Something seems to be going around..

Everybody has some type of ailment or another. Jerry's on antibiotics and other medications, Erin can't breathe or swallow without hurting, Marilyn's chronic condition is acting up again, and me, well, my throat is starting to hurt and my eye makes that squishy sound when I press on the inner corner. Maybe I'll break out the neti pot and see if that won't help me a bit. Gotta give Oprah and Dr. Oz credit here; I'd never heard of a neti pot until I happened to be watching her show one day. He pulled a lady with sinus problems out of the audience and there on national TV convinced her to stick the spout of a small teapot up her nose, tilt her head to the side and let the water drain through her sinuses into a bowl in front of her. Apparently they've been doing this in some parts of the world for centuries. I've had sinus problems for years, so I looked into it. Wow, those neti pots are expensive! They seem to hover around the $20 mark. Now, I'm just telling you this because it worked for me. I found a small ceramic tea pot for $1 and thoroughly sterilized it. I don't see why the plastic ones that come in a little girl's tea service wouldn't work just as well. It's all the same concept - a pot that holds water and a spout to stick up your nose and pour it in. There are some tricks to it, though. You need to add a little salt to your water, making it saline. I just pour some from the shaker into the palm of my hand (I guess most people call that exact measurement a "pinch") and toss it in. Second, you'll want the water pretty warm. If it's too cold you'll feel like you're drowning. I also fill my pot up through the spout, warming that part up as well. Then you just hold your breath, stick the spout up your nose, try not to laugh at your image in the mirror, and tilt your head to the side, pouring the warm saline into your sinus. Just wait a bit and it should drain out the other nostril. There are tons of videos on YouTube if my description just isn't good enough. Be prepared with a towel to dry your face, and also have some tissues on hand to blow your nose. Of course, it takes more than just once to keep the germs at bay. I stepped away from typing to use my neti pot and my eye is no longer squeaking. Thank goodness! Hopefully this will keep whatever crud was trying to creep up on me at bay. I wish all my ill loved ones could get better just by pouring a little saline through their sinuses.