutic.
– someone above mentioned washing all that black gunk out after a city visit. i agree with that totally; it’s frightening to see all that pollution. it also washes out pollen and animal dander, which makes you feel much better.
– the first few times it reminded me of when you go into the ocean and get a wave in your face. so i think about the beach while doing it.
– my ENT highly recommends it, says it’s one of the safest, most natural and historically proven (hundreds of years) methods of relief.
March 26, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Kayla
My Boyfriend uses one every morning. I have yet to try it sincerely freaks me out. But he dies without it.
http://senseofstyleiseternal.blogspot.com/
March 26, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Johanna
My suggestion with the neti pot is to try it when you are well. Get a feel for it before you are all stuffed with a sinus headache b/c the learning curve will possibly make your sinuses so much worse at first!!! (Um, sound like I’m talking from experience here?)
March 26, 2010 at 2:30 pm
DevilsHeaven
I was a skeptic too. The thought of putting a teapot in my nose weirded me out too. But then I found the NeilMed. It works off the same principles, but with a squeeze bottle, and no salt water. Made my cold clear up much faster. And yes, you must keep your mouth open and continue to exhale while doing it.
http://www.neilmed.com/usa/adword_sr.php?gclid=CPHahPiE16ACFcvV5wodtD4-tg
March 26, 2010 at 2:52 pm
LKP
I have to urge you to try the neti pot one more time! You’ll only get the water down your throat if you bend your head back or too far to the side. Otherwise, it stays in the nose (where you want it). I was suffering with hellacious allergies last spring, and my BF’s mother gave me a new neti pot she had sitting around the house. Within 2 days, I felt like a new person. Aaaaaa-maaaaaaaaaaaaaa-zing. Granted, YMMV, but I say give it one more shot. I haven’t taken a Zyrtec (which knock me out in 20 min) or an Alavert since!
And I’m a big old baby who can’t stuff anything up her nose (not nose spray, not anything). I also have to be restrained to have eye drops put in my eyes, so please know I am a big, big baby. That said, I heart my neti pot. Either way, feel better!
March 26, 2010 at 2:53 pm
LKP
Also? Try not to look at yourself when you do this. It freaks me out still.
March 26, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Jackie
My husband uses the neti pot when he is sick and it freaks me out. I will not try it. I would rather suffer.
March 26, 2010 at 5:12 pm
Britt
Definitely works. And I’ve never gotten salt water down my throat. Just lean forward and you’ll be ok! 🙂
March 26, 2010 at 8:12 pm
Kim
I was completely freaked out by it, but we bought one, and we did it together (taking turns, and rinsing between turns), and it was totally fine. A little weird, a little funny, but it was fine. I noticed a small difference, but I think it’s true that you have to do it with some consistency/frequency to have a noticeable change.
March 26, 2010 at 9:48 pm
eemusings
Oh man, that sounds revolting. Nasal sprays are bad enough.
March 29, 2010 at 11:38 am
Katie Morton
After reading this post, I actually had a weird dream about neti pots. I just read a study that says people who used neti pots on a regular basis get more frequent sinus infections (they are okay to use if you’re already sick.) So anyway, I will feel good along with you about my decision to avoid putting water up my nose.
March 30, 2010 at 11:18 pm
drfrank7
A study presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology meeting found that neti-pot actually increase your risk of sinus infection. Additionally, stopping neti-pot use was associated with a 62% decrease in sinus infections. The authors pointed out that neti-pots do provide relief of bothersome sinus symptoms, but that chronic use may wash away some of your bodies natural defenses and increase your risk of infection. Over time, constant use of the salt water in neti pots dries out the membrane of the sinuses. Moist sinuses are essential for our immune system to work and overly dry membranes prevent our immune systems from working optimally.
We know for example that excessive mucous secretion such as a runny nose is often a protective response to prevent dust and allergens entering the lungs and sinuses. Our body’s mucous flow acts like a cleaner this way washing away pollen, dirt and irritants. So in a certain sense, just like drugs, the neti pot is suppressing the symptoms rather than removing the cause of the problem.
Antibiotics are not effective either against sinus infections since antibiotics are not secreted in the nasal cavities and so cannot to help eliminate bacteria colonized in the nostrils.
Many types of nasal sprays such as Afrin cause a vicious cycle of addiction. Thus medication can actually make chronic sinus pain and pressure worse and not better.
One major key to treating long term bacterial sinus infections lies in treating biofilms. A discussion of the importance of biofilms in sinus infections can be found on our website’s blog page.