I have seen people use snuff tobacco for the purpose of cleaning the nose , does it work the same . it has been used for a long time . could it have the same purpose

I just saw a couple of yoga exercises like the downward dog and triangle to help drain the water afterwards.

I would say never blow water out unless you KNOW what you are doing. It has been known to cause other problems. I only do that very lightly.

I’m no expert, although I was taught jal neti by a yoga master, but I’m pretty sure the idea of neti is to get the water temperature/salinity and also your standing position and arm position just right so that the water flows through steadily and out in an even thread. You probably shouldn’t be pouring it into your head and then blowing it out — if you are doing that, then make sure to blow ALL the water out (it’s apparently important that none remains) using one of yoga’s breathing techniques with forceful exhalation. But those breathing techniques have implications for people with blood pressure problems, so do check beforehand with someone who knows. Good luck.

Anyways, its IMPORTANT to use a real neti pot, distilled water, the best quality salt you can find, and NO baking soda! Commercial baking soda is likely to have trace impurities that you don’t want to be putting directly into your nose, so close to your brain. I always use pure salt sold especially for Neti pots that is extra purified. Why risk exposing yourself to industrial chemicals to save a few bucks? A bag of neti salt will last you at least a year…
Cheap plastic hoses and bulbs also leach trace amounts of chemicals into the water – again, its never been proven to be significant, but why chance it?

Do yourself a favor and neti pot today if you haven’t already and suffer from sinus problems or allergies.

For convenience and ease of use, I think it’s worth picking up a neti pot. They’re cheap and locally available. I picked up a stainless steel pot, and I use it in the shower each morning. Toss in a tbsp of non-iodized coarse kosher salt, and I use it in the shower.

What I really wanted to point out is that my doctor (a board certified internist and pediatrician) not only recommends nasal lavage, but her office actually has little kits already made up (a squirt bottle and a recipe similar to above) to hand out to patients with sinus problems. I don’t really get the doctor mentioned in the other comment- your body is saline, your tears are saline…unless you put in tons of salt, it won’t irritate your body……..

Ahhhh….Sigh….through my nose of course.

I was told that it is better to do the neti pot a little after getting up, not first thing in the morning. Another yogi told me that in my YTT.

The light hearted tone to your blog is so great – I totally appreciate it.

I also want to thank you for inspiring me to try using WordPress for my new blog. I’m in a messy state now making the switch…but I wanted to learn all these added features.

Well, I think I’ll go for a little nasal cleansing right now.

My husband and I have been doing this nasal cleansing for about three months now, but without a neti pot because I couldn’t find one. We just use a small milkjug. We lean over the bath and pour the solution into one nostril, remain upside down for about a minute, and then blow it clear.

We’ve both had sinus infections (strongly coloured mucus) for ages, and antibiotics don’t help. The nasal cleansing really does bring relief. It seems to be the only way we can keep the sinusitis under control and avoid pain. However, it hasn’t actually cleared the infection (yet?).

I mentioned the nasal cleansing to the doctor who gave me the antibiotics and she had never heard of it. She warned me that salt was an irritant. However, when I tried to use just plain water, it was far too hard – lots of burning and tears and spluttering!

I notice you say that it’s not necessary to boil the water. I usually do, although I let it cool a bit, obviously. I find that it’s much easier to do the cleansing with warm water than with cold. We’ve never put the bicarb in, so I’ll add that now.