Everywhere I go right now, I am surrounded by coughing congested people – it makes me want to slathering them with Breathe Again and buy them a NeilMed. When people talk about a Neti Pot, I think – YUCK. I hate the weird tilt that you have to do with your head. Anyway, what everyone should be talking about is NeilMed, because it cleans out nasal passages much better than a Neti Pot, and you don’t have to awkwardly tilt your head.

What is a NeilMed? It’s a squeeze bottle with a plastic tip for easy insertion into your nostril so that you can do a saline rinse. You can buy it at a pharmacy, Wal-Mart or Target for ~$10 for a starter kit or ~$13 for the complete kit that has 50 packets of saline solution packets. The complete kit is worth it.

How can saline nasal irrigation help you?

1. If you have allergies, the saline solution can flush out allergens that you might have inhaled during the day. It’s great for maintenance.
2. If you have a sinus infection, the saline solution can help wash out bacteria from your nasal passages. It’s cleaning out the bacteria that builds up and creates inflammation, congestion, and pain. 
3. The saline solution helps moisturize your sinus membranes, therefore soothing these membranes, reducing swelling, and pain. By reducing inflammation, it makes it easier for you to breathe.
4. The saline solution helps flush out mucus and stop post-nasal drip. That means you don’t have to swallow all that nasty snot that runs down the back of your throat. Delightful description, I know…

How do you use a NeilMed?

1. Fill the squeeze bottle with purified water up to the line at the top of the bottle. I read this article once that talked about the small chance that parasites that can be in tap water and go into the brain when we use Neti Pots or NeilMeds. Why risk that?
2. Another thing that is great about NeilMed is that you can put it in the microwave to warm up the water in 10 second increments. You want the water warm, but not hot. It can burn your sinuses if it’s too hot or cold.
3. Add the saline solution to the water in the NeilMed. I also like to add a drop of Young Living Lavender and Tea Tree Essential Oils to give the solution a kick; these two oils soothe your skin, and Tea Tree is also known for its cleansing properties. It feels weird saying that you need to soothe the skin in your nasal passages, but it helps so much! 
4. Get some tissue ready and stand in an upright position over the sink.
5. Insert the black tip into your nostril, and squeeze only half of the water in the bottle. The saline solution will go up one nostril and come out the other.
6. Blow your nose, and repeat with the other nostril using the remaining saline solution.
7. Obviously, you cannot breathe through your nose while doing this. However, you can breathe through your mouth, but I try not to. If some goes into your mouth, spit it into the sink, but this happens much less with NeilMed than Neti Pot.
8. Empty the remaining water from the Neilmed, and clean the squeeze bottle.
9. I do this once a day when my allergies are bothering me, but if I’m struggling with sinus – then I do it once in the morning and at night before bed.

Tip: do not use regular table salt with the NeilMed. I cannot describe the discomfort it causes…