You Put What, Where?

I have regained my voice! Well, it doesn't sound much like my voice yet, but it's at least A voice. But the cold that started this mess has remained. My head is in misery with stuffiness, and my nice coworkers noticed and being a bunch of medical professionals, they all had a resounding endorsement of a remedy called "the Nedi Pot." What the... They pointed me to the pharmacy desk, where our pharmacist, Ron, pulled a box from the shelf and showed me a small plastic blue teapot with a bunch of packets the size of moist towelets.

Ron explained that the Nedi Pot is all about rinsing out your sinuses. See, you take a packet (which contains about a half teaspon of salt - can later be replaced with Morton's pickling salt) and mix it with a cup of warm water in the teapot. Then, and here's where I furrowed my brow and pursed my lips in skepticism, you lean over your tub or sink, tilt your head to the side and POUR THE WATER IN ONE NOSTRIL, LETTING IT DRAIN OUT THE OTHER ONE. Say what?! Pour water INTO my nose?? Wait, isn't that generally bad? It sure is unpleasant the few times it has happened to me at the pool...

Ron assured me that it does not hurt, and that I would not drown myself, though if I didn't have my head tilted correctly it would drain down my throat into and out my mouth - EW! Apparently the salt water is what keeps it from being painful, which made sense to me, given that the water in utero has the same salty concentration as the ocean, and gargling with salt water has often been recommended to decrease the pain caused by inflamation in the throat. Why do I know that? Because it is rediculous trivia that has very little utility and therefore sticks in my head rather than whatever I was supposed to remember to tell my spouse about changes in my schedule that impact him. But I digress...

I bit. I bought the teapot and took it home. I put the water and salt in there and then stood looking at this thing and myself in the mirror, thinking, 'There is no way I am going to be able to do this.' But, I raised the pot, lowered my head and sealed off one nostril with the spout, and poured. This was one of the weirdest sensations, I must say. And the process is, er, messy. I should probably video tape it and send it in to some contest, as I am sure it would be pretty funny to watch. Well, "funny" might not be the right word. I think it would be one of those things that would make you simultaneously open your mouth and cover it with your hand in shocked but curious incredulousity. (I think I just made up that word - incredulousity). Once the water is through one side, you are to farmer blow the offending sinus junk out of yourself and you cannot plug any nostrils to do so - a clear farmer blow if you please - to avoid blowing out your eardrums. Disgusting, I know. Then you start the fun on the other side.

And, gross as it was (and is), it worked. So now I, too, am one who endorses the Nedi Pot in all of its disgusting homeopathic wonder, right up there with Zycam. So, go out and buy yourselves one for all of your sinus headache problems, likely found at your local pharmacy. Just be careful to keep the box if you have young children. Nobody wants to wander into the bathroom to find their child having a tea party with their nose flusher.