Neti Pot

The neti pot is an ancient device that resembles a teapot and lets you rinse out your sinuses. Using the neti pot can help you manage sinus problems and maintain better sinus health.

Neti pots come in a variety of shapes, colors and are made from several materials.

Plastic Neti Pots are very durable and essentially unbreakable. They come in a variety of colors and styles and are easy to clean. A plastic neti pot is a good inexpensive way to equip each of your family members with their own neti pot. Another good quality of the plastic neti pot is that it is very travel friendly and can be taken most anywhere with you.

Copper Neti Pots are durable with the added advantage of more volume for the sinus rinse. Copper neti pots are easy to clean and most all will have a cone shaped end to the spout which can help form a watertight seal against the nostril.

Ceramic Neti Pots offer both functionality and a decorative touch as well. These also come in a variety of colors and styles and are easily cleaned as well. Ceramic neti pots are best used when the pot is to remain in a single location, such as your bathroom and not be moved around because they are breakable.

Stainless Steel Neti Pots are the most durable of the neti pot materials. They offer ease of cleaning,a larger volume of water,and most have the cone shaped spout end.

A warm saline solution is used to rinse the sinus cavities and remove excess and dried mucus that can harbor bacteria and interfere with the body's own natural cleaning process.

Using a neti pot is a very simple process that most anyone can do. The trick is to learn how to hold the spout against your nostril and tip the pot steadily so as to keep a good flow of saline formula through the nasal cavities.

It is best to lean forward over a sink and keep the chin in close to the chest. Turn your face towards the right if you wish to do the right side first, and then gently press the spout against the right nostril.

In this position, gravity does all the work for you and you only need to keep the pot tipped enough to let the water flow freely through the nose. The waste water will exit the other nostril and run into the sink. You may observe debris in this exit stream which is a good indication that the rinse is getting rid of dried mucus.

There are two procedures to a nasal rinse...rinse one side and then remix the salt formula and then repeat the procedure from the other nostril. Once this is done, you need to gently blow your nose to get rid of any excess water.

That's it..you're done.

Nasal irrigation with the neti pot requires the use of neti pot salt. There are several types and strengths of neti pot salt available.

New users of the neti pot should start out with a normal or isotonic solution. This is a saline concentration that closely matches the body's own saline content and can help eliminate stinging for the user.

As you become comfortable with using an isotonic salt formula, you should consider moving to a hypertonic, or stronger solution, to help get a better flush. There is some scientific research to suggest that a stronger salt mixture can help stimulate mucus during the flush and thus will help remove more debris and pollutants.

Neti pot salt is available in premixed packages that are designed for use in a certain sized pot. You may also buy bulk neti pot salt and then measure the appropriate amount as needed.

Nasal rinse additives are also available to add to the salt mixture. These additives come in a variety of types and can include oils, herbs, and even minerals.

Some additives even contain capsaicin, which is the hot ingredient in pepper. These additives allows the user to experiment with different types and see which they prefer.

Those of you that would like to know more about the science behind the neti pot can now find clinical research abstracts posted on our main site.

Please bookmark the main site as newer information will be posted as it becomes available. If you want to take a peek right now then just go to Neti Pot Science to read the abstracts.

First time neti pot users may experience problems when trying to do their first sinus rinse.

One very common problem is the user can experience a stinging sensation that causes the user discomfort. This problem can be caused by an improperly mixed saline solution and can be stopped by ensuring that you are properly mixing the salt formula.

The best option here is to consult the directions that come with both the neti pot and the salt product that you are using. Please note: Too much salt can cause stinging as well as too little salt. The amount to add is dependent upon the actual volume of your neti pot and therefore you must consider the volume of water in mixing the salt solution.

Another problem reported is that the user can not get the water to flow. This can be as simple as the user pressing the spout of the neti pot too tightly against the nostril and inadvertently blocking the exit of the spout.

Always check to be sure that you are not holding the pot too tightly against the nostril. Some pot spouts will collapse the nostril in upon itself and thus block the flow.

It is possible that you may be unable to get the water to flow due to excessive congestion or even an anatomical defect such as nasal polyps. before you give up, first try both nostrils to see if you can get any water into either one of them.

The warm saline solution can reduce swelling and clear the passageway if you can get water into the nose. Run whatever amount of water you can get into the nostril and then let is stay there for a few minutes.

After the water has been there for the designated time, simply allow it to drain back out the same nostril. Do this several times to see if you can create a passageway for the water.

Obstructions due to nasal polyps will require medical treatment to resolve.