Spring allergy season is beginning to hit, and it can make outdoor playtime a real bear. But did you know there is a good, natural alternative to allergy medicines?

A story in the Wall Street Journal this week reports on nasal irrigation – a thousand-year-old practice that’s a helpful, inexpensive natural treatment for allergy symptoms. It’s a great first-line treatment if you’re not too keen on loading your kids with meds each spring – or if you’re pregnant.

To perform the irrigation, you simply fill a neti pot (pictured) with a salt-water solution, tilt your head and then pour water into the top nostril – the solution flows through and pours out the other side. The practice cleanses your nasal passage by flushing out allergens and all that, um, gunk.

Here are detailed instructions, including a list of ingredients and diagrams, from the University of Wisconsin, which conducted a study that found nasal irrigation improved quality of life for participants, who exhibited less frequent symptoms and used medicines less often. In fact, a University of Michigan study found that nasal irrigation controlled symptoms better than saline sprays!

Neti pots are widely sold online, with ceramic or plastic versions, going for $10 to $15. It’s safe to use with kids … though something tells me boys might be more willing to give this one a shot. There are loads of demonstrations on YouTube.

What do you think? Will you try it? Have you already tried it on your kids?

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