Studies suggesting gargling and rinsing nasal passages with salt water will help fight viruses

[highplainsdem]

(Note -- please read this entire OP. You have to BOIL THE WATER FIRST, THEN ALLOW IT TO COOL.)


This works because it alters the mucus, making it less permeable.

And a study done at the University of Edinburgh found it works with coronavirus as well as rhinovirus.

Please do NOT run out and hoard salt, even if you decide to do this, okay? The amount of salt for one treatment recommended by one study is 1/2 teaspoon, and you have hundreds of times that much in a carton of Morton salt.

One of these is an MIT study from 2012:

http://news.mit.edu/2012/immune-protection-from-mucus-0426

In their study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, the researchers also found that salt has a strong effect on how effectively mucins block viral entry. High salt concentration makes the mucins less penetrable, which offers a possible explanation for why gargling or rinsing the nasal passages with salt water often soothes cold or flu symptoms, Ribbeck says. The researchers are now investigating how salt enhances mucins’ performance.

But the more interesting one was done at the University of Edinburgh and was called the Edinburgh and Lothians Viral Intervention Study, which has the wonderful acronym ELVIS.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-37703-3

Inhibition of viral replication in the presence of chloride/halide salts was reported in the 1960’s14. We have recently reported laboratory evidence that non-myeloid cells (e.g. epithelial, fibroblast and hepatic cells) have an innate immune mechanism, which is augmented in the presence of salt (NaCl)15. In cell culture models, DNA, RNA, enveloped and non-enveloped viruses are all inhibited in the presence of NaCl15. The antiviral effect is dependent on the availability of chloride ions (and not sodium ions)15. In the presence viral infection and the availability of NaCl, cells utilise the chloride ions to produce hypochlorous acid (HOCl)15. Since HOCl is the active ingredient in bleach, which is known to have an antiviral effect, the mechanism could be augmented by supplying chloride ions through NaCl to treat infections. Here, we report the results of the Edinburgh and Lothians Viral Intervention Study (ELVIS), a pilot RCT of hypertonic saline nasal irrigation and gargling (HSNIG) versus standard care in adults with URTI to determine if we can recruit and retain participants in Edinburgh and to get initial information on acceptability, duration of symptoms, and viral shedding.

As you'll see if you read that article, the people they tested had a variety of viruses:

Amongst these, 56% were rhinovirus and 31% were coronaviruses (COV), with the rest due to enterovirus, influenza A virus, parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV-3), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV). We detected dual infections of rhinovirus with an enterovirus/COV HKU1 in two.

I found out about that British study while googling

salt antiviral

to see if there was any evidence gargling with salt water could help.

One of the results on the first page, a newspaper article that referred to the ELVIS study, was in the very non-academic Daily Mail, LOL, but I'm going to copy that link here because it explains what's going on in basic English.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6654291/Gargling-salt-water-cure-common-cold-body-produces-anti-viral-BLEACH.html


One thing I found particularly interesting about the ELVIS study is that it indicates a reduction in virus shedding, too, which would make the virus less contagious.


The amount of salt they're talking about, 3 grams, is half a teaspoon.

The amount of water, 100 ml, is about 3-1/2 ounces.



You do need to boil the water, then allow it to cool, if you're going to use this for rinsing nasal passages.

And you don't need a neti pot for this. But this FDA article on neti pots explains why you need to boil the water:

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/rinsing-your-sinuses-neti-pots-safe

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Please bold the bit about boiling your water so people don't miss it. So important!

[highplainsdem]

5. Good idea. Just did that.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. Please add a warning to allow the water to cool before running it through your nose.

[highplainsdem]

11. Just edited the OP to make that clear.

[Baitball Blogger]

16. +1

[handmade34]

3. good video on using neti pot

[Anon-C]

4. K&R!

[octoberlib]

6. Thanks for posting!

[highplainsdem]

32. You're welcome!

[Downtown Hound]

7. I used to work for Neilmed, the makers of the nasal rinse stuff

In fact, if you bought any of that stuff between 2013 and 2014, odds are it came through me at some point, because I was in charge of all incoming and outgoing shipping and receiving.

It's a solid product and works very well, but if you choose to use it, please remember to either use distilled water or to heat it up in a microwave prior to use. Too many people use it incorrectly and it can be dangerous if you don't sterilize the water first.

[uponit7771]

8. K&R

[TEB]

9. Thank you for posting

[Leghorn21]

12. Thanks, dem - there's no reason NOT to do every simple little cheap thing we can do to beat

this beast back - (hell, I just learned a couple weeks ago how to “properly” wash my hands!!)

[crickets]

13. Interesting info; thanks for posting it! K&R

[Jacoby365]

14. If you use distilled water, you don't have to boil it.

[highplainsdem]

15. True, but given all the other shortages, it's best to know about boiling water.

[Johnny Noshoes]

17. Sinus wash

Back in December I contracted a nasty sinus infection. The Dr. prescribed a one week course of antibiotic, nasal spray, generic Claritin, AND a sinus wash. Well the antibiotic, nasal spray and Claritin cleared it up and I never used the sinus wash. I was going to just chuck the kit out BUT man am I glad now that I didn't.

[MH1]

18. Use non-iodized salt

That is the recommendation that I have seen with using a neti pot.

I have forgotten and used regular table salt. I have no idea how bad it is to do that but I have made a point to set aside non-iodized salt for my neti use.

[applegrove]

19. My brother has sinus issues. He's been told that if you use tap water

to clean out your sinuses you could get amoeba or some other bug in your brain. And it could kill you. You sinuses are in direct contact with your brain. Don't do this. Do not gargle or rinse your nasal passages with water from the tap. Or bottled water.

[zackymilly]

20. Yep, a woman didn't use sterile water not too long ago and died from a brain-eating amoeba. n/t

[highplainsdem]

22. Did you notice that the OP emphasizes BOILING the watet first?

[applegrove]

29. I explained why you need not straight tap water. I did not know it was

Last edited Sun Mar 15, 2020, 10:55 PM - Edit history (1)

so dangerous until my brother told me yesterday.

[DavidDvorkin]

21. I use a neti post but read recently

That you shouldn't now because, if you have the virus in your nose, using a neti pot will force it into the sinuses, increases the chance of infection.

So now I'm confused about what's best.

[highplainsdem]

24. Well, you can at least gargle with salt water.

[cally]

23. If used too long then add a pinch of probiotics to rinse

I routinely use a nasal rinse and I have been told to add probiotics to mixture. I think I found research on UCSF medical center site

[highplainsdem]

25. Haven't heard anything about probiotics, and although I take them and also eat yogurt, drink kefir,

etc., I'd be wary of adding any bacteria to a nasal rinse.

[cilla4progress]

27. How do you add

them?

We bought distilled water recently for our neti! Think I'll go do a rinse...

Although I"m feeling great. 65 yo this month! and able to self-islolate out in the countryside at home.

[cally]

28. Here is a popular article on it

But my doctor told me to just take a pinch and add it to the nasal rinse. Both my doctor and a naturopath doctor (took class on subject from her) said to do it if you use a nasal rinse longer than two weeks or so.

I resisted for a long, long time but finally tried it. I initially bought spray on Amazon but it was expensive.

https://www.sinussupport.com/probiotics-for-the-nose/

[JCMach1]

30. If a Neti pot kills your Covid-19 call me

Until then... File it away along with garlic ,whiskey, honey, bleach water, colloidal silver, alkali water and the rest

[uriel1972]

31. Garlic, whiskey and honey...

add in a few other ingredients and make a stew.. eat.

At least you had a good meal. The silver, bleach and alkali water not so much.