Sunday, September 21, 2008

Neti (Nasal Irrigation)


Due to undesirable weather conditions, we were unable to practice neti in class yesterday morning (bummer!!)

However, being the enterprising individuals that we are, we purchased ourselves our very own neti bottles and cleansed our nasal passages on our own. Unfortunately we still do not have the rubber tubes you use for flossing, although I may pick some up today.

Here is the wikipedia article on neti: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_irrigation
The benefits of the treatment include:
  • Clearer vision due to cleaning of the tear ducts
  • Decreased use of medication
  • Deeper, more relaxed breathing
  • Improved sense of smell and taste
  • Improved sinus-related quality of life
  • Reduction of symptoms

If you're interested in getting a neti bottle... maybe we can pick one up for you. We can get some fairly small, travel-friendly sized plastic neti bottles here for cheap, so let us know!

5 comments:

mbesh said...

Irrigate em! Maybe loot me one? Bad times are happening in Pakistan, hopefully you guys don't get owned somehow!

Anonymous said...

nasopure is an easier system to wash with

Anonymous said...

This may be a tangent, but a tangent can be like a lance to give the round central circular thing-itself focus and direction. (How's that for justification for not sticking to the topic? And, ahead of time at that, before the tangent is even spoken. But (and/or and) I seem to talk as though I know what I am going to say before I say it... and I really don't.) I do not know the real difference between the east and the west... the two seemingly different takes on both the world itself and being alive in it. When I was a little kid I was in the Boy Scouts. At the time, and in the place where I was (the west), it was a very active organization. Back in the 1950's we collected bottles, newspaper, coat-hangers, etc. to recycle them. We would spend some of our Saturdays planting trees (around Cootes Paradise for instance)... These are ecologically friendly things that seem to be being rediscovered now but it was second nature to us kids back then. Another thing we were taught was (prepare yourself, Pete and Steph! yes, another thing we were taught was:) nasal cleansing. It was pretty simple really. It didn't involve flossing or flushing. It was this: After being in a classroom of people, or a gathering in a church, or being on a crowded bus, you were to blow your nose into a handkerchief (which, like a pocket-knife, you had on you at all times). This theoretically (and practically for that matter) prevented colds and other airborne illnesses that crowds of people bring with them. There are many other things, but I'm afraid this is already going on too long... But it has occurred to me that a lot of the "mythology" behind the Boy Scout movement was based on
East Indian stories (The Jungle Book by Kipling) and a boy called Kim, who was poor, observant, open to life and always prepared... ("Be Prepared" being the motto of the scouts. And a lot of the basic humanitarian teaching they provided children of the west came from the ancient practices of where you two are now...) I could go on, and will when you get back, when we can trade stories and our interpretations of what we think other's interpretations of what life is all about are all about. (Sorry, Pete, if this sounds convoluted... You can see what Steph has had to put up with all her life! She's used to it, but this way of talking may be new to you, but I'm sure it's understandable to someone with your mathematical and logical receptors.) Blessings and peace to you both.

Unknown said...

It was kind of cold when I went outside yesterday. It was a good thing I had the foresight to wear pants

Peter said...

Don't worry, Mike. We're staying away from Jammu & Kashmir, so we should be pretty safe (granted there are no more bombs in Delhi...)

Bob, thanks for the lovely comment. That way of talking is perhaps my most enjoyed (especially for listening!). The handkerchief technique is pretty interesting and I look forward to our conversations this winter.

Dan, that news is pretty good; pretty, pretty good.