Neti Pot: An Option For Seasonal Allergy Relief

Spring is upon us! Along with flowers, sunshine, warmer temperatures and new produce, seasonal allergies are flaring up. Before you go reaching for a concoction of chemicals that may or may not help alleviate your symptoms, you should consider talking to your health professional about trying a neti pot.

Originally part of yoga practice, it has become a non medicinal way of promoting sinus health, alleviating sinus problems and seasonal allergies. It helps remove the pollen, dust, fungi and bacteria that builds up in the cilia in our nasal passages, and the mucus trying to keep everything trapped, and then, of course, expelled. Normally during allergy season our sinuses become congested, sometimes inflamed then infected. To state the obvious, it is not fun. It doesn’t have to be this way!

A neti pot is a tea pot looking device that you mix warm filtered or distilled water with a special salt and some people (like myself) will add other homeopathic remedies including Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) and/or oregano or eucalyptus essential oils (EO). When I first heard about this I was like “uh…no.” However, the more you learn….I decided to give it a try after my doctor suggested it for my chronic sinus infections. When a mainstream doctor recommends something alternative, well, it says something.

So I went to Whole Foods and bought a starter kit. Followed the directions for making the salt water mixture then added a drop of each GSE and Oregano EO. To use the neti pot you put the neti pot spout into one nostril until it seals, turn your head onto its side, breathe through your mouth and let the salt water run. You can do a whole pot each side or half and half depending on what your body needs. You can do this up to two times daily as needed. Here is a quick video on technique however I strongly suggest you never, ever, ever use tap water.

Regular neti pot use has relieved my chronic ear and sinus infections and my seasonal allergies. I hope you’ll give it a try and see if it helps you the way it has helped me.

Live Healthy and Whole,

Marian

http://www.ehow.com/about_5135014_benefits-neti-pot.html