My Swine Flu Prevention Kit

Many of you know that I am a yoga instructor (RYT 200). Now, I'm not a hemp-wearing, dreadlock-growing, crunchy, Earth mama type... nothing wrong with those, I'm just not one of them.

However, I do subscribe to the somewhat strange-seeming (at first) yogic practice of using a neti pot. A neti pot is a small vessel that looks either like a tiny, plain tea pot or the most pitiful looking genie lamp that ever existed in the history of genie lamps, if they ever even did (your choice). You put a saline solution in it (premixed, or just regular table salt), mix in some warm water (NOT hot and NOT cold). You then insert the tip of the spout in one nostril while tipping your head. The warm saline water pours into one nostril and out the other.

Sounds gross. I know. But when you're desparate for relief from chronic congestion due to allergies, sinus infections, you'll try anything... and I obviously mean anything.

As it turns out, this ancient practice has been embraced by western medicine. As the nose is often considered the doorway to illness, regular use of the neti pot goes a long way to prevent illness and reduce severity of symptoms, without harmful side effects.

Pictured in this post are three different types of neti pots. Mine is exactly like the first one. It is made of plastic, however I would prefer one made of ceramic. But I can't imagine dropping it on the tile floor, and I already have this one, so I'm just stickin' to this. I used the saline packets that came with it at first, but when they ran out, I started using plain table salt with the same benefits. Since then, I've had my nine year old sone using the neti pot twice a day to help relieve his suffering with seasonal allergies... I think he's doing much better... But anyway.

When I started using the neti pot, I wanted a little instructional "how to." So I went to the ever informative and entertaining You Tube. As a friend of mine put it when I sent this video to him, "I've read about using a neti pot, but I've never seen it done by a cute blonde!"

Watch, and enjoy!