Health Benefits of Salted Water for Allergic Rhinitis, Hay temperature and dust-mite allergies

‘’Salty Water for Allergic  Rhinitis’’

Dr Stella, Ear, Nose and Throat doctor, writes about the latest evidence on nasal saline irrigation for allergic rhinitis |affected by hay fever or year-round allergies to things like house-dust mites|.

Imagine you are sitting on the beach, on silver sand, appreciative the aquamarine water of the sea as it gently laps the shore.  Being an inquisitive health-conscious kind of person, you can (just may) find yourself wondering: what are the health assistance of seawater?  Google this, and you will be directed to an object from Surfer Today with a long list, that includes strengthening the immune system and slow down the development of rheumatism.  Is it all true?  Well certain of these claims I take with – frankly – a pinch of salt.  Sorry.    ‘’Salty Water for Allergic  Rhinitis’’

Salty water: cheap, safe and widely available

But salty water (saline) does have certain demonstrated health benefits and a recent Cochrane Review on the benefits of nasal saline in allergic rhinitis shows that.  Allergic rhinitis can be seasonal (hay fever) or perennial (year-round allergies to belongings like house-dust mites); the indications can make people miserable.  Several patients use steroid nasal sprays to help with their symptoms.  Although the usage of these is widespread, and the chance of having unpleasant side-effects is very low, many people would like to know if there is something a bit extra natural that they can use, either instead of the steroids or in addition to them.

‘’Salty Water for Allergic  Rhinitis’’

Allergic rhinitis can be seasonal (hay fever) or perennial (year-round allergies to belongings like house-dust mite); the symptoms canister make people miserable.

‘’Salty Water for Allergic  Rhinitis’’

In both adults and children using saline decreases the severity of patients’ symptoms, with no reported unpleasant side effects.  At least this is the case for the chief three months; we don’t know what happens after that.  And we also don’t know which way of using the saline, or which strength of resolution, is best.

How do you become it in (and out) of the nose?

So, salty water is cheap, safe and widely accessible.  But how do you become it in (and out) of the nose?  There are a variety of methods.  The ‘cheap and cheerful’ one is to make up your own resolution of salty water, put some in your cupped hand, and sniff or snort it up your nose |one side or both| and then spit the resolution out of your mouth.  There is a beneficial patient information leaflet about this here.   All you need for this is a source of water that has been boiled and then cooled to room temperature, and certain common table salt costing almost nothing.

‘’Salty Water for Allergic  Rhinitis’’

Alternative methods

There are alternatives that some persons find more convenient.  You can buy saline in an aerosol can.  This is advertised as sterilized sea water.  The canister produces a fine mist that you can set up your nose as often as you wish.  There is a definite ‘convenience’ factor here; the canister can be simply carried in a bag and there is very little ‘mess’.  The volume of saline that goes up the nose with each squirt is minor.

‘’Salty Water for Allergic  Rhinitis’’

Alternative popular method involves putting the saline in a plastic bottle or other container, and – via an attached nozzle – squirt anything up to a 100ml+ into one nostril.  This then either movements out of the other nostril (if you are tipping your head down) or goes into the back of the mouth to be spat out.   Many manufacturers sell such devices along with sachets of salt (often not just plain sodium chloride, but other mineral salts too).  One device that has attracted care is called a “neti pot”.  It looks somewhat like a small tea-pot.  You fill it with water, add salt, landfill your head to the side, and put the spout in one nostril.  Tip the tea – tip up the pot – and the water flows into one nostril and out the other.  ‘’Salty Water for Allergic  Rhinitis’’

Using salty water and steroid nasal spray collected

One last supposed about putting salty water up your nose.  If you also use a steroid nasal spray, don’t put the saline up your nose directly after you’ve sprayed the steroid in; you may flush it away before it has done anything.

‘’Salty Water for Allergic  Rhinitis’’

It is continuously good to find simple, ‘natural’ remedies that people can try without incurring great expense, or running the risks of thoughtful side effects.

Salty water sprays and douches look to be in this category.  My guess is that swimming in the sea twice a day would probably work just as healthy.   I wonder if surfers suffer fewer from hay fever than the rest of us?

‘’Salty Water for Allergic  Rhinitis’’

 Health Benefits of Salted Water for Allergic Rhinitis, Hay temperature and dust-mite allergies