As a thirty-something male, I tend to disregard anything Oprah related as pure rubbish. Remember the whole debacle involving the book "A Million Little Pieces"? It seems that the instant Oprah Winfrey gives her approval to something, millions of her loyal Oprahfiles run out and clear the store shelves of said product. Well, for once I have benefited from the Oprah effect and I am willing to give her credit for helping to improve my quality of life.

Let me state up front that I was not actually watching Oprah. My mother is a loyal Oprahfile and after seeing Dr. Oz demonstrate the Neti Pot and expound on the benefits of regular sinus irrigation, she bought one the next day. In case you are not familiar with the concept of nasal irrigation, it is simply the act of pouring salt water in one nostril and letting it drain out the other. This clears the sinuses and prevents bacteria from collecting in the mucus that is usually stuck in your sinus cavities. Used in India for a thousand years, the Neti Pot is just a tiny tea pot with a long spout. They can be found at just about any major drug store and usually come with a month supply of saline packets.

After using the Neti Pot for less than a week, I was breathing easier and sleeping much better. I also stopped snoring since I was no longer "clogged" up. Currently, I use mine every other night before going to bed. Used properly, there are really no bad side effects since the solution just contains salt and water.

I find it strange that I have been to multiple doctors over the years for sinus related problems and none have ever suggested the neti pot. Instead, they would prescribe Claritin, Flonase, or if I already had an infection, they would send me off with Amoxicillin. This is a prime example of how western medicine is focused on new magic pill cures and completely ignore preventative techniques that have worked for thousands of years. Imagine how many other techniques have been lost and forgotten.