A year ago I was instructed by my physician to purchase a neti pot and neti salt to help combat my chronic sinusitis. After about four weeks of using the neti pot I felt relief. Now if I go a day without using it my sinuses get all sorts of stuffy. I have a neti pot addiction I think, if its possible.
In the news on-line has been the story of neti pots being linked to deaths. Seems that there is the possibility of brain eating amoebas living in my tap water. As if the threat of lead, mercury, arsenic, and cryptosporidium wasn't bad enough now I have to deal with something that wants to munch on my brain?
Because of the article, as of today, I'm using filtered water for my neti pot and I'm also boiling it to boot. Now I just have to wait for the water to cool down enough to use it. This is not very convenient to say the least. I miss being able to turn on my tap water, to hot, any time of the day that I please to do my nasal wash. Now I have to schedule this activity too. This blows, not just the white, yellow or green stuff either.
Much as I don't mind having a regimented life, after all I live with a soldier, I do like to live my life a bit on the impetuous side when the weekend rolls around. I don't like having to plan just one more leash to hygiene. I'd rather the leash just be dangling in the wind and I pick it up when I feel like; sort of like the dangling mitten from the string.
Kind of freaks me out! Like having had skin cancer, I used to smother myself in sunscreen -- now they're saying that sunscreen can actually CAUSE cancer. Uhhh yeah, I feel like we're never safe these days!
ReplyDeleteWow -- I have been thinking about starting using a Neti Pot, so this really made me nervous. Thanks for posting. I can imagine how annoying it is to have to boil and cool water first :-(
ReplyDeleteI wonder, though, if the problems arose from people not cleaning their neti pot. Better safe than sorry regarding the boiling water, but I can understand the annoyance.
ReplyDeleteYeah, agreed -- better to be safe than sorry. Brain-eating amoeba sounds almost super-natural, freaked me out when I read the story too.
ReplyDeleteI heard about this! Well, I'm glad you are taking precautions. Don't make me worry about you, cousin. Sending hugs. We need to catch up when you have time.
ReplyDeleteI use a neti pot too and that really freaks me out! I may have to boil water too now. Hmmm...or maybe I could just use distilled water. We buy it by the case for my Hubby to use in his CPAP machine so I could use it too.
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