A Case Study of the Neti Pot’s Rise, Americanization, and Rupture as Integrative Medicine in U.S. Media Discourse

Abstract

In a period of only one decade in the US, the neti pot shifted from obscure Ayurvedic health device to mainstream complementary and integrative medicine (CIM), touted by celebrities and sold widely in drug stores. We examine the neti pot as a case study for understanding how a foreign health practice became mainstreamed, and what that process reveals about more general discourses of health in the US. Using discourse analysis of US popular press and new media news (1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012) about the neti pot, we trace the development of discourses from neti's first introduction in mainstream news, through the hype following Dr. Oz's presentation on Oprah, to 2011 when two adults tragically died after using Naegleria fowleri amoeba-infested tap water in their neti pots. Neti pot discourses are an important site for communicative analysis because of the pot's complexity as an intercultural artifact: neti pots and their use are enfolded into the biomedical practice of nasal irrigation and simultaneously Orientalized as exotic/magical and suspect/dangerous. This dual positioning as normal and exotic creates inequitable access for using the neti pot as a resource for increasing cultural health capital (CHC). This article contributes to work that critically theorizes the transnationalism of CIM, as the neti pot became successfully Americanized. These results have implications for understanding global health practices' incorporation or co-optation in new contexts, and the important role that popularly-mediated health communication can play in framing what healthcare products and practices mean for consumers.

Current and Alternative Therapies for Nasal Mucosa Injury: A Review

“…The ancient Hindu practice of Ayurveda provides the earliest record of nasal irrigation [53]. The Ayurvedic scriptures list out a number of personal hygiene practices termed soucha.…”

“…According to the scripture, a higher state of meditation can be achieved by purifying the nose as clear breathing can lead to clear thinking. The simplest method of nasal cleansing was to sniff water from cupped hands and blow it out, which is also a step in the Muslim ablutions practice [53]. In modern science, data from RCT has demonstrated the importance of nasal irrigation in enhancing the wound healing of the nasal mucosa [55].…”

A historical review of the evolution of nasal lavage systems

“…It was not until 2007, when the American celebrity physician Dr Mehmet Oz appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and demonstrated the device, that the Neti pot started to be widely used in Western societies for nasal conditions. 8 However, currently, there is no evidence that shows a clear clinical benefit of the Neti pot over other lavage systems. For many patients, it is seen as a good option because it is simple to use and inexpensive.…”

Nasal Irrigation: An Imprecisely Defined Medical Procedure

“…Several methods, including the one based on the old neti pot simply filled with lukewarm water, can be theoretically used to perform NI [33]. However, studies carried out on adults seem to indicate that among the various methods, the most effective are those that assure large volume irrigation.…”