Cure for the common cold!

I've got really crappy sinuses. I had surgery to help open things up after having a sinus infection for over ten years.

Really, over ten years.

I had the good fortune of hooking up with one of the top surgeons in the country who did a bang up job. Hmm, I'm not sure that's the best phrase for a surgical procedure but for now it will have to do. It helped the structural issues (I now have two nostrils!) but even better is the Neti Pot.

It's a sinus flushing tool that comes in lots of different shapes but they all do basically the same thing; rinse out your sinuses. Mine looks like these and I prefer this shape over some of the ceramic ones because the flange you press up to your nostril is large enough that  you don't have to stick in, you just press it up to the nostril.

The effect is fantastic and with the right temp water, slightly above body temp, and the right amount of salt (they come with a measuring spoon) it feels great, not like what you might think if you ever had water up your nose while swimming. With my bad sinuses, I do it every morning but the sweetie just does it when she gets a head cold. I pretty much used to have a cold all the time, sometimes worse, sometimes not quite so bad but always there. Now I only get a cold a couple times a year and when I do I do it every couple hours and it really helps.

Unfortunately, today is one of those every couple hour times. I'll be glad to get back on my once a day schedule but am sure glad I found this option for clearing things out. Neti Pots are cheap and easy to use and just might change your life. OK, a small change but a very worthwhile one.

Here's a demonstration of how it works: