A Neti Pot To Clean Your Nose

Dhilip Kumar believes that cleaning one’s nose is as important as brushing one’s teeth.

To watch someone stick the spout of a plastic pot that looks something like a genie’s lamp up his nose was a test in self control.

Nothing on earth, or in heaven for that matter, can describe what it is like to be forced to keep a straight face when all you want to do is to break out in uncontrollable laughter.

In one end and out the other: A saline solution makes nostril irrigation a comfortable experience.

Not that Dhilip Kumar, a naturopath who got his doctorate from the Sri Lanka Open International University would take offence, but it’s still bad etiquette to treat a topic regarded as serious by another party as a joke.

This little dilemma came about when this zippy 60-year-old insisted on giving a demonstration on the use of a neti pot.

For the uninitiated, the neti pot, which looks like a mini-watering can, is used to irrigate the nasal passages. It is basically a receptacle with a long spout that is designed for comfortable insertion into a nostril so that water can flow into it.

Yes, you read me right. A neti pot is something like a nose waterer.

The very idea of pouring water into one’s nose is enough to make some gasp.

For those who have experienced the taking in of water in swimming pools, they will attest that the sensation was not a pleasant one at all. Even Dhilip himself admitted approaching his first nasal irrigation with trepidation, some 30 years ago.

Neti pot user for close to 30 years: Dhilip Kumar says that nostril cleaning is as important as brushing one’s teeth.

“I thought it was going to hurt or that water would go into my lungs,” he recalled.

Instead, Dhilip would be surprised to see water coming out through his other nostril!

According to this grandfather of two, the practice of nasal irrigation is common among yoga practitioners who employ this method of cleansing the sinus cavities before meditation.

For Dhilip, a health buff who claimed to have abstained from roti canai and fried noodles for the past 30 years, the neti pot was introduced to him when he attended a breathing class in India in the 80s.

“As breath is the essence of life, it is crucial that the body has unhindered access to it.

“The nose, which acts as a filter to the air that we breathe will inevitably experience some congestion due to dirt build-up in the mucus lining.

“While sniffing and blowing will normally clear out the gross particles, a complete clean out can be done more effectively with saline water,” explained Dhilip who irrigates his nose as often as he brushes his teeth.

This is where the neti pot came in handy for nostril purification, guaranteeing that one will be able to breathe better,

Dhilip also hinted that daily use may help to decrease sinus symptoms as the flushing action can remove bacteria.

“The trick to ensuring a painless nasal irrigation session is to put a pinch of sea salt into the water. Salt is known for its high osmeotic pressure and prevents the water from being absorbed into the capillaries which causes the sensitive reaction,” said Dhilip.

Another thing to remember is not to share one’s neti pot. Same like a toothbrush or underwear, neti pots are strictly private personal items.

This neti pot affair has so fascinated Dhilip that he has gone into business with it.

A former aviation engineer, Dhilip, revealed that he was motivated into manufacturing his own neti pots when Oprah Winfrey featured them in her talk show last year.

“I have been selling neti pots for some time now but after Oprah’s talk show, I was inundated with orders and that’s when I thought I should sell my own brand,” he revealed.

Having spent close to RM50,000 as capital, Dhilip has a target to sell over 50,000 units of his purple plastic neti pots to like-minded health buffs like him.

Dhilip’s marketing strategy for now is to demonstrate the use of his nose irrigator while conducting his breathing class.

“Once people are convinced, they will naturally get one,” he said.

Interestingly, Dhilip, who also has a deep knowledge in writing analysis, regression therapies, hypnotherapy and yoga, would reveal that nasal irrigation has become very popular with some members of the royal family and some government ministers.

Dhilip will give a free talk on breathing and meditation on Nov 9 at 6pm at Kevala Centre 50-1 (1st floor) SS19/1D, Subang Jaya, Selangor.

To register, call 03-5636 7986.