But apparently half the readership of this website uses a neti pot, according to the last thread. I am already in love with mine.
I already think the neti pot is the best lifestyle discovery for me since since Hola Fruta, Grapples, the Bodum, and having an ice cold glass of Clamato with a tuna sandwich on rye. Oh, and cinnamon in coffee.
This is your open thread for the night.
kommrade jakevich
Yeah but, you also think your cat isn’t fat.
mgordon
Clamato ?
You should see a doctor about that.
Michael D.
John: I have been using Neil-Med for years. Basically the same thing, I think. Works wonders.
cleek
also…
Laphroaig
steak au poivre
the drink you have after you make steak au poivre: the Sidecar (use limoncello instead of lemon juice)
Pocky
Spoon
convertibles south of VA
Shibby
Grapples are gross.
Polish the Guillotines
I’m nearly convinced this — how you say — "neti pot?" is worth trying. I’m in one of the windiest, polloniest, dustiest cities in the greater Bay Area. My sinuses are always trashed.
It seems like a worthwhile experiment — if it doesn’t make me ralph.
cleek
my edited comment was marked as spam? WTF???
Polish the Guillotines
Wow. Right the eff on, cleek. I can’t believe I’ve got the necessary ingredients. I’m gonna try one after I nuke this here martini (gin gibson, to be precise).
Up Bombay Sapphire.
Comrade Darkness
On the topic of great natural discoveries that I wish I’d known about 30 years ago…
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the long-standing theory on why muscles get sore turns out to be silly made up shit that no one ever tested. I’m the kind of person who dreams of getting in that 1.5 hour a day, but only manages 2x a week, and when I have issues with life, it can stretch to 4.5-5.5 hours without conscious realization. And I’m not in shape, so I used to pay dearly for this, like barely standing up the next day.
BUT, turns out muscle cells, immediately after exercising, stick out receptors in hopes of nutrients, and if you feed them, they don’t get sore. So, if you down protein and sugar within 35 minutes of working out, the soreness thing is significantly reduced. I’ve been doing this of late (either glass of gatorade and 2oz of cheese, or apple slices and peanut butter). Good grief this works. I’m barely sore at all, no matter how erratically I exercise.
maxbaer (not the original)
I had never heard of neti pots until the last thread. It sounded so good that I went over to amazon and ordered one.
What a great blog you have John. Informative and snarky.
Polish the Guillotines
Woah. Creepy. Cleek’s post vanished.
cleek
real, American, muscle cells go out and get their own food, instead of waiting around, begging for handouts.
cleek_ghost
fucking spam filter
The Dangerman
@Polish the Guillotines:
You HAVE to give it a try! I’ve lived in San Luis Obispo, which is flat out Hay Fever hell. For those that haven’t been there, except for the allergies, it’s paradise; also, about 12 miles in from the coastline with the prevailing winds that come right up a couple canyons over all sorts of places that grow all sorts of stuff (almost all of it legal). This season, after the Neti, not so much as a sniff; previously, I had tried the local raw honey in hot tea twice a day – good, but not perfect, because SLO can just suck for allergy sufferers as I mentioned. Something relatively simple and not very expensive (just get the water temperature right and the salinity right and you are good to go).
rebecca
I love the thing.
tripletee
It won’t if you do it right. And yeah, it’s definitely worth trying. I started using one a couple of years ago and was able to avoid sinus surgery as a result. Not to mention I no longer spend the entire winter fighting off an endless string of flu and colds, and it’s also significantly reduced my seasonal allergy symptoms.
I was also the only person I knew who used one until I, like John, discovered that this blog is some kind of disturbing nexus of obsessive sinus-washers. Frankly I’m a little creeped out now.
kommrade jakevich
@Comrade Darkness: Where the hell were you 20 years ago?
We still go hiking a lot and thinking back I’m realizing my inability to move the next day or the day after is linked directly to how many Clif bars we take along.
Shit. Now I don’t have an excuse not to exercise regularly.
Linda
I’ve been tempted to buy a Neti pot for years, now I think I will go for it.
Delia
My local newspaper in Eugene (which, of course, is a center of DFH-dom, and also a major hay fever center) ran a feature about neti pots about six months ago. They originated in India thousands of years ago, where apparently they’re a common hygienic practice. I bought mine at a local store. It’s imported from Kentucky, another well-known center of liberal elitism.
Far Left American Hater Incertus
I guess I’m going to have to investigate this thing too, although I don’t have major issues living down here in Florida. The whole peninsula thing ensures that the air stays relatively clean, except for when there are fires raging out of control in the Yucatan.
And since it’s an open thread, why Obama’s up in Florida.
Patrick Lightbody
Just found a YouTube video demonstration and just about fell out of my chair. Who thinks up this stuff?!
Jon H
This blog is going to have to rename itself ‘Sinus Juice’.
dms
Christ, I’ve been reading a blog of Gen Xer’s with attitude. Talk about elitist.
When will I ever learn. Almost makes me want to become a Republican.
Polish the Guillotines
Win.
Sidecar also, win.
Joshua Norton
I think they got to be really a hot item after Oprah had an MD talk about one on her show last year. Except he called it a "nose bidet", which kind of grossed me out, so I haven’t tried one yet. I still use a daily dose of Claritin to keep my sinuses open.
tripletee
@Jon H:
Your neti pot is full of awesome and win.
dewberry
I still use a daily dose of Claritin to keep my sinuses open.
Claritin simply does not work for me. Zyrtec works great, but makes me unbelievably sleepy. So sleepy that I can’t get out of bed the next morning. So I suffer along a bit, and only take it when I absolutely have to. My kids take Singulair.
My mom uses the Neti Pot and loves it, and I’m guessing I should give it a try.
Comrade Darkness
@kommrade jakevich:
Sorry. This is research from this year. Very recent, otherwise I’d have happily told you earlier.
Yeah, true. There goes the excuse. I don’t work out regularly enough to know if it helps build muscle mass, because frankly, I don’t care. I’m not trying to get buff, I’m just hoping to not die early or enter geezerhood fishing for a string of broken hips.
dewberry
Claritin simply does not work for me. Zyrtec works great, but makes me unbelievably sleepy. So sleepy that I can’t get out of bed the next morning. So I suffer along a bit, and only take it when I absolutely have to. My kids take Singulair.
My mom uses the Neti Pot and loves it, and I’m guessing I should give it a try.
donovong
I have been all over this world, seen and done some crazy things in my youth. Reconned in the jungle and survived firefights with really pissed off asian people. Ate things that crawl and slept on rocks in the rain. Cleaned up pieces of people that used to be in airplanes and snacked on Nabs between bags. And the idea of a fucking "neti pot" makes me want to crawl under my goddam sofa, turn off the lights and never come out.
You people are fucking NUTS!!
Pennypacker
I was out shopping at my local elitist health food store, and your earlier post inspired me to finally buy one. We just moved to a different town, and all the agriculture in the area hasn’t been good for my hayfever.
One question: the pot I bought says not to use iodized salt, and it says that sea salt may be too harsh for the sinuses. Is kosher salt non-iodized?
Kirk
Comrade Darkness – and fluid. Yes, the nutrients are important, but the inevitable dehydration makes moving those nutrients more difficult.
ninerdave
I highly disagree. You’re missing:
Stone Brewery Russian Impereal Stout is full of win. Unfortunately I’ve drank every bottle shop in my area out of them and it’s limited edition once a year.
Stone Porter which I am sipping on lustily now, is an acceptable substitute.
Neti-Pot…not sure about that. How about just take a nice steamy shower and blow your nose after?
Oh and switching back from snot to booze. Sidecars are nice, but I’ll take a nice Talisker instead
Pennypacker
Don’t let us stop you.
Polish the Guillotines
But not before revealing the mystery of the Sidecar. (And now the post is back, but if I link to it, everything after the link disappears.)
I juiced some lemons, and I had just enough Gran Marnier to make it worthwhile. And it was.
Now I’ll actually have to leave the house tomorrow. Off to BevMo for some more Gran Marnier. (Need it anyway — for this year’s fruitcakes. Yes, fruitcakes. When they’re homemade, don’t contain neon "fruit", and swim in booze, they’re teh awesome.)
JL
@donovong: Before the neti-pot, I had an Italian friend whose mom swore by just cupping the hand with warm water and salt to wash out the sinuses. Believe me the neti-pot is way easier.
Comrade Darkness
Yes it is. We use a 2 parts baking soda to 1 part salt (pickling salt is also uniodized and due to its special crystalline structure dissolves faster) for our recipe.
I’m a water fiend, so I assumed that went without saying.
Roza Hussein
OOOOOOH K
had to use the google on that one
whatever works
Will Hunting
The Horns march on. Next up Texas Tech.
Clamato is wrong. Whenever someone mentions it, I think of Patty and Selma who had plenty on hand for Bart and Lisa.
JL
@Polish the Guillotines: Could you link to or include a recipe. Most fruitcake recipes are expensive to make and disposed of in the garbage.
Jules
Kosher salt is never iodized
Comrade Darkness
Alton Brown has an excellent one. And it’s true that it really needs 2 years to mature to full potential. Just have to keep spritzing it with booze every few months. Really, what could go wrong with that?
There was nearly war in our house over the last piece.
spartikus
Clamato ?
Yes, clamato. With vodka, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, tabasco, a rim of celery salt and squeeze of lemon.
Heaven.
Pennypacker
donovong —
Actually, my reply was snarky when it didn’t need to be. Here’s the thing. I grew up in Sonoma County, CA, which has ridiculous amounts of pollen for, oh, most of the year. (The can have 2-3 growing seasons of hay a year out here.) The hayfever is just genetic.
As a kid, for relief from the pollen assault, I instinctively used to ‘snort’ warm water to flush out my sinuses. It wasn’t great, but it provided a little comfort. This was long before I or probably anybody in America had ever heard of a ‘neti pot’.
So when I first heard of these a couple years ago, I knew it probably would be helpful. It’s really the same notion I had years ago, only with a helpful teaspout and employing saline, which is better for the sinuses than hard tap water. What’s so scary about that? The fact that it comes from Asia?
At least we’re not having a discussion about caffeine enemas or something…
kommrade jakevich
Yep. I just want to be able to take the damn stairs the next day without whimpering like a kicked puppy. Plus I just hit the age where my doctor is going to give me The Talk about the importance of regular exercise.
Pllffffbbbttt!
srv
For a minute there, I thought you were talking about my college sex life.
tammanycall
You are all socialist elitists.
Don
I love my neti pot, and one of the best things I did was buy a big-ass box of the neil-med packets. The process of pouring a jar of salt-water through your nose is troubling enough without having to worry about proper balance. They were reasonably inexpensive (considering the convenience) at Costco.
Scotty
I bet you Joe the Plumber doesn’t use a neti pot
Carnacki
I’d never heard of a neti pot and I had mentioned in a post I had a sinus infection and MeteorBlades over at Big Orange Satan said I should get a neti pot. It really does help.
MMM
I hope Tunch is OK. He looked like he was breathing pretty heavy in the last picture.
Delia
Here’s the thing: You’re supposed to replicate the salinity of your bodily fluids. My pot came with a little 1/4 tsp measure. Then pouring the solution through your nasal cavities rinses out the dust, pollen, and microbes that accumulate in there through normal breathing and can cause allergic reactions or infections. A lot of Ear, Nose, and Throat medical practices are beginning to recommend it. Just blowing your nose doesn’t do the trick, and believe me, this is way better than prescription nose sprays. Also cheaper.
Stuck in the Funhouse
Well, as usual, I learned something different today at BJ. Had to google neti pot, still don’t know what it is. But gathered it’s a tool of some sort to clear sinuses. I am highly allergic to certain kinds of mold spores, that apparently don’t exist in the high deserts of NM. The only allergy I get now is in the spring when the Juniper trees pollinate. And it’s a mild reaction and a few sprays of Flonase fixes it right up. .
No, we are fucking NETIS!! Oh, and I like bugs too, as a kid in Appalachia, we used to gather up jars of grasshoppers and turn em over to grandma who fried em up and dipped the little buggers in Chocolate, Crickets too. Growing children need lots of extra protein, granny used to say. Big Yum!!
donovong
@pennypacker – No prob. If I took snarky replys personally, I wouldn’t be here. And, no, asian things don’t scare me.
I have simply never been able to handle water up the nose – at all. I get sinus infections from hell (one of the worst ones ever was when I lived in Folsom) but who knows – the next time…..?
Studly Pantload
Cleek @ 4:
Laphroaig
FSM in a bottle, that. Wouldn’t douche my schnoz with it, tho’.
tavella
Hmm. I have no limoncello, but i have cognac, triple sec, and a lemon tree. I may have to try this Sidecar thing.
Pennypacker
No waterboarding for you then! (Or anyone, I hope…)
Doctor Science
ninerdave:
I shall look for your recs, but I plan on spending the evening of Nov. 4th with Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, as I recover from my *very* long but satisfying day as a pollworker.
ninerdave
@Doctor Science:
Young’s is a great beer.
Grats to you for working the polls too!
g-rant
Neti-pots = awesome
other ancient Indian cleansing practices = dangerous
Comrade Darkness
Back on the topic of politics… teh funny
Polish the Guillotines
JL:
Okay, I’m totally freaking out right now. I can’t find my recipe, and I had tons of notes scrawled on it, so I’ll have to call an audible here.
Here’s a decent baseline recipe, although it relies on measures, not weights (kinda lame for baking, but workable).
The key — for me, anyway — is the molasses. I like it dark.
I substitute different dried fruits (I like to use currants, white and dark raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, and dried pinapple). Just make sure you a) wind up with equivalent totals, b) don’t use the neon candied crap. I also prefer pecans to almonds because they’re a little more buttery and they’re softer.
The linked recipe calls for adding the brandy while mixing the batter. That’s not what I’ve typically done. I use the brandy to soak the dried fruit (overnight).
I use small loaf pans (5.75" x 3"), buttered, floured, and lined with parchment. The cooking time will be less than if you do a single large cake, but just do the toothpick test.
When they’ve cooled, I sprinkle them with Gran Marnier and wrap them well and refrigerate. Twice a week, give them a sprinkle with GM. I’ve only done this a few weeks before Christmas, but you can age these things for months.
The linked recipe calls for fresh lemon zest, which I’ve never tried, but sounds like a good add. Also, spring for awesomely great ingredients. Organic brown sugar rocks for this.
When all is said and done, a warm slice with a bit of whipped cream and a glass of egg nog (heavy on the nog) will promote peace on Earth and goodwill towards men.
p.a.
50/50 Clamato and V8 makes a wonderful Bloody, don’t use real vodka (from potatoes); it’s too good. A decent grain vodka will do. I find black pepper annoying, but it’s a free country. Le Richelieu Hotel in N.O. used a hot-pepper pickled stringbean instead of celery. Yum.
John,
step 1- resign from Republican Party
step 2- endorse Democratic Presidential candidate
step 3- talk up neti pots (and I admit I had to Wiki that)
what’s next, appearing with Woody Harrelson on his ‘Hemp is Heaven’ world tour?
Welcome to the ‘loony left’, there’s always room for good people.
p.s.- I believe red staters clear their sinuses by snorting Cordite. Explains a lot.
Comrade Darkness
Really? We don’t. Bread shaped tupperware, stored in the pantry.
Comrade The Other Steve
I’ve never heard of a neti pot. I may have to try that.
Brian J
I’m think I have healthier habits than most people my age. I eat plenty of crap, but I don’t do any drugs and drink very infrequently. I also don’t smoke cigarettes, which is a bizzarely popular habit among a lot of people I know. (Granted, I work in a restaurant, so that ups the percentage a bit, but still…) That said, I could always do better. My body looks decent, except for my gut. I’m trying to go to the gym at least a few times a week, but I’m usually very tired even if I don’t have that much going on each week. I don’t know if my caffeine addiction is messing with me that much, but even if it is, I think I could always stand to take in more nutrients in fruits and veggies. I just can’t each that much of them each day, so I am trying to take in stuff like a V8 fruit drink or something that’s packed with it. I’m hoping that will make me feel better and live better.
jcricket
I know. Next thing we find out is John is gay, he and Michael D are already married and planning to move back to their native Canada (home of liberalism, The Hart Family, and hockey, strangely).
Comrade The Other Steve
David Frum is advocating Republicans dump McCain.
It starts off…
The whole thing is actually quite a piece of hackery. In the second paragraph he writes…
Who here thinks Palin was picked to reach out to independents? After that convention speech? Seriously?
It gets worse after that. They really have no clue what is happening, do they?
Polish the Guillotines
Comrade Darkness: Only on account of I don’t have decent pantry space. If you’ve got the proverbial "cool, dry place", then what you said is ideal.
Interrobang
I’m skeptical of this neti pot thing, on the grounds that if you put water up your nose and into your sinuses long enough, you are going to damage something; an actual doctor who hasn’t been taken in by all this woo-woo crap will tell you the same thing. (As will my friend, who irrigated his sinuses to keep his allergies down for years and years, and now can’t smell a damn thing.) "Harmless and beneficial" my ass… Maybe they eat all that unbelievably spicy food in India because nobody has any damn sense of smell left.
Just because something’s been used for thousands of years doesn’t mean it actually works or anything. In fact, it practically guarantees it doesn’t, being as we’ve only really started to know how the body works in the last hundred years or so, as opposed to just kind of philosophically guessing and poking at the odd cadaver now and then (where not prohibited by religion).
Personally, if you’re having chronic problems with your sinuses, do what I did and get a CT scan done on your head. Chances are good you’ve got a Haller cell (or another air-filled tissue pocket) somewhere in one of your sinuses. They’re perishing common, and one of the most reliable indicators of chronic sinusitis. Since I had my surgery to get rid of mine, I’ve had next to no problems, and even my allergies have been less irritating. The procedure itself took all of about 45 minutes, and most of that was waiting for the local anaesthetic to kick in. The surgeon just stuck a pair of forceps up my nose to the right place, popped the air cell (*cr-runch!*), and that was that.
Comrade Darkness
No, and it warms my heart. That and Ohio State losing threatens me with cardiac spontaneous combustion.
I had to work at that. Invested in a metal overflow cabinet for the basement "pantry extension". Course, now I KNOW I’m getting old because when I open it, it’s like Christmas. I can’t remember what’s down there.
Whammer
@Interrobang,
So, where is the romance in that? :-)
Never heard of either a neti pot or a Haller cell until today, but I’m starting to think that maybe some of my sinus troubles may be history!
Woo hoo for that.
LiberalTarian
You haven’t really come over to the dark side until you start brewing your own kombucha. You want a mother? I have one every 10 days. I’d rather give it to you than toss it in my compost pile. :)
kommrade jakevich
@Comrade The Other Steve: Whoop! Whoop! Attention please! Your Attention please! The hourly extramural topside ship-board seating rotation drill will commence in 5…4…3…
g-rant
@Interrobang,
I don’t know, every doctor I’ve mentioned it to has either said, "Hey, if it works, go with it" or "I always recommend that to people with sinus problems". Remember, all of the other traditional Indian cleansing methods are bunk and often very dangerous.
Comrade Darkness
Do you have a vinegar mother? I tried to make (form? compose? coagulate?) one of those and just could not do it.
LiberalTarian
Yup. It’s a SCOBY. Symbiotic consortium of bacteria and yeast. You can use it to make red wine vinegar too, since the SCOBY for it are very similar.
The trick is to make sure you acidify the starter tea to keep the other bacteria and molds are discouraged.
You do need a mother … and you can’t use honey (which is antibacterial) and you shouldn’t use chlorinated water. If you let it ferment too long you WILL get a pretty nasty vinegary brew.
But I think you should go ahead and keep trying to develop your own. I prefer to use a mother–after all, it works.
Mike
Neti-pots=awesome
Pervasive trend of people putting videos of themselves using Neti-pots on YouTube=strange
Zuzu's Petals
Half plus one. I didn’t get to weigh in last time.
My advice is to use really quality salt…I use Israeli sea salt.
ninerdave
Not related to Neti-Pots but to "homeopathic" remedies.
I had a girlfriend once that was all about ear candling. She’d do it like once a week. Was funny, I showed her that it a scam when I melted an ear candle in a glass and the same gunk she said was ear wax showed up at the bottom of the glass. She, being hard headed and totally into the whole homeopathic thing, denied that it was the same. That the candles that she stuck in her ear had totally different gunk on the end.
Strange how people work like that. Reminds me of wingnuttia, now that I think about it
Keith
I had one going for a while last year (kombucha, not vinegar). Made TONS of kombucha until I got lazy and let it die. Been trying to grow a new one periodically from bottled stuff with no luck, but I think I’m gonna have to spring for a full-size mother to restart.
Shaggy
Does using these pots make a mess? I’m kind of a cleaning freak and I am picturing this "moisture" all over my bathroom mirror and vanity.
Is it an outside thing?
I am starting allergy shots this week (for about 15 different types of pollen). So, yay. Can take up to 6 months to notice results, though.
Oh, and Limoncello iced tea. Or, Limoncello with limeade (lime juice, water and sugar). Or Limoncello Bellini: limoncello, peach nectar, sparkling wine.
Or Limoncello and the paper bag it came in.
And Leinenkugel’s. But not necessarily with Limoncello.
Comrade Darkness
Do you use invert sugar in that case?
After a little practice you can do it in a sink, but I rec the shower for the first few times. This is not a John Belushi with mashed potatoes kind of thing.
They have gotten way better at these. My nephew saw results in a few months. My SO had shots for 10 years, years ago, with little effect.
LiberalTarian
Sugar and Liptons. Easy as pie. Have to be careful to not cook your mother when you add new tea (need to let it cool long enough to not kill the SCOBY, but not so long it gets moldy). Interesting goo too, if you are into that kind of thing. I just about let mine die recently … but it seems to be recovering.
Shaggy
@Comrade Darkness:
Thanks!
I am hoping the shots work well.
Delia
No. You just lean over the bathroom sink. The water just goes into the sink. It’s not messy at all. And I noticed a difference after about three weeks.
Jon H
Comrade Other Steve: "David Frum is advocating Republicans dump McCain."
Well, he’s advocating that they concede that Obama’s going to win, and cut his party funding, diverting it to the Senate races.
From the way you put it, I thought I’d find Frum saying that McCain step down and Palin head the ticket.
Delia
@Comrade The Other Steve:
Loved the David Frum article. The man has absolutely no sense of irony. This bit right at the end had me throwing popcorn at my monitor.
It’s just too funny. A Bushie preaching the virtues of divided government and accountability and warning of the dangers of cronyism. Too true to be good.
Comrade Darkness
On the topic of natural microbes, I made homemade bread yeast quite easily by dunking a bunch of underripe unwashed grapes from my yard into a standard sourdough starter mix. Quite tasty but it will not tolerate any salt in the batter. After three feedings it adapted nicely into its new food source.
Although, kinda scary. I mixed the starter, dunked the grape bunch in and … it started foaming within ten minutes. I figured this for a 24-48 hour process. Really makes you realize why the ancients made so much wine. Frankly, NOT making wine would have been a trick and a half.
AhabTRuler
By Bodum do you mean French (effite, unamerican, &c.) Press?
Even better than that is the Vacuum Pot.
French Press quality coffee, now with science!
Bodum also made an awesome wok, but it appears to be discontinued.
Course, for the best in cast iron cookware, its, again, the French, that win the day.
Jasper
Never tried a pot, but I do swear by the Neil-Med squeeze bottle method.
After sinus surgery, learned how to do it over the sink in just a couple of tries – no mess, effective, easy. You can do it dressed for work without any worry.
I know the little pre-measured saline packs are a waste of money, but they’re easy.
iluvsummr
My mom watches Oprah and apparently a while back Oprah had a show on using the neti-pot to help ease sinus infections and seasonal allergies. Since my mom knows I suffer from allergies, she badgered me until I bought one. (I resisted because (a) I was initially grossed out at the idea and (b) I figured I’d make a mistake and accidentally drown myself using it and my friends would come by my apartment and find me on the bathroom floor clutching a strange teapot looking thing and figure I’d joined some strange cult and botched the initiation). Anyway, I didn’t drown and it’s worked so well for me that I got my aunt and everyone else I know who lives close by and has sinus problems or seasonal allergies one. The best part is giving them live demos. I use kosher salt and measure it with a little teaspoon.
SamFromUtah
Not the same neti pot, I hope.
Brian J
@Delia:
Frum says:
I’ve never fully understood this claim made by anyone. Is he trying to say that the Democrats are going to commit some sort of fraud or engage in embezzlement of taxpayer money, or is he saying that they will be spending money, through normally accepted means like bills approved by congress?
Delia
Whatever happens, you may be sure that the whole wingnutosphere will consider it outrageous, far more so than the whole travesty of the Cheney Administration.
Brian J
After hearing people like Stan Greenberg and James Carville hint that election day could be "seismic" for the Republicans, comparing it to post-New Orleans Katrina, and saying that they could be losing a generation of voters, I’m starting to think that something is going to happen that’s not entirely showing up in the polls. I still reserve the right to refine my predictions before election day, but a week or so ago, I said Obama would win 404 Electoral votes, including states like North and South Dakota, Georgia, and West Virginia. That might not happen, but close to 400 votes doesn’t seem out of the question. In the House, it seems there’s only a point in trying to figure out the minimum number of seats the Democrats gain, because everyone admits the number will be high. As for the Senate, it’ll be tough to get 59 or more seats, but it seems like it’s definitely possible. We’re going to win Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, and New Hampshire, and things look good in North Carolina, Alaska, Oregon, and Minnesota. That would bring us up to 58, with probably more than decent chances for pickups in Mississippi, Kentucky, and Georgia. This probably more fantasy that anything else, but perhaps there’s one more surprise in Maine or Texas. Regardless, we’re going to be pushing 60, if not going right past it.
Anyway, the reason I’m saying all this is, Frum’s advice might sound good but in the end be pointless. If the Democrats are going to do so well regardless–and really, if we take 60 Senate seats, it’s a blowout–it might not make a difference what the Republicans do.
Polish the Guillotines
Well, it looks like there are some studies that demonstrate some efficacy from regular nasal irrigation. Neti pots are only one method of irrigation.
Here’s a summary of a University of Wisconsin study, and here’s an abstract from an NIH study. I also found a blurb about the neti pot on Mayo Clinic.com.
ninerdave
Shameless blog pimping of the night:
Here
LiberalTarian
Heh. You know that whitish stuff on the grapes that you can rub off with your finger? It’s called "bloom." And yes, it’s yeast. There’s a great book called Wild Fermentation/books_wildfermentation.php. Very cool ideas on "growing your own." Heh. Sally Fallon’s book Nourishing Traditions is very good too, if a little strident.
The hardest thing for getting your own kraut, etc. going was finding decent crocks! But, I picked up some nice ones at an antique store (no cracks or other problems). And, hooch is very easy to make … just put your fruit in a wine jug with a balloon on the top (to let the CO2 out but not let O2 in).
That’s right … I forgot John is a beer brewing buff. I have celiacs, so can’t do the wheat/barley thing, but I have been wanting to brew some sorghum beer. Hey, gotta do something.
ninerdave
@LiberalTarian:
Actually, that’s Tim.
I’ve made my own beer and wine before. It’s fun. There are several guys at work that are excellent at it, me, I’ve had so, so results with the beer. Wine turned out awesome. So much so, I’m planting wine grapes in the back yard this year to see how that goes.
When I lived in San Francisco, I tried making sourdough using wild yeast. I mean what could go wrong? San Fran is known for it’s sourdough right? Didn’t work too well. Smelled like feet and was hard as an old cookie.
comrade dsc
neti pots are like swimming in the ocean every day (or, I suppose, like the Great Salt Lake or Dead Sea)
the salty water is no stronger than tears–it really does help keep it all clear.
Martin
One of our neighborhood pools just converted to saline purification from chlorine. It’s awesome. Just like swimming in the ocean but not as salty. Saline level is just about right for eyes and sinuses. I understand they’re in the process of converting all of the others by next summer. Check in your area to see if there is one available – highly recommended.
Martin
You need to make bread fairly often in your home for this to work. If I make bread a few times a week, after a month I can do the natural air capture loaves, and even then it’s a bit of a crapshoot. Still takes about 4 days.
Blue Raven
Well, that just took aspirin completely out of the pharmacoepia, now, didn’t it? In other words, look up white willow bark and tell me again how something done before modern science won’t work.
katiemc
Completely OT…
Atanarjuat- our resident accomplished spoof has a new movie named after him which means fast runner. Just saw this on one of my fav film musings blog. Maybe that is a clue???!!!
Captain USA
It says that the insides of our heads are clean.
Phoebe
I tried the neti pot years ago, and it seemed to make matters worse. I’d be congested on one side, and after the neti I’d be congested in both.
What did I do wrong, internet scientists?
Also, does the cause of the congestion even matter? I seem to get congested [and miserable 3 day headaches] due to barometric pressure changes.
Believe me, I want the neti pot to work.
Rick Taylor
Via Talking points memo, an email from the Pennsylvania GOP warning Jewish voters that voting for Obama could result in a second holocaust. I suppose nothing surprises me at this point, though at least they have the sense to run away from this one.
Also it looks like Peter Feldman, the guy who pushed the Obama-mugger story to reporters, saying he carved a B into her face for Obama, still has his position with the McCain. So I guess they’re fine with that.
bago
I’ve gotten kicked out of three bars at burning man one year, just for calling hippie shit. But it’s way better to be kicked out of a hippie bar as at least your glass will be full.
r€nato
John Cole, I don’t know if you subscribe to HBO, but if you do I hope you caught Real Time with Bill Maher this week. The show really drove home how deeply the GOP has alienated and driven off ‘sensible’, non-brain-dead Republicans.
Karmakin
Frum’s advice would be a disaster for the Republicans. Any positive with the redirection of resources would be greatly overshadowed by GOP voters not showing up to the polls to vote.
McCain is actually doing the best thing for the electoral chances of the GOP that he can do at this point, in creating a narrative of an impending victory (Even as fleeting as it may be) Personally? I don’t think the echo chamber is going to make it to election day, so they’re going to have their shit cake and eat it too, so to speak.
But barring a time machine, it’s the best option they have.
r€nato
They will soon ‘discover’ the virtues of limiting executive powers, too. Bet on it.
r€nato
You know what’s REALLY funny?
Looking at that ad on the left of this blog, promoting John Fund’s book regarding ‘stealing elections’.
Oh wait- that’s not funny, it’s fucking infuriating to be lectured about stolen elections by one of the beneficiaries of the 2000 coup.
kommrade jakevich
@Rick Taylor: You also have to love the way they blame victims of the Holocaust (if only they’d heeded the warning signs!) And display a stunning ignorance of the history of the period.
If by "run away" you mean tell an easily debunked lie:
I’m sure Camp McPOW will have a calm measured response to this. Something along the lines of "You know how those people are, he just wants more money!!"
Dennis - SGMM
George Stephanopoulos says that McCain is going to use the need for divided government as one of his three closing arguments.
According to Stephanopoulos, the other two are that Obama will raise taxes and that he’s untested.
Setting aside the nonsense that a black man without inherited wealth who has nonetheless managed to become a credible candidate for president hasn’t been comprehensively tested, it’s symptomatic that the McCain has not one, but three closing arguments. All that’s missing is "But wait, there’s more! Vote for me now and I’ll double your tax cut and send you a set of fabulous Ginsu knives!"
Shinobi
Huh, the only people I know who use Neti-pots are wanna be opera singers. I thought it was some obscure opera singer diva maybe if I clear my sinuses I’ll get a part because I’m not really that good thing.
I guess I’ll give it a try, I’m allergic to the 3 animals I have in my house, so whatever it is, it can’t be worse than what I currently have going on. (And yes, I am insane.)
SamFromUtah
@comrade dsc: neti pots are like swimming in the ocean every day (or, I suppose, like the Great Salt Lake or Dead Sea)
I hope it’s not like the Great Salt Lake. That thing is very salty indeed and sludged up with dead brine shrimp (and live ones, for that matter). The stench of rotting Sea-Monkeys is unbelievable at certain times of the year.
demimondian
@Blue Raven: Yeah, and that whole "foxglove tea for dropsy" thing? Yeah, not so much.
Look up "Digitalin"….
Traditional medicine certainly includes more than its fair share of snake oil — but there is also a lot of stuff there which actually worked. That’s why modern drug hunters still go into the rain forest and interview the local wise-folk, you know.
mextremist
Ok, you dig the clamato? You should totally try it with some lime, salt, a dash of Worcestershire, and tabasco sauce. Half a glass with lots of ice. Fill the rest up with an ice-cold corona.
"Sangre de Cristo", or the blood of Christ, as it is known to us Mexican drunkards.
Best hangover remedy in the world.
Comrade Darkness
Pollution is really hard on the airborne critters you are trying to corral. If the wrong strains dominate, you can get some pretty bad results. Real sourdough is a mix of yeast and bacteria. Yeast to make the alcohol and bacteria to make the vinegar out of the alcohol. I’ve been to San Francisco, the air is terrible. Get an established starter next time, it’s just easier. Otherwise you are just setting your dough out as a petri dish for everything and anything and hoping for the best. This method will work for people who make it regularly because their kitchen surfaces will be infected already with the right stuff. You can get san francisco style starter dried in little packets for easy transport or ask around for a blob of someone else’s.
Marshall
There’s another benefit to this too — it teaches your muscles to store more glycogen. More stored glycogen means you can exercise longer and harder without bonking or cramping.
Many people consider chocolate milk to be an ideal recovery drink — it has a good balance of carbs and protein. Or (if you can stand the sweetness) you can mix 3 tbsp of sugar in a tall glass of milk. Drink it within fifteen minutes of a hard workout.
Liz
Other good things to add to coffee: brown sugar, evaporated milk (not necessarily at the same time, unless you’re a total sugar freak.)
Ordering my neti pot now… sick of the allergies, and since I’m trying for a kid I’m also trying to keep my drug intake down (no Sudafed for me…grr…)
demimondian
It’s kind of like making wine. I would never ferment the pressings directly, but I had a friend who did just that. The difference, though, was that he had a wine cellar — a *real* wine cellar — in which he’d been making wine for half a century. By the point that I met him, his wine cellar had it’s own, distinctive and good tasting, set of fementation flora.
Alan
@Phoebe:
The initial shock of rinsing your sinuses may have caused you to produce a bit more mucus. It’s a matter of getting used to the rinse.
Initially, you should use a small amount of salt to acclimate yourself to the rinse. As you get used to it you can add more salt.
I use warm water with cheap table salt–warm enough to help loosen your sinuses and to dissolve the salt; enough salt without causing it to feel like it’s burning. :)
Don’t try to clean out everything in one day. Get used to it over a few days and you’ll find that all the ducts from your eyes to your ears will become clear.
Phoebe
Alan, that makes sense. Like if you wash your face with too harsh a soap it pumps out more oil in a panic.
I will try it again.
binzinerator
I’m another neti pot believer.
About 10 years ago I went swimming in the ocean when I had a bad head cold. I was on vacation, and I was determined not to spend my week at the beach without going swimming even once. So in I went. Naturally seawater got up my nose, and it stung a bit at first but soon stopped. When I got out I realized my sinuses felt better. By the end of the day I knew I was going to escape my usual sinus infection that inevitably follows one of my bad head colds.
Several years ago I spotted my first neti pot at Walgreens. It all made sense in a flash. Been using one ever since.
If it stings like the dickens you’ve got a sinus infection going on or are on the edge of one. Do a little ha-cha-cha dance and keep the salt water running through — it’ll stop stinging soon and when you do it the next time you’ll notice it won’t sting nearly as much. Do it 2-3x a day for a couple of days and you will avoid a full-blown sinus infection, a trip to the doctor’s and a course of antibiotics.
I now use sea salt from Whole Foods (elitist! socialist!) instead of those pricey little packets.
binzinerator
BTW, the neti pot is great for allergies. Really helps me when the ragweed pollen counts are going crazy. Soothes too, including sometimes my itching eyes. (tear ducts communicate with the sinuses so the pollens can get in there too but so can the salt water).
ninerdave
@Martin:
Huh…interesting, I wonder why that is.
I know this thread is old, but maybe you or someone else will look back and comment.
**edit**
or read down thread and see Comrade Darkness’ reply at 10:45 this morn.
ninerdave
@demimondian:
Interesting thought. I’m planting wine grapes this year, and have an awesome place under the house where I already keep our wines. In fact I can stand up in most of it, and I’m 6’3". Such is the benefit of living on a hill, the downside, if a quake hits, I’m fucked.
If it takes three years to grow grapes before they start reliably fruiting, maybe some pre-fermenting to establish yeast is in order….