Working in Los Angeles as a certified personal trainer, I am often around a lot of people and being the great observer of people that I am, I've noticed that in the spring and particularly in the summer and winter months an alarming amount of people are suffering with various sinus problems, an assortment of allergies, nasal congestion, chronic colds and a host of respiratory illnesses.
Living in the City of Angels, I am sure air pollution is partly to blame, as well as the near zero humidity at times and the powerful dusty Santa Ana winds that blow off the desert.
Being the natural and alternative health practitioner that I am, I am always looking for safe, easy and healthier solutions.
I consider myself to be an above average healthy person, but a few winters ago, no matter how well I took care of myself, I kept on getting slammed by minor sinus and respiratory infections.
On the few occasions that I went to see my doctor, he just wanted to load me up on antibiotics, which I am not a huge fan of (unless what you are dealing with is especially serious).
The biggest problem I have with the health care system in America, is that we wait for people to get sick, then treat them, often with a handful of drugs.
Wouldn't be it wiser to shift this old school thinking and focus our attentions to working on keeping people healthy.
(preventative medicine, rather than "after the fact" medicine).
Alternative medicine heroes like Dr.
Andrew Weil have done so much over the years to educate and help shift this old school thinking, but we are still so far from where it should be.
Anyway, I was getting so tired of getting sick, that I had to find some thing that would help.
That's when my partner at The Fitness Underground-Los Angeles, an elite Yoga instructor asked me if I'd ever used a Neti pot? I said, "Neti what?" I had no idea what she was talking about, but I was so interested and keen to find out.
She explained to me that the Neti pot and the practice of nasal irrigation originated in India and practitioners of Yoga and Ayurveda have been using the Neti method successfully for centuries.
The Indian people performed Neti as a daily health practice to keep their sinuses clean and as a direct effect, breathing was easier and completely free.
Today our nasal passages are often blocked or partially clogged due to pollution, dust, pollen and a host of environmental irritants.
I've seen and know people who are serious addicted to nasal sprays or who are always popping one pill or another in hopes of finding relief.
This can't be good, especially since it only seems to be a very temporary relief.
So what exactly is a Neti pot and what is the method of Neti? It's actually very simple and ridiculously easy to do.
Neti pots can come in various shapes and sizes, but the typical Neti pot looks like a small ceramic tea-pot.
How do you use a Neti Pot? Fill your Neti pot with lukewarm water and about a quarter teaspoon of non-iodized salt.
(make sure the water isn't too hot since you will find that to be irritating not to mention dangerous and cold water is too shocking to the system and far from soothing.
) Standing over the sink, lean forward a bit and tilt your head to one side.
Insert the spout of the Neti pot gently into the raised nostril (the lower nostril will act as the drain) It's kind of a strange feeling but stay relaxed and calm and breathe through your mouth.
If you are doing it correctly the water fill flow naturally, smoothly and steadily out of the pot, into the raise nostril, up into your sinus passages and drain out the lower nostril into the sink.
I know this sounds totally freaky, but it's quite amazing.
As the water flows through your sinus passages, it will be washing away built up mucus, pollens, dust, dirty, environmental irritants and most importantly, harmful viruses and bacteria.
The method of Neti also moistens the mucus membranes of the nose and sinuses, which is some welcome if you live in a dry-low humidity area.
When the pot is empty, exhale firmly a few times or gently blow your nose into a paper towel, this will clear any leftover solution.
Next, refill the Neti pot, simply reverse the tilt of your head and repeat the process.
You won't believe how good you'll feel, any pressure you felt in your head due to sinus related pain will be gone instantly, your nasal passages will be wide open, totally clear and you will feel incredible as you breathe more freely than you ever have.
Just so you know, clinical testing and research has shown that the method of Neti is totally safe, extremely beneficial and has no negative side effects what so ever.
Even Doctor Oz on the Oprah Winfrey introduced the Neti pot to mainstream America and went on to say that, "Neti method is more effective than Medication.
" He also went on to say, "that the doctors who are specialist (ears, nose and throat) will often say this is a better treatment than a lot of other drugs that we try to offer folks, because it mechanically cleans out the problem and restores good health.
" So where can you purchase a Neti pot? Locally, health food stores and often drug stores stock them, I know Whole Foods supermarket in my town carries them, but if you can't find one in your neighborhood, you can certainly order one online, no problem.
The cost is minimal, under $20 (way cheaper then a handful of cold or sinus medication and way safer) and unless you drop it on a hard tile floor it should last forever.
Since I've been using the Neti pot, I hardly ever have sinus issues and never really get colds and if I do they are mild.
Using the Neti pot during that time, I've noticed I recover much faster.
I know for sure that the daily use of the Neti pot, especially during the winter months has proven to be an important health safeguard for me.
This odd little pot worked wonders for me and I bet it will work wonders for you as well.
We highly recommend the use of the Neti pot to all our personal training clients at The Fitness Underground-Los Angeles.
It keeps them healthy and in turn keeps us healthy.