Every once in a while an Oprah clip gets my attention. The best are usually either Lisa Ling (giving a plug about a National Geographic Explorer special on MS-13, Maximum Security prisons, or North Korea) or Dr Oz. Dr Oz is Oprah’s doctor who gives health advice and gives good visualization and allows the audience to relate to the conditions he is speaking of.

This last week there was a Dr Oz special that introduced the Oprah audience to a Neti Cleansing. Jala Neti refers to an ancient yogic cleansing technique, meaning literally “water cleansing,” where the practitioner rinses out the nasal cavity with water (usually salted) using a neti pot. He actually had a girl from the audience try it and you see the water flow out of her nose. Seemed pretty cool, especially because I get allergies this time of year. So I tried it.

So what are the reasons for simulating drowning and filling your nose and sinuses with water?
Dr Oz and other sites on the web claim that this mechanical cleaning of your sinues removes pollen and other impurities from your sinues, rendering the practice more effective than some medicine out there for sinus infections.

How do I get started?
There are lots of flavors out there. I went to Longs and bought this one:

What do I put in the pot?
Make sure you use lukewarm water and sea salt. The NasaFlo package above comes with 50 packets to get you started.
1. DO NOT USE TABLESALT. Table salt is iodized and may irritate your nose.
2. DO NOT USE COLD WATER. Apparently cold water restricts the nasal flow

What does it feel like?
Sorta like you’re drowning. It’s like that feeling when you get crushed by that wave or snort the pool water when you face upwards underwater. The first time can be difficult but the second time was a much easier experience. Still takes getting used to though.

What does it look like?

Ultimately it’s worth trying if just to say “jala neti” to your friends. Just don’t tell your friends that I saw it on Oprah.