Return of the Neti Pot
I forget how long ago it was that I bought a neti pot, but it was many years. It might’ve been during my pregnancy with Drake when I had a cold and was all “oh, I can’t take conventional drugs.” (As opposed to my pregnancy with Guppy, during which I was sick all the time, and was not nearly so cautious–Dimetapp, Robitussin, Pepcid, Tums, echinacea, zinc…) I tried the neti pot, nearly drowned at my own hand, then put it away, thinking to myself, “crazy alternative therapies.”
Recently, my nose has been in bad shape due to hot summer, allergies, and air conditioning. It was both dried out and stuffed up. I decided to give the neti pot another try. I followed the directions and the ridiculous picture of the girl pouring salt water through her nose and smiling, and this time it worked! It didn’t feel pleasant, but I poured salt water in one nostril and it came out the other. Then Drake came in to see what I was doing, and I had to smile just like the women in the picture so he wouldn’t be alarmed, but then he wanted to use it, and I had to explain that, like fancy chocolate, gum and lipstick, neti pots are just for mommies.
After the neti pot, I felt a little wet down deep in the ears (during his bath, when he gets water in his ears, Drake says, “I have diapers in my ears.”) but that passed quickly, and then my nose felt great–clear on both sides, moisturized, fresh–like it had been to a spa. I’ve used it a few more times, and while it still feels like I’m wilfully choking myself with salt water, my nose feels much better. So: crazy but effective alternative therapy.