NOSE BIDETS??? WHAT???

Okay okay, I know this is yet another un-doggie related post.... but I just had to post this.

How many of you suffer from sinus problems? Well I used to suffer from it really bad... but it has cleared quite a bit when I started practising something called HydroTheraphy - i.e. you down 1.5 litres of water as soon as you get out of bed (no food or other drinks for an hour after that), and still take your normal 8 glasses of water or more...

Found that my sinuses improved by leaps and bounds. However I still get clogged noses and headaches everynow and again if I am exposed to severe dust or smoke.

And last weekend, Doug and I were at a pub and he was smoking away - so my sinuses got completely clogged. I could hardly breathe and had a severe headache!

I didn't want to use my nasal sprays cause I have a tendency to get hooked on those - yes there are steroids in there. And once you start using the nasal sprays it's really hard to stop.

Anyway about 2 weeks ago I watched Oprah, and Dr Oz was on it. He recommended something called a Neti-Pot or a nose bidet. Where you basically pour water into one nostril and it comes out the other nostril. Apparently it does wonders for the sinuses. I was sceptical, but I decided to try it cause I was feeling really nasty... and guess what??? It worked!!!

My nose cleared - not 100%, but I would say about 70-80% and I could breathe!!! So I figured I should share this with everyone... this is a safe home remedy that is effective!!! :)

Just for the record - I used a gravy bowl and it worked as well as the Neti-Pot... So for those of you who are considering trying it, you don't actually have to go out and buy one specifically. Just get something similar in your house and fill it with slightly warm water and a bit of salt... :)

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Here's what Dr Oz has to say:
Extracted from Oprah.Com

Before you try pouring water into your nostril, Dr. Oz offers some neti pot pointers. First, mix warm water with a quarter teaspoon of non-iodized salt.

"You never want to wash [human] tissue without having saltwater in them," he says. "Your own cells like it more."

Dr. Oz says washing out your sinuses with regular water can be irritating. Cold water may make you feel like you're drowning in a pool.

Amy, an audience member who suffers from sinusitis, demonstrated the proper way to use a neti pot.

"I thought it would feel like drowning, but it feels good," she says.It may look strange, but Dr. Oz says this treatment may be more effective than medication.

"The [ear, nose and throat] doctors who are specialists in this area will often say this is a better treatment than a lot of the other drugs that we try to offer folks, because it mechanically cleans out the problem," he says.

Dr. Oz says the device can help clear mucus from your sinuses using warm saltwater. "It's actually filling up those little nooks and crannies that you have and allowing your body to evacuate that stuff so you can actually begin to function normally," he says.

Since then, Amy says she and her husband have used the neti pot every day! "It is fantastic. I have not had one sinus headache. I haven't spent any money on any cold products," she says.

Rachel, a member of the Harpo staff, benefited from the neti pot, too! "It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it's been life-changing for me," she says. Rachel is a lifelong allergy sufferer, but since she began using the neti pot, her symptoms have eased up. "I can breathe at night. I'm not blowing my nose, you know, 30 times a day, which is my normal state of being for the last couple years," she says. "So thank you, Dr. Oz, because it was really a huge change for me and I'm very happy."