British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

No, it's not some obscure martial art, but the ancient yogic technique of saline nasal irrigation.

I discovered this after my Septoplasty operation. After reading Tony The Busman's story of his septoplasty, he mentioned irrigating his nose with salt water to aid the healing process and I was intrigued to find out more.

So my first port of call was Google and I instantly turned up a number of articles on Jala Neti. This technique is part of a yogic cleansing ritual to prepare the body for meditation as well as promoting good nasal and respiratory health.

The technique requires a Neti pot, which is like a small teapot but with a conical tip on the spout. Fill the pot with warm water, about body temperature, and add one quarter of a teaspoon of salt. As long as the salt is pure table salt or finely ground sea salt, it will be ok. Some places sell Neti salt too. Ensure the salt has completely dissolved then, with your head over a sink, tilt it to one side about 60 degrees.Now place the spout of the pot in the upper nostril and start to pour. The water flows through the nostril, around the sinuses and very quickly exits through the other nostril. Some people do half a pot and then switch nostrils, or some do a whole pot per nostril. It's whatever you feel most comfortable with.

You will notice varying quantities of debris in the sink and when you have finished, you should hang your head down so the nose is the lowest part of your head and then exhale through your nose about 10 times with mild force to ensure all water has cleared.

There are further stages of Jala Neti but these are best done with an experienced teacher.

Why am I telling you all this ?

Well, I've been doing this for two weeks now and it has greatly helped the healing process after my op, but it has also improved my overall nasal function and as I suffer from hayfever and colds very badly in my nose, it will help there too.

It also makes my CPAP experience so much more comfortable too. A good Neti session before bed and first thing in the morning really freshens me up !

Read more here....

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=jala+neti&meta=

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jala_neti

http://www.jalanetipot.com/index.html

An excellent 41 page PDF can be found here....

http://www.yoga-age.com/asanas/jala.pdf

I cannot recommend Jala Neti highly enough

That sounds interesting. I for one have always had the feeling of being slighly congested plus I suffer form hayfever every year. Its never been a problem until now as Im undergoing CPAP (13th night last night!). I might give this a try and see how I go.

By the way, where did you get your pot from?

Mark

I purchased a plastic pot from The British Wheel Of Yoga site....



http://www.bwy-shop.co.uk/props_neti.php

I thought that as I was trying it out, a minimal outlay was a sensible thing to do. However, a porcelain or stainless steel pot will be top of my birthday wish list this July

If you have any questions, the PDF file I posted should answer them all. I can certainly vouch for this technique

I've also discovered this site which has a comprehensive range of Neti products....

http://www.shopneti.co.uk/index.php

Thanks for the info. Think I might give it a go. Nothing ventured nothing gained I guess.

Good luck I don't think you will regret it one bit. It's such a good, clear feeling afterwards

Very intersting - i'm gonna take a look at the links over the weekend.

I get a bit if hassle with dried-up mucus (not wanting to be too gross!) and it's a but of a pain - this could be just the thing.

I did have to smile to myself - i can just imagine the scene - "just off to water my nose, love"

Thanks Roberto
Ewan

Got my order in for a nice stainless steel neti pot. Will arrive in a day or two hopefully. One thing Roberto, did you buy the special salt or will the household stuff do?

Excellent ! I think a copper or steel pot will be on my birthday list The plastic ones are great for travel, which I do a lot of for business.

As for salt, the purest you can get is always good. Most table salts contain some additives and these aren't always recommended. If you can get fine sea salt or Kosher salt, that might be better. I admit I used the purest table salt I could find at first, but they say this isn't the best.

I order my salt from http://www.shopneti.co.uk/viewcat_3.php. At £2.50 for a 300g pot, it's a good price too.

There's a good article on salt here...

http://www.shopneti.co.uk/viewdoc_17.php

and here...

http://www.jalanetipot.com/how_salts.html

Good luck and if you need any help, just shout

The pot arrived in the post this morning, what terrific service from shopnets.co.uk, I only ordered it yesterday morning. Thanks for the info on the salt Roberto, luckily there was a sachet of salt included with the pot so I could get going.

First experience, a bit hit and miss literally! Got more down my cheek and seemed to not to be able to get anything out of the left side of the snoz at first. A little fiddling about with the positioning was more successful and I got through it without drowning! It will take a little while to become proficient but my initial impression is that it after the first session I could smell better than I have been able to in years. It should get even better as everything loosens up (apologies to those eating) hopefully.

Must get my order in for more salt..........

Thanks for the post Roberto

Hey ! I'm stoked that you got everything so quickly

I actually received two tubs of Neti Salt today from ShopNeti, in the same swift manner

Yes, it takes a little practice to get the angles right, but once the flow starts, it's entirely comfortable and so refreshing. As you say, you instantly notice a rejuvenated sense of smell and it is quite amazing what "comes out" (again, apologies for those eating or squeamish !) I imagine that in late spring/summer, much more benefit and cleansing will occur due to the increased pollen and pollutants.

I am finding it is helping me so much in terms of nasal clarity after my operation and just an overall sense of well being. I had my tonsils and adenoids removed at the age of 3 and have always been susceptible to nasal and sinus infections and irritations. I have a feeling that these will greatly reduce or disappear this year.

I would certainly recommend this to all CPAP users as our noses do take a bit of a bashing every night, whether we wear nasal of full face masks, and this method just sends a whole lotta love to our hooters

I'm am really pleased that someone else has found the method to be of benefit

Roberto,
After your advice I ordered a pot and a tub of salt from ShopNeti on-line on Sunday night, and it arrived yesterday. Amazing service
I was surprised at the size of the pot - far bigger than I expected - and my wife couldn't stop laughing at me
Still, I tried it last night and again this morning - I found it very easy to do (it worked first go), it was not uncomfortable at all, and a surprising amount of crud came out, especially this morning (apologies to the squeamish). However, I can't say that I feel any different. Perhaps I have to persevere a bit longer?
I'm just about to turn in and will do the Jala Neti before trying to sleep (desperate for a good night, having had 4 bad nights in a row, making me v.v. tired at work for the first time since CPAP started 4 months ago).
I'll post a report to say how I get on after a few days.
Mike

Well I've tried the Sinucleanse whilst waiting for my Neti pot to arrive. Slight discomfort but breathing afterwards is very easy (ignoring the deviated septum).

BUT I've just got home after a journey on the London Underground and felt a bit congested, OH MY.... what came out was UGH!

Just goes to show the ancient Yogi's had a few good tricks up their sleeves.

Paul.

Glad to hear more people reaping the benefits

I am working in London for most of the year and have to say the same, that once back in my hotel room, a Neti session certainly brings home the reality of what a lot of crap we are breathing into our bodies in a modern city.

I really think this is an invaluable practice, especially for CPAP users. Imagine that junk still sitting in your nasal passages and then being bedded in by 20Psi up your schnoz !!

I was saying to a fellow user on this forum only today, Neti has become a part of my daily bathroom routine, just as brushing my teeth or having a shave. It's quick, cheap, simple and yields so many benefits

As promised, here is my up-date. I do feel that with regular use my nasal passages are clearer, and it is astonishing how much crud comes out each time . The process is quick and easy - my only problem is that I have a bad back (following major back surgery 19 years ago) and "assuming the position" for Jala Neti hurts my back, and some days I cannot face it.
Thanks, Roberto, for putting me onto this (although my wife still laughs at me)

Mike