Adventures in Sinuses

Today, we interrupt our usual programming of pop culture snarkiness to bring you the greatest invention of the last couple thousand years – the neti pot. No, this isn’t a feed from my friend Michelle’s au naturel blog, What Does Your Body Good? This is simply Kiki Goes Crunchy. I know, I know. I’m not exactly the picture of granola, but I think this thing has changed my life. I’ve been an allergy sufferer since my 20’s and have just kind of put up with it. I’ve never seen a specialist, but have been known to pop a few Claritins and Zyrtecs (not to mention pump the Flonase up the nose) in my time. Due to my working at home from my infected house, my allergies seem to have gotten worse this summer. Plus, with Cold Sake Jr. on the way, I want to abstain from my usual remedies. Michelle told me to get a neti pot, and I was like "Yeah, whatever.” I am not snorting salt water from a teapot. It sounded like a nasal burn waiting to happen. Finally, this weekend, I couldn’t take it anymore. On one of our weekly visits to Whole Foods for The Hubby’s Gourmet Project Blog, Gourmet, All the Way (what, does everyone I know have a freakin’ blog?) I buckled and nabbed one. I had no idea the reaction it would bring. In a store full of flax seed, quinoa, Organic Hot Pockets, wouldn’t you know this brought attention? You know things are bad when you get heckled by the commies at Whole Foods. The cashier started giggling and soon there was a crowd gathered around the register. The bagger reassured me he loved his neti pot and it did not burn at all (though all I could picture was the same feeling Tony Montana must have had in this scene from Scarface). The Hubby was taking sick glee in my discomfort and begged to watch me christen my new pot. Nothing says intimacy like watching snot run out of your partner’s nose. I abstained in fear and stubbornness yesterday. Today, still misery, I buckled, grabbed a spoon and went to mix up my salt water potion. I got the water to a comfortable temp, read the directions, took a deep breath and inserted the spout up my nose. The directions say to tilt your head in such a manner and the water is supposed to run up one nostril and out the other. Well, I don’t have quite the hang of it yet because I felt a sudden tingling and realized I had emptied half the pot up one side and nothing was coming out. I disengaged and a fountain ran out. But it didn’t hurt. I did the same with the other half thinking it will take me a couple of days to get the hang of it. Let me tell you – my schnoz has never felt better. I have been sniffle free all afternoon. I love my neti pot! Seeing as I still have the same headache since yesterday, I’m going to now do a search and see if there’s anything those natural health wizards recommend. Hand stands? I’m in.