Neti Pot Nasal Rinse

The neti pot has been used in Ayurvedic practice for centuries. The modern ceramic version that NeilMed sells is basically the same design: a small teapot-shaped vessel you fill with warm saline and pour through one nostril while it drains out the other. Sounds terrible. Looks worse. But it clears your sinuses faster and more completely than any spray or decongestant I've tried. During allergy season, it's the only thing that lets me breathe normally at night. The solution is just distilled water and a pre-measured salt packet. NeilMed packets are formulated so the salinity matches your body, and there's no burning sensation. I was skeptical until my doctor recommended it. Now I use it every morning the way some people use mouthwash, just a basic part of the routine. Baraka's ceramic pots are nicer looking and feel better in the hand, but the plastic NeilMed squeeze bottle is honestly more practical because you can control the pressure. The whole system costs about $15 to start and maybe $10 a year for salt refills. Compared to buying Flonase every month, that's a significant savings. An old solution to a common problem, it works without chemicals or prescriptions. My roommate started using one after watching me, and now half the people on our floor have one. There's a weird communal honesty in everyone admitting they rinse their sinuses.