Growing up, I was a pretty healthy kid. I’d like to attribute that to daily tablespoons of Cod Liver oil and Scott’s Emulsion (self-adminstered!), and a plenty of made-from-scratch REAL food. But in high school, I began to develop seasonal allergies. At the start of every season, I’d come down with a sinus infection, starting in my throat and working its way through my head. My sinus affliction became so bad that it appeared as though I always had a cold. I was always blowing my nose and being aggravated by inflamed sinuses or a nasal drip. It wasn’t until much later that I made the connection between allergies, immunity, and food.

Today, I’m virtually problem-free in that area, because I’ve learned how to recognize the early signs (always begins with a scratchy throat) and the steps I need to take to ensure it doesn’t escalate. Part of that includes clearing my nasal passages regularly with a Neti Pot.  Neti is a Sanskrit for “nasal cleansing” and is part of Indian Yogic tradition. Before sadhana (daily yoga practice), the yogi would perform a series of cleansing rituals, including brushing the teeth and clearing the throat of phlegm, a full body almond oil massage, a cold shower, and Jala-neti, clearing the nasal passages with warm water and salt.

Salt has many properties and uses beyond cooking (commonly used as a laxative, exfoliant, and offers a less invasive way to get deep splinters out), and is used in nasal cleansing because of it’s ability to ease sinus inflammation and loosen mucus from the passages.

Many people think of Yoga as type of physical exercise and not a holistic lifestyle management program, so I’m always surprised to see when the other aspects of Yoga hit the mainstream.

Take Arm & Hammer®’s Simply Saline® Plus Neti Pot Kit, which comes with their own proprietary saline formula of baking soda and salt. I tried it today for the first time with the expected results. The instructions are pretty straightforward, and you get good supply of the saline packets, considering you may not have to use the neti pot every day.

My only complaint is that the neti pot is made of plastic. This is my problem with Western appropriations of Eastern practices that rely on organic materials (derived from living matter) to promote and sustain health. Considering that you can get a ceramic neti pot, a box of salt, and a box of baking soda for about the same price or much less than the cost of Simply Saline®, it irks me that Arm & Hammer® went the cheap route with this new line.  And, it’s a “pot”, so shouldn’t it be something more substantial? Also, I’m also concerned that over time, the plastic won’t hold up and/or the salt will degrade the material.

But, people are motivated by brand names, so I expect this product to do well. Which isn’t all bad since it promotes self-care to the masses.

 Note: Use room-temperature distilled water or boiled water that has been completely cooled in your neti pot preparations to reduce the risk of harmful pathogens common in untreated water supplies.

The Arm & Hammer® Simply Saline® Plus Neti Pot Kit was sent to me for free by the folks at Smiley360, a social media community that connects its members with new products to sample and share.