How to Use a Neti Pot for a Sinus Headache

Neti pots, part of the Ayurvedic or Yogic traditions of India, are a popular method of nasal irrigation or cleansing. Both "classical" physicians and alternative practitioners recommend their use as a means of reducing the occurrence of sinus headaches and other sinusitis symptoms. The neti pot looks rather like Aladdin's lamp, and while the idea of passing salt water through your sinuses may sound intimidating at first, it's quite easy and comfortable.

Things You'll Need

• Noniodized salt

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Instructions

• 1

  Mix a solution of 3/4 to 1 tsp of non-iodized salt in 2 cups of body-temperature water. You can test the water temperature on the inside of your wrist, just like you test the temperature of milk before giving it to a baby.

• 2

  Fill the neti pot about three quarters full with the salt solution. You don't want to overfill it, as it might spill when you tilt the pot.

• 3

  Stand over a sink or basin. Open your mouth wide, and breathe naturally through your mouth.

• 4

  Insert the spout of the neti pot gently into your right nostril. You don't need to push it very deep; just insert it until it feels like your nostril is comfortably sealed around the spout of the pot.

• 5

  Tuck your chin down to your chest, and roll your head to the left. Your forehead and chin should be on roughly the same level, as if you are looking straight down at the sink or basin with the far corner of your left eye.

• 6

  Continue breathing naturally through your mouth as the water from the neti pot pours in through your right nostril and out through your left nostril. Empty the entire pot; then refill it, and perform the same procedure on the other side.