Is That a Gun in Your Nose?

No, it's a neti pot. I have some pretty bad sinus problems that have flared up again with the oak pollen season. A couple of years ago, I had such a bad sinus infection that I lost my sense of smell for about 12 months. Well, this time around I bought a neti pot at the local CVS. Believe it or not, it works very well. When you buy the pot, it comes with 20 packets of powder that you mix with water, pour in one nostril, and let it drain from the other. That's the idea, but sometimes it doesn't flow so well because of all the uh, well, snot. Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and sodium chloride (table salt) make for the two ingredients. I hear that you can make your own powder, but the pot came with 20 packets so I haven't tried making my own.

You might imagine that pouring water into your nose and tilting your head so that one nostril is below the other and allows the water to run out the other nostril makes a mess. You'd be right! But, it sure does help, and I recommend it even if it makes a mess to administer.