Saline Solution Recipe

For many people with chronic nasal congestion or sinus infections, nasal irrigation with saline is a natural way of clearing the nasal passages and sinuses. There are several ways to get salt water in the nose and sinuses, including foggers, sprays, squeeze bottles, pumps, aerosols and irrigation systems. The Neti Pot is a variant of yoga saline irrigation has become much more popular after the recommendation of Oprah Winfrey. Many patients have tried a saline nasal and report good results, with better breathing and less sinus pressure and headaches.

It has also been shown that if the salt is a little saltier than the concentration of your nasal mucosa, cilia that help move the mucous layer down into the throat become paralyzed. That's why you want an isotonic saline solution, where iso means same-or similar to the plasma concentration of your body. Some packages of salt pre-made or readily available revenues are hyertonic, which means it is saltier than normal plasma in your body.

A recent study showed that, contrary to popular belief, irrigation of the nose on a daily basis over a long period, terns can actually make things worse. The researchers studied 68 people who used nasal irrigation saline every day for a year. In those who stopped after one year, 62% had a significant decline in the number of infections compared to those who continue to irrigate their nose.

The study authors suggested that the probable reason for this result is that frequent irrigation depletes nasal mucosa, which contains several important defense mechanisms, including antibodies, lactoferrin and lysozyme. It is also known as the nose produces nitric oxide, which also has antimicrobial properties.

These results are somewhat at odds with the report of many people, but there may be good reasons to follow the recommendations of the study authors. Besides the reasons mentioned above, a saline solution can act as a mild decongestant (especially if hypertonic), which is similar to the decongestant-, Afrin, but not as strong. Therefore you can breathe easier after irrigation. One reason why you can not use Afrin for more than three days because of the rebound effect, where after the medicine wears off, the nose gets blocked again, as you use it more and more frequently. saline nose, although not as strong as Afrin, also has a mild rebound effect. This is why some people use it 2-4 times daily.

If used for short periods, such as during an acute infection of the sinuses, it may be useful (like Afrin), but the results of this study shows that long-term use may be more harmful.

My feeling is that if you feel better and you do not get many infections, continue to do so. After a few weeks or months, you can experiment by stopping irrigation and see what happens.

Recent studies also show that the vast majority of what can feel like sinus infections are actually a variant of a migraine. In addition, it has been shown that saline nasal does not really go in your sinus passages. It works by your decongestant nasal passages, which indirectly opens the passages of your sinuses.

Here is the simple recipe saline solution (isotonic 0.9%) that you can do yourself:

1 Canning v. Tea / picking salt (not table salt) pinch of baking soda (not baking powder) 2 cups warm water. For a recipe hypertonic, simply double the amount of salt. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) makes saline is less irritating. You can store this solution at room temperature for up to one week. hypotonic saline or water is not recommended because it can make your nasal lining swells, as if you sit in a bath too long. It is also preferable to use this solution because the body temperature as close as possible. You can use a bulb syringe, as for infants or a turkey-Liberian.