The Modern Hippy

     Per request of friend/reader Yoshi, I’m putting up a couple of youtube videos for a more visual approach to neti pot instruction.
     The first is very thorough. The second is to the point and has no speaking whatsoever. It is just right though. Her approach seems to say, “Get off your ass and do it!” The first video I thought good because it’s done by a normal looking guy, not some crazy hippy chic. And he apparantly started to do it because of a suggestion from his wife whom watched Oprah.
Enjoy!

And….

For the other Neti Pot posts click here:

Neti Pot – The Modern Hippy’s First Experience

Neti Pot – The Modern Hippy’s Second Experiment & Directions

On a side note:
     While at work today, surrounded by other hippy massage therapists (Yes, at the moment I have a job, as a fill in contractor. So it’s okay, I’m still in control of my schedule and am working for a respectable clinic, not an assembly line. I’m still damn the man, but setting up one’s business takes time when you are lazy and recovering from a rough year.), I was asked how I was feeling. Meh, I said, but I bought a neti pot and that and essential oils, are helping me a lot. No antibiotics for me! Each person had their own thing to say about neti pots and how wonderful they are. I love this hippy town!

     I was reading through my recent favorite blog, The Pioneer Woman, and stumbled across a post that reminded me of a post I had done well over a year ago, Breathing Well.
On Pioneer Woman, her mother Gee, wrote a guest post about breathing. It’s lovely! I love the way both Ree(a.k.a. Pioneer Woman) and Gee write. To read it follow the link here: Guest Post from My Mom, Gee: Stress Reduction 101. Her mother sounds like a wonderful, kindred modern hippy spirit.

     I’ve spent my sick time reading, devouring really, Ree’s site. She’s a ballerina city girl whom fell in love with a cowboy rancher. Her stories make me want to have four kids, live in the middle of nowhere(even more than I already do), teach Rick to ride a horse, dress him in Wranglers and a cowboy hat. Not that I don’t love him wearing his adorable baseball tees, making lovely websites and fixing the internet when it won’t bend to my will. But, her stories hit that spot in my imagination that loved Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables.

Thank you Pioneer Woman (and Gee too!) for the wonderful reads!

     I will be singing the neti pot’s praises for a long time! I used it again this morning in and out of the shower. Let me say, I was very nervous, being a bit of a chicken when it comes to nose/sinus stuff. Yeah, so I had done it once before, but I was still nervous. Maybe it was because I had been in so much pain last night. Not from the neti pot experiment, but just from feeling like poop, forgetting to take my fish oil pills, sitting in a chair all day, not being able to nap properly, having a monstrous sinus and tension headache AT THE SAME TIME! It was so pathetic and bad that I cried four times, over silly things like dropping the chicken sausages on the floor and not being able to see where one rolled. Yup, that’s how ridiculous I am when I’m sick. But that’s not the point. The point is, today I feel much better. And today, I was able to get the water to come out the OTHER nostril! And I got to see it happen!

     I tried it in the shower, still made the back of my eyes feel cool and tear. And I coughed a lot. Today though, I was brave and curious enough to try it in the sink – while watching myself in the mirror. Sorry, no photos, I still have some self respect, or is it self consciousness?

     Per request of a friend and occasional reader, Yosh (hope you don’t mind the mention), of the modern hippy, I will be giving instructions and other information about using the neti pot.

     First, what you’ll need is a neti pot. Funny I know. Can you tell I’m feeling better? Please wash your neti pot out and thoroughly rinse. You don’t want soap behind your delicate eyeballs – imagine that headache! Then decide where you are going to do it. Over the sink? In the shower? I suppose you could do it outside if you’d like. Where ever it won’t matter if you splatter. (Hahaha, rhyming too!) Measure out 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Unrefined is okay, I used it. I wouldn’t recommend any of the colored sea salt. No need to dye your sinuses, plus that might cause problems I don’t know about. I DO NOT recommend using iodized table salt, as brands like Morton’s actually contain dextrose, an artificial sweetener. Artificial sweeteners are not meant for sinuses! Let alone eating, but once again I digress.
Fill the neti pot with warm water. I used warm tap water, though when I get a filter I’ll probably use that. Mix until the salt is completely dissolved.

     Now comes the fun or scary part. Remember, you will be breathing through your mouth through this, your nose will be busy. Lean forward, tip your head to about a 45 degree angle. If you aren’t leaning forward enough the gunk will flow down the back of your throat and make you sputter and probably gross you out a little. Stick the spout of the neti pot in one nostril. Make sure there is a good seal and the water won’t sneak out. Steady your hand if you are shaking. Very slowly tip the pot. Can you feel the water enter the bottom of your nose? Good. Keep pouring slowly and wait unti for a funny feeling behind your eyes. It’s almost out! Try to remember to breathe, but breath holding is acceptable if you don’t hold it too long. It’s a very strange sensation to be breathing while water is running through part of your breathing apparatus.

     Something to remember is that you are in control of how much water flow there is. The more you tip the pot, the faster the water will flow. I’m a fan of slow flowing.
Also, the more you do it the better you will get, the easier everything will be.
Rinse through both nostrils. I didn’t use the whole saline solution that time. I was still getting used to it. I think I used about a third of it. Do what is comfortable for you, and what gets you the best results. I’ve read that some people use a whole pot for each side of the nose.
When you stop rinsing exhale gently through your nose to help the gunk out. Use a tissue or do this over the sink. I’ll say this again: Do blow gently to avoid hurting yourself. Also, don’t plug either side of your nostrils. Allow things to come out on their own, without the closing of one side.
Then wash your neti pot!

After you are done see how you feel. Can you breath better? I could. It felt strange, but good.

Some considerations:

     I read that if you can’t blow your nose (though I’m not sure if this means “don’t have the ability” or “it hurts too much”) consult a health care professional first. If you are sensitive like me, go slowly, don’t rush it. Children should be closely supervised! Don’t share!

Where to get a neti pot?

     I got mine from our local co-op. If you don’t have a natural food store, or supplement store, try a pharmacy. You can of course check online! Etsy has some cute stuff, if you’d like something handmade and unique! If I hadn’t been so desperate, and hadn’t put buying one off until the last minute I would have gotten one there.

One last note.
Why use a neti pot?

     It’s a great way to clean out your sinuses. If you are like me and have sinus trouble, use it. If you have allergies, use it. If you live in a polluted area, use it. If you live in a dusty area, use it. If you have a cold, use it. If you have pets, live in an old house, or live in a small place, or work in a poorly ventilated place, smoke, go camping, have kids, use it. “Have kids?”, you ask? Why not? You could win the gross out competition and show them that there are natural ways to deal with your sinuses. Just don’t let them play with it unsupervised. Maybe wait until they are older to show them, just in case.

     Yesterday, a few hours before I tried to die from a horrible cold/sinus infection, I went to our co-op to get food and a neti pot. Yup, I could feel it, with each nose blow, each sneeze or almost-sneeze that caused my left eye to tear up(not my right eye – it was fine and well behaved), the pressure building that would cause my head to explode later that day.

     I brought the little green box home and looked very suspiciously at it. Several people I know have used neti pots and recommended them to me. “They make you feel so fresh and clean.” “Use only sea salt or it will hurt.”
     What?!? It’s going to HURT? “No, it will feel strange, but then you’ll get used to it.” What they didn’t know is every time I got lake water or pool water in my nose I dealt with horrible burning sensations and a terrible cough/gag reflex. Wonderful.

     Despite being very nervous about it, I gave it a try in the early evening as I started to die. Might as well do something to help myself die a little more slowly and perhaps less violently. I followed the directions which called for 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a warm cup of water. (They recommended table salt, I thought they were crazy because it has other crap in it sometimes. Like dextrose. Yup, Morton’s iodized salt has dextrose! That’s for another post though.) I used unrefined sea salt because I don’t have regular table salt. The directions said to stir until the salt had fully dissolved. Pour into the pot. Then they mentioned some people just mix it in the pot. Right, didn’t read that far. I could have cut out a step. Then I was supposed to stick the spout of the pot in my nose and lean over a sink. I was doing it in the shower. Might as well not risk sputtering salt water and snot all over my clothes. Plus I was dying, er miserable, and the shower would make me feel better.

     Well, it did feel weird. Once or twice it burned a little. Once or twice it threatened to go down the back of my throat. Gag. Bleh. Cough.
I used the hole pot, so about a cup of water. The funny thing was, I didn’t feel it come out of the other nostril. I’m pretty sure there was too much snot in my sinuses to let anything through. Let me tell you, even if it didn’t get fully clear, it did rinse out a lot of nasty snot. More than I thought possible. It did make my nose feel a little better. I didn’t get sick. Nor did I drown. But no satisfying spout of water out the opposing nostril. Oh well, it was my first try.

Today will be the second. Update impending.

     A few months ago I started a hunt on etsy to find someone whom provided safe cosmetics. I read through countless ingredients list, profile pages. I managed to narrow it down to what I was looking for specifically – mineral foundation and eyeshadow. Which really, only narrowed it down a little. I eventually decided to try a sample pack from a little shop called Orglamix. I liked what she said, her ingredients lists, and the pictures were just so fetching!
     I love her stuff! I’ve ordered from her several times in the last few months. My makeup case has been recreated without chemicals. Cheri is my makeup girl!
     In December I ran out of my foundation so I ordered the large size for winter color. And got it, along with a couple of sample eyeshadows. Lovely! (The other time I ordered from her she sent a sample as well. I love samples!)
     Then yesterday, Rick got the mail and brought me yet another package. I wasn’t expecting anything. I already had my handmade shoes delivered a week ago. (Yes, handmade! With vintage fabric! I’m in love with them and will eventually do a post on them in the future.) I opened the package to find two of my foundation color! With the order form from December. I was confused to say the least. Today, I sent her a message and asked what I should do. I offered to pay for them, ship them back, whatever she wanted me to do. She sent me a quick note that it was a mistake, but don’t worry, they were on her! I still feel strange about keeping them. But since I plan on ordering from her indefinitely, she will definitely get more money from me. (I wish there was a way to tip through paypal)
     I wanted to tell everyone whom reads my little blog that Cheri at Orglamix is super awesome! Thank you Cheri for your kindness, and great service!

     Guys beware; this is another menstrual cycle post!

     Last post, Aunt Flow Part 1, last period I wrote about going off birth control, letting my body regulate itself and how our uncomfortable symptoms shouldn’t be the norm.
     I was super tired for about a week before this time. Dragging my feet up the flight of stairs to our lovely apartment after work every day, even after a four hour day, was tiring. For some reason I didn’t notice that it could be my body’s cycle making me so tired. Since I no longer have my daily pill to take I don’t notice where in the month I am most of the time. Because of that, I don’t always think about the preventative ways to help me feel better.
Preventative ways to easy your crampy, maybe grumpy week are fairly simple.
• Get more iron. Gross as it sounds you will be loosing blood, you need iron or you will feel tired. So if you eat meat, choose red a couple of times. If you don’t, then choose fruits and veggies with higher iron like dark leafy greens such spinach, chard, kale, or raisins. Listen to your body, if you are craving something there might be something you need in it – unless you are craving fast food.
• Go to bed earlier. Sounds simple but your body is tired from hormonal changes, let it do it’s job. Get out of the way.
• Drink raspberry leaf tea. I have a huge post coming about this lovely drink. It’s great, actually recommended for pregnant women to strengthen the uterus. Beneficial for us non-pregos too!
• Stay warm. Pull out your rice pack and heat it up. If you don’t have one, make your own. Rick made me mine, though I have misplaced them in the last two moves. Must find or make new ones.
• Since the cramping is muscular, you need proper nutrition beyond iron. Think calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
• Lastly choose your feminine products well. You want to make sure that what you are using down there won’t hurt you.

Feminine Products

     I know you are all dying to know what I use. Haha. Right. Well, I only recently started using something better. About four periods ago I realized that maybe my tampons and mini pads weren’t the best idea. I had developed a sensitivity to bleach. I knew that the cotton in the tampons was treated with bleach to make it uniform and clean looking. Oh my goodness! Duh! Of course I should not use them. So what do I use now? Are there organic tampons? Should I even use tampons anymore? After some research, I used up all the remaining tampons and switched to organic cotton.
     Since coming off birth control things got a little heavier. I had to have more coverage at night and didn’t want to sleep in a tampon. I picked up Seventh Generation Chlorine-Free Ultra Thin Pads with Wings for the nights. I’m not a huge fan. They aren’t cotton – I didn’t realize this when I bought them. I have one left and will try something else soon. I want cotton, that won’t cause any problems for sure. Some of the other things may or may not be irritating.
     The Seventh Generation pads weren’t thin enough for me to use as a back up thinner pad for the days when I wore tampons. (They aren’t thin really.) This time I read slower and picked organic – Natracare cotton panty liners untra thin and tampons regular and super. The day I started using them my lovely lady parts acted with much more grace. Oh yeah, and they are more comfortable. The panty liners don’t use plastic, so there is no poking. No artificial scents to mix with mine to create something evil. The tampons are short and fit much better than even some of the more popular brands.

     On a side note: one thing I find irritating about feminine products is all the waste. The applicator, the wrapping for the applicator, the box that is too big, most of it is unneeded. The “Natracare” products have less waste. The pantiliners are not wrapped individually; they only have the strip to cover the sticky line. They are compostable under the right conditions; however, I’m not going to try that on my porch. That’s a little too hardcore for me now. The tampons do not have an applicator and they are very tightly wrapped in a tiny amount of plastic. Both boxes have very little extra space, so there is very little waste!

     There are some other possibilities for feminine products that I have not used yet. One possibility is the cloth pads. I like the reusability idea. However, that’s more specialty laundry. Of course I’d worry about leaks.
     There are also cups, such as the Moon Cup, that you empty once or twice a day. The Moon Cup does offer non-latex, so that’s cool. They only have to be replaced every couple of years or so – little waste. However, I’d be worried about holding all that stuff inside for several more hours than one is supposed to wear a tampon. Because of money now, I won’t be trying either of these other options for now. If you have any thoughts on them, have tried them or done research, please feel free to share!

     In the last few weeks, while I have been away from my blog I have been doing a lot of cooking. Rick, wanting something tasty asked me to pick up some treats. Some of the gluten free treats were either not good or bothered him anyway. (It appears that chocolate is not a good choice right now. I have heard that it is hard to digest for people whom have issues already, like Rick and my own mother.)
     I will admit that I tend to pick things up that esthetically pleasing. So we checked out the cute, simple paper bags labeled Namaste Foods. They make all sorts of things. So far we have tried the pancake mix and now the vanilla cake mix. The pancake mix, titled “Waffle & Pancake Mix”, is awesome. It isn’t overly sweet, the texture is decent and they smell great! Though I don’t eat regular pancakes, due to them making me feel ill (too much sugar and additive), I love these! With butter and honey they are perfect! The only difference I noticed was they don’t rise as much as regular pancakes.

     The “Vanilla Cake Mix”
was our experiment today. I was a little nervous because the dry mix didn’t smell wonderful. However, once in batter form it smelled good and tasted good. (Yes, I know you aren’t suppose to eat raw eggs, but well I love batter.) Once cooking, it filled the apartment with lovely aromas of flour and vanilla. It was great, lighter in texture than I expected and not too sweet. Rick loves and said that all it needed was whipped cream. I liked it a lot as well. The only thing I would change is maybe add honey and vanilla extract to the batter. I would have added vanilla, but I couldn’t find my gluten free extract today.

     So, though we have only tried 2 products, I like Namaste Foods . They seem to have good quality ingredients, and actually taste great!

     Since I do a lot of laundry, I go through detergent quickly. When I ran out this time I headed to our local co-op – Sno-Isle Foods Co-op to pick from their selection. I bought the Biokleen’s Cold Water detergent. I’ve used it once before and decided to try it again. So far, I like it. The clothes smell fresh – like clean, cold water and cotton. The pros of this product are that are: highly concentrated ( don’t need to use as much), it’s local for me (from Vancouver, WA), no animal products or testing, free of chlorine, artificial colors, fragrances, or preservatives, biodegradable, and other nasties. Cons: comes in a plastic bottle, an ingredient is corn (mildly controversial veggie), grape fruit extract (have heard that some people can have sensitivity to this). Not bad. Pros out weigh the cons for me. I have not had a problem with it so far.
     They carry other products that I have not tried yet such as other laundry aides, produce wash, dish detergent, general cleaners, and a line of soy cleaners (soy may or may not be good depending on what you read and with whom you speak). Let me know if you use one of them and like it or don’t. I’m always curious.

     Since moving to Everett January 1, I have not been able to go to my favorite grocery store, Central Market as often. I go when I work and I do not work every day. Someone reminded me that there is a food co-op in north Everett, the Sno-Isle Food Co-op. Yes! It’s less than a mile from here. Today I went out, on Valentine’s Day for my “treat”. Though normally I hate grocery shopping, the aisles can be too small, the people rude. If I can browse a store that is full of alternative things without rushing, I’ll actually have fun and find cool things.
     I did, must have taken 20 minutes and I walked out with five things, nutritional yeast, an oatmeal mix, castile soap, hazelnut milk and Flax4Life muffins. The muffins are what I will rave about. I have had them before. Today, I bought them for Rick and for me. Though we know nothing for certain, Rick may have a gluten allergy. We’ll know if he does have a certain, very uncomfortable allergy in about a week or more. This morning he had shredded wheat with almond milk and was feeling sick within an hour. Our deduction went a little like this. Yogurt, which he also had, does not make him feel ill. All the ingredients in the hazelnut milk he has had before without problems. The shredded wheat is the only thing that seems to bother him. Each time he has tried it he has felt poorly. It takes between 30 minutes and 2 hours for things to move from the stomach to the small intestine, which is where the problem would be if he had this certain problem. (Think, like celiac disease.)
     He was so miserable he swore off wheat today. I felt bad for him because I know he may be forced to give up all sorts of yummy things. Though he doesn’t eat a lot of wheat, mostly artisan breads, gluten allergies cuts out more than just bread – some noodles, buns, cakes, muffins, and many cereals. As I was browsing today, I ran across the muffins I had enjoyed so much in the fall last year. I bought Tantalizing Cranberry and Orange muffins. They are gluten free and are actually healthy because of all the natural ingredients and one specific ingredient, flax that is very high in omega 3 fatty acids. These little bits of heaven are made in my favorite town, Bellingham, Washington. They have a cute little website, will ship to you, and are carried in many local stores and co-ops. Please check out Flax4Life. Baker Kasondra has family members whom have celiac disease. A simple over view of this disease is that it is an allergy to gluten, which kills the villi in the small intestine, which impedes absorption of nutrients, resulting in unhappy, unhealthy people. The fix for this disease is to quit eating gluten-containing foods. Read the About Us page for the full story.
     I have tried the tantalizing cranberry & orange and the chunky chocolate chip. There are three other flavors, wild blueberry, faithful carrot raisin, and Hawaiian pineapple coconut. I can hardly wait to try them! It’s great for this “modern hippy” because I was supporting the local co-op and a local baker – thus great for the environment. These muffins have only traveled about 60 miles from Bellingham to Everett, versus many big brands that must travel many states to get here from their huge plants.
     Oh and of course so far, Rick has no complaints, he thinks they are wonderful!

     A couple of days ago I realized I was almost out of my Avalon Organics shampoo and conditioner. At the same time, odd because that never happens. So I went off to the store in looking for another alternative to rotated into my hair care. I found that Central Market carried Beauty Without Cruelty products. I found shampoo and conditioner, along with hair spray and something else. How exciting. I’ve been using their face products off and on for the last several years. I love them!

     So after looking at the three options at the store I decided, in part because of scent and purpose, to get the Lavender Highland Shampoo and the Moisture Plus Conditioner. The great thing about these products is they smell like the “real” thing – because they actually contain real ingredients and rarely sensitizing ingredients. They aren’t perfect, I learned recently that one of the common ingredients, ascorbic acid or vitamin C, is actually synthetic, not what comes from oranges. However, it’s a start and has not caused me problems. I applaud this company for providing cost effective decent products that are usually vegan (thus cruelty free) and less harsh that other common brands commonly found in stores.

     My opinion after the first usage this morning is: I’m a fan of both. They both smell wonderful. My scalp or hair did not feel stripped. The consistency of the shampoo is thinner than a normal shampoo, which is not a negative or positive. The conditioner was not too thin and coated well. Some natural conditioners can feel too thin. I did have to wash my hair more than once – that however, is not out of the norm. After washing and conditioning I could comb through my hair easily. We’ll see what happens after a week or more. Basically, I am glad I bought it.