2023-11-24 14:21:00
2023-11-24 09:21 Reporter Zhang Shengzhao/Reporting in real time
A recently published research report points out that gargling with salt water and flushing the nose may help reduce symptoms of COVID-19 and prevent those infected from hospitalization.
Jimmy Espinoza, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of Texas School of Medicine at Houston, who conducted the study, said that this is a very simple method. Salt is available everywhere, cheap and convenient. “I think gargling with salt water and flushing your nose might be helpful, especially if you want to feel better.”
The study was presented last week at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology’s annual meeting in Anaheim, California.
An infectious disease expert who was not involved in the study said the study’s findings were “interesting” but warranted further exploration. Experts stress that salt water gargles and nasal irrigation should never be used as a replacement for vaccinations or treatment with medications such as Paxlovid.
However, an earlier small study found that washing the mouth and nasal cavities with salt water can reduce the amount of new coronavirus and remove the virus from the throat and nasal cavities. This study adds to these smaller studies.
If you want to try this method, you can buy saline solution. If you want to use your own water, Espinoza recommends boiling the water first, adding a little salt, and letting it cool down naturally to the level of warm water. He said the reason why boiled water is necessary is that the nasal cavity is easily infected by pollutants in the water.
He recommends alternating between rinsing your mouth and flushing your nose. Add one-third of a teaspoon of salt to eight ounces of water, separate mouthwash and nose rinse. Rinse your mouth for a minute, then pour the other half of the water into the neti pot and pour it into your nostrils. Rinse mouth once more. If you can still stand it, it doesn’t hurt to flush the remaining water into your nose once more.
Dean Blumberg, director of the Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of California, Davis, said patients with long-term hypertension and general hypertension should not gargle with salt water to avoid accidentally swallowing salt water. The sodium contained in salt, if taken in too much, may cause blood vessels to narrow or harden, and increase blood pressure.
Studies have shown that gargling salt water into the mouth and nose may help reduce symptoms of COVID-19 and prevent those infected from hospitalization. (Getty Images) Hypertension University of California Medicine
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