Clear your head.

Byline: Randi Bjornstad The Register-Guard

Over at the Broadway Apothecary on Willamette Street, they call pharmacist Heather Wilson "the neti pot goddess" because of her enthusiasm for the 2,000-year-old method of relieving sinus and hay fever symptoms and warding off common infections.

Wilson clearly believes in the power of the somewhat awkwardly named little vessel that some describe as a cross between a teapot and Aladdin's lamp.

"It's very cleansing, and it's something people in other parts of the world have known about for a long, long time," she said. "I pass them out to everyone in my whole family. It's a good preventive - I use it before and after I fly on an airplane, and when I get that first little tickle in my throat, using the neti pot often catches it before it turns into a cold."

Many medical professionals recommend regular use of the low-tech neti pot for people with chronic sinus problems, and hay fever sufferers have been using the device to relieve their symptoms since long before the days of Claritin, Allegra and Omnaris.

A quick query of five local pharmacy companies - plus Broadway Apothecary - revealed that all six carry neti pots, and some also stock other saline-wash methods such as squeeze bottles of solution or even electric-powered nasal irrigation systems.

Nonetheless, there are those who recoil from the concept of pouring a warm salt-and-water solution into one nostril and allowing it to drain out the other, acknowledges Judy Moran, a registered nurse with the Allergy and Asthma Research Group in Eugene.

"We definitely recommend all kinds of saline-type washes to many people, but it's not always well received in American culture, where many people would rather take a pill," Moran said. "In some cultures, people wash out their noses every day - it's just part of the routine, like we brush our teeth."

The idea of the neti pot goes back to ancient yoga and ayurveda practitioners in India, who called the process Jala neti and used it routinely as one of their purification preparations for meditation. It involves flushing water through the nasal passages to remove impurities that can cause illness and also to keep nasal and sinus tissues hydrated so that dust, pollen and other foreign objects can be removed effectively by mucus formed in the moist tissues.

Nasal and sinus tissues can't form mucus properly if they're too dry, and that's when troubles such as nosebleeds, infections, headaches and elevated allergic reactions can develop, Moran said.

"Any amount of moisture in the nose is better than none," she said. "In our (practice), we look at the neti pot as kind of like stage five in the effort to get people to improve the level of moisture and mucus in their nasal passages."

Just standing in the shower and breathing in moist steam is the simplest way to introduce moisture into the nose, Moran said. Drinking plenty of fluids to keep the body hydrated is another.

"For some reason, the idea of flushing the nose with water is something a lot of people have to work up to," Moran said. "So we try to take a really calm, conservative, little-at-a-time approach to get people comfortable with it."

The neti pot usually consists of a small bowl, usually plastic or ceramic, with a narrow spout on one side. After filling the bowl with warm water and dissolving a small amount of salt in it - most pots come with a salt measure that holds about - teaspoon - the user leans over a sink with the head tipped to one side, to at least a 45-degree angle, placing the spout of the pot into the upper nostril, which means left if the head is leaning to the right and vice versa.

Tipping the bowl up slightly allows the water to drain into the nose - while breathing normally through the mouth - and out through the lower nostril. When all the water has drained through, a gentle nose-blow removes any remaining water and loosened mucus before refilling the bowl with water and salt and repeating the procedure on the other side.

Pouring the water through too fast can result in a painful sensation familiar to those who jump into a swimming pool and force too much water up their noses. However, the warm saline solution mimics both the normal salinity of body tissue as well as body temperature, and the slow, steady pour also helps minimize discomfort for most people. Some people add - teaspoon baking soda to the solution to counteract sting from the salt.

Not surprisingly, YouTube offers video demonstrations for using the neti pot. The practice also received a boost after being promoted on Oprah Winfrey's television show.

Moran cautions that people who use the neti pot should take care to clean the vessel thoroughly to prevent flushed-out germs from causing future problems.

"If you're washing bacteria out of your system with the neti pot, you don't want to leave anything in it that could expose you to something the next time you use it," she said.

The neti pot can be used several times daily to relieve severe sinus or allergy symptoms. When symptom-free, according to recommendations from manufacturers and medical professionals, using it two or three times per week can be enough to maintain healthy, moist nasal and sinus tissues.

Using the neti pot

Demonstration:Neti pots maybe purchased at most pharmacies. For a two-minute video on using a neti pot, go online to www.youtube.com/watchv=j8sDIbRAXlg or do a search for "you tube neti pot" for additional videos.

Instructions:

Rinse out the neti pot to make sure it's free of dust or other contaminants.

Fill the reservoir with warm water; add - teaspoon non-iodized table salt or kosher salt and stir to dissolve; some people add - teaspoon baking soda to counteract any sting from the salt.

Lean over the sink and tilt the head to one side.

Place the spout in the upper nostril; tip the pot to let the saline solution drain into the nostril, through the nasal cavity and out the other nostril. Do not inhale; breathe normally through the mouth.

When all the water has been used, gently blow the nose, being careful not to close off air flow to either nostril.

Repeat on the other side.

Wash the neti pot to remove impurities and ready it for the next use.