maybe some folk’s tonic is less than iso?

I suppose it’s like the fingernails plus chalkboard reaction– who can say why some find it mildly annoying and others find it soul-searingly torturous. I imagine it comes down to sensory processing differences.

I have no idea why some people have such a dramatic reaction — but it sounds similar to what I have experienced during particularly bad hay fever, when large volumes of liquid containing very little mucus slosh about into my sinuses while asleep, waking me up with an intense burning sensation which seems to be located in the frontal sinuses.

I found it easy to get the water in (and out). Much less erky than many medical procedures I have had to do.

And it was great for when I had sinus trouble (which in turn was a side effect of hay fever).

As you can see from the pic, a ‘neti’ pot is very similar to a teapot, and in fact most small teapots will work just fine.

Even though it seemed to work for me, I was somewhat alarmed when the person who originally recommended it said it would work better if I used urine. I declined this suggestion.

Has anyone actually achieved this? I am not sure that it is anatomically and gravitationally possible, without a finely coordinated series of contortions or a nasal septal defect.

The nicely formed stream of fluid shown in the picture looks phony, too, for a flow that is supposedly finding its way out via the nasopharynx.
It just doesn’t look right.

Yes, I have achieved this and it is not hard. My allergist first suggested using a bulb syringe for irrigation but it wasn’t working well enough. I switched to a neti pot when needed, and got a nasal adaptor for the Water Pik for when it’s a real stubborn chunk. I only found it slightly weird the first few times. Not unpleasant. Also I use distilled water, as tap water can be irritating. I prefer my water cool but most people I know like to use warm. I find cool water to be much more soothing.

A beautifully ambiguous slogan just occurred to me: The Neti pot is snot effective.

i used a similar device that uses pressure from a squeezebottle to achieve that. yes, it is possible, i have achieved that. it is a horrible coughing mess, but i guess it works. I was quite surprised at the relatively short distance is had to travel before coming out the other end. I anticipated it finding its way everywhere…pretty much straight shot in one nostril and out the other. (edit…your comment appeared, mine was eaten) – the seal/pressure is key, i think you got it.

to 2nd anipodean’s idea, try swimming backstroke (the part when you do your flip turn and streamline under water for a piece) and stop exhaling from your nose. yep, that’ll do it too.

i used a similar device that uses pressure from a squeezebottle to achieve that. yes, it is possible, i have achieved that. it is a horrible coughing mess, but i guess it works. I was quite surprised at the relatively short distance is had to travel before coming out the other end. I anticipated it finding its way everywhere…pretty much straight shot in one nostril and out the other.

to 2nd anipodean’s idea, try swimming backstroke (the part when you do your flip turn and streamline under water for a piece) and stop exhaling from your nose. yep, that’ll do it too.