Holistic Health Endeavors: Neti Pot

A neti pot is an interesting contraption. It is used to irrigate the nasal passages. Being from West Texas, irrigation is a term that I, prior to learning of the neti pot, have always associated solely with farming. But alas, one can irrigate his or her nose as well.

I first heard of neti pots in college while I was working in a pharmacy. I remember several patients asking if we happened to stock this little contraption, so we kept a supply of them on our specialty items shelf behind the counter. I never exactly understood what they were used for until recently researching them.

It is described here in an article by The New York Times:

"Originally part of a millennia-old Indian yogic tradition, the practice of nasal irrigation — jala neti — is performed with a small pot that looks like a cross between Aladdin’s lamp and your grandmother’s gravy boat..."

You can find a short demonstration as seen on Oprah here.

I'll say it is an acquired sensation, running salt water through one nostril and allowing it to flow out of the other. But man, it sure works. It releases the gunk, if you will.

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