NOT A TEAPOT

Or a sex toy (?!) as some guessed. Yesterday's "Wordless Wednesday" picture was of a neti pot, as several guessed.

What is a neti pot, for those who don't know? Up until about 4 months ago, I never heard of it or had ever seen one. A friend of mine told me about this after seeing it on the Dr. Oz show, which I also had never watched but had heard of.

A neti pot is a gadget that helps clear your sinuses better than most nasal sprays or drugs, as I am finding out after a months' long problem with plugged ears, sinus headaches, and constant nose dripping. I'm not going to go into the specifics of how this thing works, but it basically clears the sinuses with a saline solution you make yourself with saline packets and warm water.

The first time I used it, I pretty much gagged myself and barely got through the first treatment, but further treatments have gone well. What I am noticing, however, is that sometimes even hours after, if I bend over or put my head down for any reason, I still get a steady stream of saline that drips like a faucet out of my nose.

I found out years ago when I first started swimming that apparently I was really sensitive to the chlorine because after a while, whether I swam that day or not, my nose dripped chlorine or I sneezed all day long. For some odd reason, my sinuses seem to retain whatever fluid is introduced into them, which is why the chlorine sensitivity and why I would guess the saline leaks out hours after treatments.

But the neti pot does work. If you do have constant sinus problems, it is an easier and drug free solution to helping clear up that problem, and probably less costly. The kit cost about $10 and after 4 months I still have some saline packets left, which you can but individually as well.

What I can't figure out is why no doctor ever told me about this?