I live in a city that has one of the nation’s highest allergy and pollen counts nearly every day. This really creates havoc in my sinuses. Even with all these issues, I still have never felt the need to buy a Neti Pot and pour water into my nose in order to flush my sinuses. I’ve had acquaintances tell me it would help, but I just think it’s weird.

Now, I have another reason not to use the device. It appears two people in Louisiana are dead from a brain-eating amoeba that got into their system due to improper use of a Neti Pot. ICK! Both people were using plain tap water. Yep, it seems these evil amoebas regularly appear in the state’s drinking water but are not a danger when ingested orally. The brain eaters are knocked out by the body, but the Naegleria fowleri – that’s the scientific name for these deadly swimmers – are bad news if they enter via the sinuses. The amoeba can kill a person in 1 to 12 days. I’m guessing if my brain were being eaten, I’d prefer to go sooner than later.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals put out a notice to its citizens warning that water used in Neti Pots should always be distilled, sterile or boiled.

The amoeba most commonly infects its victims when they are swimming in lakes and ponds. Three people died due to Naegleria fowleri after swimming outings during the summer.

First we learn echinacea won’t help cure a cold and now improper Neti Pot use is deadly. It’s time to say it again. If we can put a man on the moon, why can’t we cure the common cold?

Image

I’ve never had a problem eating food from a gas station.  Just two weeks ago, I ate a couple of hot dogs purchased from a gas station.  They were delicious.  That’s not the first time I’ve eaten gas station food, and I doubt it will be the last.  There’s nothing like a fun food novelty. […]

Commissioner Roger Goodell gathered 32 NFL owners for one big question.  One of the league’s most wanderlust-stricken franchises is looking to move again.  The Oakland-Los Angeles-Oakland Raiders, tired of gutting it out in a run-down stadium, were once again looking for greener pastures.  Only the Miami Dolphins refused to cooperate.  With a vote of 31-1, […]

In 2006, an injury to Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe opened the door for an undrafted free agent by the name of Tony Romo to take the helm of America’s Team and lead the Dallas Cowboys to an early playoff exit.  Bledsoe went from starter to afterthought in a season.  Now, the circle continues […]

For 89 years, Oscars has never had a major mistake.  The last few Oscars might have had a few flubs, but at least they never got the most important category of the night wrong.  Well, that’s now changed, all thanks to OG Bonnie and Clyde legends Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.  When Faye Dunaway called […]

Tom Brady has been wildly successful, if controversial.  He’s the first quarterback ever to win five Super Bowls and only the second player to do so after Charles Haley.  Unlike Haley, Brady won all his Super Bowls with the same team, the New England Patriots.  The only thing that seems to be able to stop […]

Ben Affleck, no matter what you might think of him, is a talented actor and director.  He’s got the goods, but he’s smart enough to know when he’s in over his head.  All along, since he took on the mantle of Batman, he’s had his eyes on writing, directing, and starring as the Caped Crusader. […]

In May, students for the for-profit American College of Education were running into some problems.  Their access to email accounts and course information was locked down by Google, who had disabled their accounts.  The reason why?  A fired IT worker for the American College of Education locked the school out of their Google cloud account. […]