How To Make It, When To Use It, Health Benefits

Written by Debra Fulghum Bruce, PhD

• How can it help my allergies?
• What types can I use?
• When should I use it?
• How do I make a saline solution?
• What if I’m not using it correctly?

Many people with allergies look for simple remedies, especially if they don’t get enough relief from the usual medicines and treatments.

If you have a nasal allergy such as to pollen, a saltwater (saline) nasal spray may be one to consider.

Some studies show that a saline solution restores moisture to dry nasal passages and sinuses, and curbs inflammation of mucous membranes.

If you use a Neti pot or a small squirt bottle for saline irrigation regularly, it can help to thin mucus, give you less postnasal drip, and cleanse your nasal passages of pollen and other allergens.

You can buy an over-the-counter saline solution or make one at home.

Most over-the-counter saline nasal sprays are isotonic, which means the solution is the same saline concentration as in your body. Hypertonic versions have a higher concentration of salt than what’s in your body. Both types can help clear mucus.

Saline sprays also help keep the cilia in your nose healthy. Cilia are small hair-like structures that help humidify air going to your lungs, trap bacteria to keep them from entering the cells, and aid your sense of smell. By keeping cilia healthy, saline sprays may help treat rhinitis and sinusitis, studies show.

Over-the-counter saline sprays and rinses can help remove pollen from the nasal lining. People often use them at the end of the day. You can also use these sprays to add moisture if your nose feels dry from winter weather.

If you use a nasal steroid spray to treat your allergies, doctors suggest you first use a saline spray to cleanse the nose and rid it of thick mucus and debris. Thick mucus can keep the steroid from working as well as possible.

You can easily make one to wash your nose and sinuses at home. This natural remedy can be used with a bulb syringe, a Neti pot, a plastic squirt bottle, or your cupped hands.

To make the solution, mix 3 teaspoons of non-iodized salt (kosher salt with no additives is best) and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Store this mixture in a small clean jar. When you are ready to use it, mix a teaspoon of the mixture into 8 ounces of distilled, sterile, or previously boiled and cooled water.

Store your saline solution at room temperature and mix it before you use it. If the solution stings, use less salt next time.

To use it, fill the bulb syringe or Neti pot with the solution. Stand over the bathroom sink and lean your head forward. Tilt your head to one side and pour the solution into one nostril. Aim the stream toward the back of your head, not at the top of your head. Never force it into your nose.

The solution will go into your nasal cavity and run out the other nostril. Adjust the position of your head to keep it from running down the back of your throat. Gently blow your nose and spit out the drainage to clear the nasal passages and throat. Repeat with your other nostril.

Wash the irrigation device after each use and then rinse it and let it dry.

Talk to your doctor or allergist if you’re not sure. They can show you how to use this natural remedy to keep your nose clear of thick mucus and debris so you can breathe better.

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How To Make It, When To Use It, Health Benefits

Written by Debra Fulghum Bruce, PhD

• How can it help my allergies?
• What types can I use?
• When should I use it?
• How do I make a saline solution?
• What if I’m not using it correctly?

Many people with allergies look for simple remedies, especially if they don’t get enough relief from the usual medicines and treatments.

If you have a nasal allergy such as to pollen, a saltwater (saline) nasal spray may be one to consider.

Some studies show that a saline solution restores moisture to dry nasal passages and sinuses, and curbs inflammation of mucous membranes.

If you use a Neti pot or a small squirt bottle for saline irrigation regularly, it can help to thin mucus, give you less postnasal drip, and cleanse your nasal passages of pollen and other allergens.

You can buy an over-the-counter saline solution or make one at home.

Most over-the-counter saline nasal sprays are isotonic, which means the solution is the same saline concentration as in your body. Hypertonic versions have a higher concentration of salt than what’s in your body. Both types can help clear mucus.

Saline sprays also help keep the cilia in your nose healthy. Cilia are small hair-like structures that help humidify air going to your lungs, trap bacteria to keep them from entering the cells, and aid your sense of smell. By keeping cilia healthy, saline sprays may help treat rhinitis and sinusitis, studies show.

Over-the-counter saline sprays and rinses can help remove pollen from the nasal lining. People often use them at the end of the day. You can also use these sprays to add moisture if your nose feels dry from winter weather.

If you use a nasal steroid spray to treat your allergies, doctors suggest you first use a saline spray to cleanse the nose and rid it of thick mucus and debris. Thick mucus can keep the steroid from working as well as possible.

You can easily make one to wash your nose and sinuses at home. This natural remedy can be used with a bulb syringe, a Neti pot, a plastic squirt bottle, or your cupped hands.

To make the solution, mix 3 teaspoons of non-iodized salt (kosher salt with no additives is best) and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Store this mixture in a small clean jar. When you are ready to use it, mix a teaspoon of the mixture into 8 ounces of distilled, sterile, or previously boiled and cooled water.

Store your saline solution at room temperature and mix it before you use it. If the solution stings, use less salt next time.

To use it, fill the bulb syringe or Neti pot with the solution. Stand over the bathroom sink and lean your head forward. Tilt your head to one side and pour the solution into one nostril. Aim the stream toward the back of your head, not at the top of your head. Never force it into your nose.

The solution will go into your nasal cavity and run out the other nostril. Adjust the position of your head to keep it from running down the back of your throat. Gently blow your nose and spit out the drainage to clear the nasal passages and throat. Repeat with your other nostril.

Wash the irrigation device after each use and then rinse it and let it dry.

Talk to your doctor or allergist if you’re not sure. They can show you how to use this natural remedy to keep your nose clear of thick mucus and debris so you can breathe better.

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Washing the nose with saline solution: how to prepare a solution of sea salt

Co-author, editor and medical expert – Maksimov Alexander Alekseevich.

Editor and medical expert – Harutyunyan Mariam Harutyunovna.

Date last updated: 05/29/2023

Number of views: 428,824.

Average reading time: 5 minutes.

In every pharmacy, several shelves are filled with cold medicines – eyes run wide, it’s no wonder to get confused. Embarrassed by this variety, as well as by the incompleteness of their own medical knowledge, it is not uncommon for people to choose a drug on the principle of “this certainly won’t hurt” and take home one of the many saline nasal rinses. In general, a good choice, but we must keep in mind that washing will be truly safe and beneficial only if it is done correctly, wisely.

Nasal solutions based on salt (sodium chloride) are suitable for prevention and for elimination (removal) of unwanted elements: when washed, they clear the nasal cavity of mucus accumulated there, at the same time carrying away bacteria and viruses. ¹ But if treatment is required for severe symptoms such as severe congestion, do not expect miracles from a saline nasal rinse. He will not cope with the task without the participation of drugs designed specifically to combat congestion and runny nose, will not be able to eliminate unpleasant symptoms – especially nasal congestion – as quickly, reliably and thoroughly as special means.

Washing the nose with saline solution for a runny nose may be more effective not by itself, but as part of complex therapy.

And this complex should include:

• remedy for nasal congestion , for example, one of the nasal sprays TIZIN ^® with the active ingredient xylometazoline;
• Nasal Wash is a saline solution based on water and salt.

But do not rush to rejoice if you see a drug in the pharmacy, which includes both xylometazoline and saline. The fact is that the best effect is not at all the use of a two-component agent, but the consistent use of individual drugs: the first of them should relieve swelling, constricting blood vessels, as TIZIN 9 does0015 ® , and the second – saline – to actually wash the nasopharynx, clean it from mucus and pathogens. In addition, a large volume of saline is required to fully rinse the nose with saline.

If you get a little deeper into the physiology of the process, it will become clear why you should use a vasoconstrictor before washing your nose. Indeed, with rhinitis, that is, a runny nose, the vessels of the nasal mucosa expand, swelling occurs, and the nasal passages are blocked due to it – in other words, the nose does not breathe. And this, of course, prevents it from being washed with a saline solution. It is better to forget about power methods of facilitating breathing – a powerful retracting breath, active blowing your nose – immediately and forever: such actions can simply be dangerous to health.

Trying to forcefully inhale or exhale with a stuffy nose, you run the risk of throwing mucus through the Eustachian tube into the middle ear and provoke otitis media, as well as damage the eardrum.

It would be much more reasonable to first empty, expand the nasal passages, and only after that, feeling that it is “relieved” (airway patency is restored), use the solution to wash the nose.

In other words, the correct washing of the nose should be a kind of ritual with a certain sequence of actions. This ritual does not require much effort and consists of three simple steps:

1. We spray a remedy for runny nose and congestion, such as the modern drug TIZIN ^® . Purpose – to relieve swelling of the nasal mucosa and normalize breathing.
2. Waiting for 5-10 minutes. This is the time it takes for TIZIN ^® to work and bring relief ¹ .
3. Rinse the nose with saline solution. Thus, we free it from mucus, moisturize and disinfect. It is important to use a sufficiently large amount of saline for nasal irrigation – 100-250 ml. ² You can buy it in a pharmacy or prepare it at home from salt and water according to a special recipe.

It is worth noting once again that with such a scheme, nasal congestion has already been eliminated by the time of washing, which means that there is no danger of earning a complication of the disease by awkward actions. ³

So, rinsing the nose with saline is a useful procedure, but alone it can not always cope with the treatment of a runny nose. It is better to count on the consistent effect of a vasoconstrictor and saline. Safe and effective cleansing of the nasal cavity is a simple three-step ritual: TIZIN ^® , pause, rinse.

^* Tizin ^® Sprays begin to work in 5-10 minutes according to the instructions for use.

The information in this article is for reference only and does not replace professional medical advice. For diagnosis and treatment, contact a qualified specialist.

See also:

• Benefits of TIZIN ^{® Sprays}
• Spray or nasal drops: which is better?
• Xylometazoline

The doctor told who should not wash their nose with saline to prevent diseases

April 9, 2020, 16:14

COVID-19 pandemic /TASS/. Rinsing the nose with saline to prevent a new coronavirus infection is possible only if there is mucus, otherwise it can lead to irritation of the mucous membrane and even bleeding. This was announced to TASS on Thursday by the head of the ENT clinic, candidate of medical sciences, doctor of the highest category Vladimir Zaitsev.

Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Health published temporary guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a new coronavirus infection. There, in particular, it is indicated that it is possible to use an isotonic solution of sodium chloride as a therapy.

“It is possible to rinse the nose with saline solution, and some even need to cleanse the nasopharynx. Coming home from the street there is mucus in the nose, this mucus must be washed off. it’s better to blow your nose,” said Zaitsev, “but if the nasal cavity is clean initially, there is no mucus, if the nose is not blocked and breathes normally, then there is no need to rinse.”

The doctor explained that if the nasal mucosa is dry, then rinsing with saline can worsen the situation. In particular, this can lead to irritation of the mucous membrane, inflammation, up to bleeding and crusting. Zaitsev also noted that pharmaceutical antiviral drugs for the nasal cavity, which stimulate the immunity of the nasopharyngeal mucosa, can be used as a coronavirus prevention. Such drugs are best used before going outside.

Saline and other prophylaxis

If a person decides to prepare a salt solution on his own, then the water must be taken boiled and at medium temperature. “Salt should be large, sea salt is best, but it should not be bath salt, because it is dirty and not intended for the mucous membranes of the nose and throat. salt. We take a glass of water based on 200 ml, you can use no more than one a teaspoon, and preferably half,” the specialist said.

However, Zaitsev advises to give more preference to ready-made pharmacy solutions in order to minimize the risk of complications in case of an incorrectly performed procedure. “The solution, when we start rinsing on our own, can not only remain in the nasal cavity, but also get into the nasopharynx, <.