It's the size of single-serving teapot and looks a lot like one, too.  But an old remedy is breathing new life into the rush for relief from colds, sinus infections, and even allergies!

National Institue of General Medical Sciences.

It's called a neti pot.  Some call it a nose bidet.  Call it what you want, but a fast growing number of Americans call it the greatest thing for your nasal passages since air, like Suzanne Strick with Whole Food's-- a neti pot devotee herself:

"I think it's a nasal phenomena.  We are selling so many neti pots it's unbelievable," said Suzanne.

It works by flushing your sinuses with warm salty water.  It's an old remedy rooted in yoga, but thanks to a recent stint on Oprah, it went from niche to norm faster than you can say "allergy relief".

"We saw a huge rush on neti pots when Oprah had it on her show," said Suzanne.

"Thanks to our friend Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Oz it's now all over the place," said Naturopathic Dr. Ken Weizer with Providence St. Vincent's Integrative Medicine Program.  He is such a firm believer in this little pot that costs pennies compared to a lifetime of medications, he even demonstrated how easy it is to use.

"Salt and water are very inexpensive and once you buy a neti pot for 10 or 15 dollars you are set for life," said Dr. Weizer.

He also points to recent research which suggested children with colds using neti pots had fewer symptoms and felt better faster than kids treated traditionally with medicine alone.

"Generally I have patients do it twice a day. It takes about 20 seconds.  It's not a drug and it doesn't hit you right away, so it takes a little bit of time.  But generally within a week or two you start seeing some results," said Dr. Weizer.

And the sensation takes a little getting used to.  But Dr. Weizer says most anyone can do it, like his patient Peter Menza.

"It's all the difference in the world. And I don't speak with forked tongue on this stuff. It works well," said Peter.

Near as we can tell-- the people we talked to say once they tried it they were hooked.

If you've had nasal surgery for any reason you'll want to talk to your doctor before trying it.

Want to learn more about neti pots and their long history?  Do you use one and want to share your thoughts?  Check out Stephanie's Health Blog.