Posts Tagged ‘neti pot’

There’s a little cold going around our family.  It’s nothing major, it just leaves you feeling a bit mucky.  The worst part is the congestion and sinus headache.

Several years back, my son had a sinus infection.  I finally took him to the pediatrician, and he prescribed antibiotics.  After five days on the antibiotics, he wasn’t improving at all.  I called the doctor again and he suggested switching to a stronger antibiotic.  Sinus infections can be hard to treat he said.

That same day, I spoke with my mother-in-law, Kit.  She suggested trying a Neti Pot for Ben.  I was skeptical.  I didn’t think a 6 year old could do it… or that it would help even if he could.

But we picked one up at the Natural Foods Market and gave it a try.

It was a little tricky to use it on a young child, but Ben was a trooper and with my help we made it work.

And much to my surprise, after the first time using it, Ben said his head felt a little better.

We used it 3 times that first day and each time it brought him more relief from the headache and congestion.  After 3 days, his sinus infection was gone.  Ben did complete the antibiotics we had already started,  but I’m sure it was the Neti pot that really helped him get better.

For those who aren’t familiar with a Neti Pot, I hope I don’t gross you out too much.  It is a little pot designed to flush your sinuses with a saline solution.  It clears out the muck and helps moisturize the nasal passages.  To use a Neti pot, you mix ¼ teaspoon of finely ground non-iodized salt in one cup of warm water until dissolved.  We use Sea Salt.  You lean over a sink and pour the solution into one nostril.  The saline solution moves through the sinuses and comes out the other side.  It feels funny, but not painful in any way.  You repeat the process going the other direction.  It pretty much clears out the stuffiness and allergens.  When done, I put the pot in the dishwasher to clean and sanitize.

Since buying our pot, we use it any time someone has a cold or congestion.  I love using it in the Spring for my allergies.

The Neti pot is a little life saver at our house.  It never fails to help us feel better.  It just goes to show, sometimes the oldest and simplest solutions are best.