Have you ever heard of a neti pot? Well if you haven’t, they are these weird little teapot looking things that you put in one nostril (yes, nostril) and run salt water through your nose to rinse your sinus. Seriously, it’s a real thing. I tried one and it was horrible, it stung, I inhaled water and choked, I hated it and it was horrible. Did I mention it was horrible? Though I am fairly certain I used it wrong, I still would never want to use one again! Having said that, I do rinse my sinuses daily using a Neilmed Sinus Rinse Kit.
So what is the difference? Well, it works on the same principle as the neti pot, you are pushing water up one nostril and out the other to rinse your sinuses, except there is no weird head tilting and it comes with little packets you mix with distilled water. This means no burning for a start, and I personally have never had any of the water go down my throat and choke me. In fact, I enjoy the sensation of the warm (I nuke it for a few seconds to heat the water once I mix in the packet) water. All in all, it is a pleasant experience that I have incorporated into my evening bedtime hygiene ritual.
Last year I had some pretty bad allergies, and along with them some pretty horrible sinus related to head and face aches. I also found that I got a dry sore throat in the morning most days. I’m guessing because of the heating and/or the air being dry? Or possibly my sinuses being raw? Either way, I was really suffering. So I decided to try this NeilsMed Sinus Rinse stuff I had seen at the store.
I admit, normally I would look at something like this as a pure quackery/snake oil medical scam… you know, like the shit that Doctor Oz recommends? But with a little research on the internet, I found that it was recommended by nearly everyone that tried it. I also found out that lots of people I knew were already using it, and loved it. I’d be stupid not to give it a try with so many positive recommendations, so I did.
I purchased a small starter kit like the one in the picture. I didn’t want to spend a lot on it since I even though I was hopeful I wasn’t 100% convinced it was going to work for ME. That was back in November of last year and I have been using the system every day since! I had never experienced such relief from my head and face aches! I used the product twice a day for 4 months and then cut back to just once a day before bed. The instructions say to use it twice a day, and maybe I will if I feel I need to, but for now once a day is doing just fine by me.
You really, REALLY have to follow the instructions for this! Only use distilled water (it’s like a $1 or less for a big gallon jug) and keep the kit clean by following the cleaning instructions. Basically, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! It’s important not to use tap water. Ya, that’s pretty fracking scary right? But if you just do what you are supposed to there is 0% chance of that happening!
Yup, all praise for this… Ok, Ok my only real gripe? Most of the time the packet to bottle ratio. So let’s say that I am going to use the system twice a day. You are supposed to replace the bottle every three months, so let’s say every 90 days to simplify things. That means you need 180 packets per bottle, or if like me, you just want to do it once a day, 90 packets. No kits come with those amounts! It’s not annoying enough to stop me from buying or using them, but it is annoying.
If you have sinus problems or allergies, I highly recommend giving this a try. For more info, visit their website here… http://www.neilmed.com/