OMG I couldn't figure out what a neti pot was until I read the rest of the thread...I have been doing this for years, at least 15 years, when a friend of mine who was a smoke jumper told me about it when I moved to California and my sinuses were screaming from the dryness. I tried everything on the planet to get rid of the sinus infections and this was the only thing that worked. When I am on the west coast I do it probably once a week, but here on the east coast, I just started doing it due to allergies. I had a friend in college that would irrigate her sinuses with an IV bag of saline. Uhm. That's too much for me. I don't use a pot, just any old cup with warm water (usually filtered or bottled) and some salt. Nothing fancy. I also do it while in mid flight in the tiny bathroom because who knows what your are snorting in the plane and it's so dry.

As far as blowing it out, I usually do my usual circus trick and spit it out my mouth. I think that came about by accident. It's a life saver when you have that irritated part of the back of your throat due to nasal drip down the back of your throat while sleeping. If I stick with it I can prevent sinus infections and problems with allergies, but if I drop the ball, it's hard to get them to leave without medical intervention.

Anyone take 'local honey' for their allergies? I found this works too. Not the stuff from the store but honey made by local bees. It's a preventative too not a cure, so you have to start early to get the effect.