Researchers confirm what yogis have known for a while

When I first started my yoga teacher training, we learned about the use of neti pots. Neti pots are an old ayurvedic tool for cleaning the nose and sinuses. You fill the pot with warm salt water and run the water into one nostril and let it drain out the other. This practice has been used for a long time to clear clogged sinuses due to colds, allergies, and asthma.

Apparently, researchers at the University of Michigan thought the practice had some merit. They tested the use of saline sprays against the use of what they called "saline irrigation." The only difference between saline irrigation and the neti pot is the tool itself. Rather than a neti pot, saline irrigation is done with the use of a bulb syringe.

Specifically, the researchers randomly assigned 127 people with chronic sinus and nasal problems to either the saline spray or the saline irrigation. They found that the people who used the saline irrigation had less nasal discharge (i.e., snot) and reported fewer symptoms of stuffiness and congestion after 8 weeks than those who used only the saline spray. Their recommendation: nasal irrigation is a useful therapy for nasal and sinus symptoms.

So if you suffer from chronic sinus problems, you may want to add sinus irrigation to your regimen. And if you're into pretty things - there are a lot of lovely neti pots to try. It's not a dainty practice, but it sure saves on Kleenex.

Mood Disorders during Pregnancy Linked to Postpartum Depression

There's a lot of societal pressure to be excited about being pregnant. One popular depiction of this pressure is the Sex and the City episode where Miranda finds out the sex of her baby. She later tells Carrie how she "faked her ultrasound" - meaning she faked a big, happy smile when the sonographer said, "Congratulations!! It's a boy!"

Miranda never gets characterized as having a mood disorder during pregnancy. But for women who do experience depression or anxiety while pregnant, the excitement of pending motherhood can be dulled by the pain of sadness or worry that permeates each day. Unfortunately, a large number of women experience mood disorders during pregnancy. A study published this month in Obstetrics and Gynecology revealed that 54% of pregnant women experienced anxiety and 37.1% experienced depression. Further, women who experienced anxiety or depression during pregnancy were up to four times as likely to experience postpartum depression.

That's no small number - and it suggests that we have a lot of work to do if we want to help women who experience mood disorders during and after pregnancy. The Mom’s Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research, and Support for Postpartum Depression (MOTHERS) Act is a bill currently pending in Congress that has the potential to increase women's access to screening and help for postpartum depression. This recent research only highlights the importance of this legislation. We need to do more so that moms get the help they need when they need it.