November 6, 2009
By Carol Ives
For those of you who didn’t get to participate in our last webinar, Immunity and Your Immune system: Unleash the Natural Killer in You, I thought I would share one of the tips Jessica presented for working with your immune system to help protect against flu and the H1N1 virus.
One of the ways a virus can enter your body is through your nasal passages or mouth, so irrigating your sinuses or gargling with salt water can help ensure that nothing takes hold if you are exposed to the flu virus. I can personally vouch 100% for the neti pot! Like many of us, I sometimes push myself a little too much and put my immune system to the test, but time and time again the neti pot has come to the rescue and turned what could have morphed into a full blown sickness to a brief inconvenience.
Here are some simple instructions for nasal irrigation. It’s a quick and easy remedy and well worth the time. Make it part of your daily health routine! And, if you don’t have a neti, Marilyn Farms sells several styles, now 10% off! Click here to view.
1. Mix 1/4 teaspoon of finely ground non-iodized salt with 8 oz. of water. Use the purest salt available because impurities in the salt can be irritating.
2. Lean forward and turn your head to one side over the sink, keeping the forehead at the same height as the chin, or slightly higher.
3. Gently insert the spout in the upper nostril so it forms a comfortable seal.
4. Raise the Neti gradually so the saline solution flows in through your upper nostril and out of the lower nostril. Breathe through your mouth.
5. When the Neti is empty, face the sink and exhale vigorously without pinching the nostrils.
6. Refill the Neti and repeat on the other side. Again, exhale vigorously to clear the nasal passages.
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Last month I purchased a Neti pot, for the first time I was able to fend off an on-coming cold. I used the neti pot 3 days in a row 2x per day and it cleared the drainage from my nose that was going to the back of my throat.
Not only that, I felt like I could breath more clearly. It is a worth wild infestment.
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Comment by Brenda Clawson — November 10, 2009 @ 3:08 am
Bravo! I love the neti pot procedure and use it often. It even helps me sing better when I’m well…but it is a great way to stop and incoming illness! Thank you Jessica for bringing it to our attention. Diana
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Comment by Diana LaPlante — December 6, 2009 @ 5:35 pm
I also use the neti pot in the shower instead of over the sink sometimes, as it can be a messy process. But care must be taken to hang onto the pot, and not let it fall to the hard tile floor wherein it would be destroyed and one might have a dangerous mess to then address in bare feet. Be careful.
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Comment by Diana LaPlante — December 11, 2009 @ 1:38 pm
I have been using the neti pot for the first time and it seems to be helping. I was wondering about frequency? How many times should you do it in a day/week? Can you do it too much?
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Comment by Jeremy — January 15, 2010 @ 4:13 pm
Great question! Various sources have different opinions about regular use of the Neti pot, anywhere from three times a week up to once a day.
When you are experiencing severe sinus pain usage can be once or more a day for the duration of your symptoms. I have had times when I used the Neti pot four or five times a day when symptoms were at their worse and found it to be very effective.
Regarding overuse, only one source I found suggested you could increase sinus infections by too frequent use. So, just to be safe, I would always err on the side of moderation for maintenance and adjust as works best for your own particular body.
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Comment by Carol Ives — January 16, 2010 @ 3:55 pm