Neti Pots: not the WORST idea ever...

Tired of blowing your nose? Got caught picking one embarrassing time too many? NeilMed has the answer for you: The NasaFlo Neti Pot. Basically it's a teapot that you fill with saline then pour into your sinuses. It washes away snot and boogers and leaves you feeling, well, like you just poured water up your nose.

My wife bought one of these and I decided to try it. She mentioned something about "some powder" you mix in but she gave me the pot filled with regular filtered water. I bent down, tipped my head to one side, and poured the water into my nose. Let me describe what that's like. First, water is flowing through your head. Second, this water was not saline so it burned (ironically), and I felt like I was drowning. Third, and this is important: BREATHE THROUGH YOUR MOUTH! I can't stress enough the dangers of breathing through your nose while you're filling it with water. Let's just say that it was possibly the most unpleasant experience of my life. After I coughed and sprayed water everywhere, I had to blow my nose for 5 minutes to clear out the mess caused by the neti pot.

Then I decided to read the directions, and found that the box comes with a bunch of saline powder packets, which you are supposed to mix with the water. I thought that before I wrote a nasty blog post about this product I should try the saline first.

With the saline mixture well dissolved I tried it again. This time the process went much more smoothly and I didn't feel like I was drowning in my own snot. The water flowed cleanly from one side of my nose to the other, washing away... whatever was in there. But in the end I still had to blow my nose a lot and half an hour later I have a nagging feeling of having been swimming upside down.

I suppose some people may derive some benefit from this product, but for me this product is fit for the pit.