I douched my nose today.

March 16, 2007

My wife got me into listening to NPR a few years ago, when we met (again). Since then, I've been a fan of Car Talk and the recently cancelled Oddessy, with Gretchen Helfridge. I mostly listen in the morning, and last month i heard a story on 848 about something called nasal irrigation. here's a description.....

Nasal irrigation is an ancient personal hygiene practice, originating from the Yoga practice of Jala Neti (literally: "water cleansing"), which involves regularly flooding the nasal cavity with warm salty water. the saline solution rinses the nasal passages, clearing dried mucus and allowing the sinuses to drain freely. To practice nasal irrigation, fill a neti pot with a saline solution prepared according to the directions above. Stand over a sink and tilt the head to the side and slightly forward. Insert the spout of the neti pot into the upper nostril, allowing the saline solution to flow into the upper nostril, through the nasal passages, and out the lower nostril. Gently blow the nose, keeping both nostrils open. Then reverse the position and repeat on the other side. Use half a pot of saline solution on each side, or use the whole pot on one side and refill the pot to rinse the other side. Gently blow the nose again to release any remaining saline solution along with the pollen, dirt, dried mucus, and other debris that has been washed away. Some prefer to bend from the waist and let the head hang, allowing any remaining saline solution to drain out through the nostrils.

Now i know some people might think my wife put me up to this, but i swear it was all my idea. when i heard the story, i decided to try it for myself, since my job keeps me outside for most of a normal day. i didn't get a chance to till today when my wife called me and told me she was at Whole Foods, a organic-overpriced-hippie supermarket. she found the salt and the special Aladdin's lamp pot, and had bought it for me. as soon as i got home, it was time to douche my nose.

I followed the instructions in the packaging, which is 1/4 teaspoon of the salt per 8oz. of warm water. the effects were immediate and dramatic. i was finally getting the airflow through my big-ass nose that i SHOULD be getting!!!!! It felt great, and after doing both sides, i forced a shitload of what i can only describe as GUNK out of my nose. it's been about 30 minutes since i did this, and it still feels great. the instructions say it's safe to do every day, but i think I'll stick to once a week for now. but really, if you get a chance, try it.

Get a Neti pot here.

It's fucking awesome.