This is the story of how I came to love the Neti pot. Or wait, let me back up a step. This is the story of how I got my acute seasonal allergies under control.

It all started this spring, when the trees leafed out and did that thing where they try to kill me. In dire need of relief, I asked my doctor for industrial-strength drugs. Instead, he prescribed a Neti pot.

A Neti pot, he told me, is an ancient Ayurvedic tool that looks like a genie lamp. It’s used for jala neti [1], or a natural, yogic technique for cleaning the nasal passages. This involves pouring warm saline solution into one nostril so water can travel through the sinuses, flushing away pollen, allergens and other bad stuff as it drains out the other nostril.

Yup, that’s right: Water goes up one nostril, and comes out the other one. You can see why I had reservations.

But a couple days later, in sneezy, wheezy desperation, I looked into Neti pots and discovered several odd things about my nose: It’s the body's air conditioner, it’s a doorway to disease, and it’s a lot healthier if regularly irrigated — or washed out — with a Neti pot [1].

Along with relieving allergy symptoms, nasal irrigation [2] protects the mucous membranes and helps chronic sinus conditions, post-nasal drip, and colds. SinuCleanse [3] — a company seeking to introduce the Neti pot to the masses has posted various medical studies [4] on its site.

SinuCleanse has also posted an amazing video [5] demonstrating how to wash one's nasal passages. It looks totally bizarre, but showed me that the only thing I had to lose was my self-respect.

So for $15, I bought a modern version of the centuries-old tool is at my corner drugstore. I got SinuCleanse’s plastic Neti pot/saline packet system, but lots of options are available online at Amazon [6].

In the privacy my bathroom, I mixed the saline solution, tilted my head just so, put the spout to my nostril and — with memories of being slammed by huge waves at the beach — poured water up my nose. Instead of choking or sputtering, a thin stream magically of saline appeared from the other nostril. It felt weird. Then it felt kind of good. And then, it worked!

My sinuses instantly unstuffed themselves. All congestion vanished. I breathed deeply through supple, hydrated nasal passages. My nose felt clean, the way your mouth feels after you brush your teeth. Jala neti ain't pretty. But it does the trick naturally, without heavy medication and related side effects.

In fact, after a few days of breathing easy, I started to wonder if maybe trees aren't the enemy after all.