Get Out Your Neti Pot. Sinus Season Is Here.

Right now, people all over the country are thinking, "Oh no, is that a sinus infection? Already?" Yep, between fall allergies and winter colds and flu, peak sinusitis season is here. Your nasal passages are craving a neti pot rinse. (Got lethal sinus headaches? Here doctor help.)

But wait! A new study shows that sometimes that stuffy, pressured, my-head's-gonna-explode sinus feeling is triggered by heated air and humidity, not actual congestion. When this happens, the rules get tossed. Shut off the humidifier. Turn down the thermostat. Cool air helps. Cold, dry air helps most.

Think about it. You know how sometimes when you feel totally congested, stepping outside on a cold, crisp day opens up your nasal passages in minutes? When you go back inside, back comes the stuffiness. Sucking on a menthol drop helps, too; just the sensation of coolness clears your sinuses. Why isn't clear yet; figuring that out comes next.

Of course, if it's the real deal -- you can tell from tissues that your head is a mucus fiesta, and you feel like you're breathing through a mask -- don't let it get worse. In addition to a blocked schnoz, you'll get sinus headaches, hacking, and a full-blown sinus infection. (Honey may help your cough, and that sinus infection, too.)

Take a deep breath, even if it's through your mouth, and put your neti pot to work daily. You don't have one yet? Rush to your drugstore and get one (they look like a genie lamp). Just fill it with salt water and rinse your sinuses, pouring the water in one nostril and letting it run out the other. If you've never tried this, it sounds weird but it's not uncomfortable. And it works.

Here are 3 more simple sinus soothers that are easy and inexpensive.