Neti pot And The Oprah Effect

It is said that when Oprah Winfrey says jump, a million people ask “How high?” Indeed, Ms. Winfrey’s endorsement of any product on her show, be it a book, restaurant, service, lotion or anything under the sun, will result in a that product being sold out. And the Netipot, despite being thousands of years old, quickly sold out in the stores, where previously, they sat untouched since the 70s.

Yes, the neti pot has been around for a few decades. They were an ancient yoga device used for cleansing (jala neti) and was brought to the US when yoga became “hip” in the 70s. Only yoga and alternative medicine stores stocked them, but now even the most common drugstore chains and big box stores have them, thanks to the Oprah Effect.

During one of her shows, Oprah had Dr. Mehmet Oz as a guest, and he recommended the Neti Pot as a way to irrigate the nasal cavities and get relief from sinus headaches and other symptoms. They had one guest who had frequent sinus headaches try the neti pot. A month later, they did an update and the guest, a woman from Texas, said that with daily use of the neti pot, she stopped having sinus headaches. And with one word from Oprah, the neti pot became an instant superstar.

The neti pots just flew off the shelves. The stores that had them lying around couldn’t restock them fast enough. Some stores reported that they used to sell 10 per week, if they were lucky, but now they sold about twice that amount in one day. Online, people were abuzz – blogs and message boards discussed it, people posted on their social media sites, and countless videos were uploaded on how to use the neti pot. Some stores even offered demonstrations, and more people, even if they never watched Oprah, were entranced by the neti pot. Of course it started by word of mouth, but the power of the neti pot became viral and spread by word of mouth.

Alternative medicine is one thing, but what does western medicine have to say? Surprisingly, there are doctors who recommend it. Nasal irrigation is used by western medicine in some cases, usually they come in commercially-packaged nasal sprays, which follow a similar principle as the neti pot (they just look less silly.) Salt has antibacterial properties, and with so many types of bacterial infections and viruses attacking the upper respiratory tract, using a saline solution to irrigate the sinuses is a natural and safe way to treat such issues. So, even if you’re not an Oprah fan, try the neti pot to help your nasal problems.