Can washing the nose really prevent the new crown and relieve symptoms? The answer is yes.
On December 21, Wei Wei, deputy chief physician of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, told The Paper that the benefits of cleaning the nasal cavity can be summarized as – sewage, detoxification, cleansing and swelling reduction.
According to a review analysis published in the European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology in September 2021, nasal saline irrigation can effectively prevent and reduce viral infection. Especially in view of the short clinical incubation period, severe upper respiratory symptoms, and strong infectivity of patients infected with the new coronavirus of the Omicron strain, the method of nasal saline irrigation can effectively improve nasal symptoms, shorten the time for the virus to turn negative, and accelerate the recovery time. recovery process. Daily nasal saline irrigation in healthy people can be used as a preventive health care strategy. Medical staff and anti-epidemic personnel can perform nasal irrigation after epidemic prevention work to reduce the adhesion of viruses in the nasal cavity.
Wei Wei explained that there are many cilia on the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity and sinuses that are invisible to the naked eye, and they continuously swing in a directional manner, like thousands of small brooms, cleaning the door of the respiratory tract at all times. Nasal washing can promote the movement of nasal mucosa and cilia and enhance the clearance function. When an infection occurs, the nasal mucosa is swollen. If you rinse it with hypertonic saline for a short period of time, it can dehydrate properly and reduce the swelling. Through the above functions, symptoms such as nasal mucus, nasal congestion, and nasal congestion during COVID-19 infection can be improved. For patients who usually have rhinitis, sinusitis, or allergic rhinitis, it is an important method of daily care and health care.
Wei Wei also said that as one of the methods of physical therapy, patients infected with the new crown can be rinsed with nasal saline, which can reduce the release of “virus droplets” into the air, reduce the spread of respiratory viruses through aerosols, and speed up the conversion of infected patients to negative or even worse. cure. Especially during the infection period, in addition to general symptoms such as fever and body aches, nasal congestion, runny nose or smell disturbance are common symptoms. If nasal symptoms are severe, nasal irrigation with saline or topical short-term use of vasoconstrictors may be considered to relieve symptoms.
“However, it needs to be clear that if there are no abnormalities in the anatomical structure of the nasal cavity or sinuses or underlying diseases, such as allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, etc., the course of the new coronavirus infection is mostly self-limiting, and there is no specific intervention, so there is no need to overdo it. Intervene.” Wei Wei said.
Attachment: Nasal irrigation method
Recipe: Dissolve 3g of iodine-free salt in 100ml of warm boiled water at home to roughly prepare 3% hypertonic saline; dissolve 0.9g of iodine-free salt in 100ml of boiled water to roughly prepare 0.9% normal saline.
Temperature: It should be controlled at about 35 degrees Celsius, and it should not be too hot or too cold.
operate:
1. Block one nostril with the nasal plug at the head of the nasal irrigator, lean forward slightly and bow your head. Breathe through your mouth. Gently pinch and loosen with your hands, and squeeze the center of the bottle repeatedly rhythmically, the lotion will be squeezed into the nasal cavity, and the dirt in the nasal cavity will flow out from the other nostril or mouth with the lotion.
2. When half of the lotion in the bottle is left, you can change and wash the other nasal cavity; before changing and washing, gently blow your nose on each side to discharge the residue in the nasal cavity, and then clean the other nasal cavity according to the same steps above .
Notice:
1. When flushing, breathe through your mouth, not through your nose, to avoid choking.
2. After washing the nose, pour out the sewage and do not reuse it.
3. If water enters from one side and it is difficult to get out from the other side, try to get water from the side where the water is difficult to get out.
4. Do not use too much force to avoid sinusitis or otitis media.
Nasal spray method:
There are a variety of nasal sprays on the market, please refer to the instructions for use, the following is for reference only.
1. Turn on the dust cover, tilt your head back slightly, place the nozzle in front of your nostrils, press the manual pump lightly, and spray physiological sea water/salt water into the nasal cavity in the form of mist.
2. Spray 4-8 times on each nostril, and wipe off nasal secretions and excess saline with a tissue.
3. Clean the nozzle and put on the dust cap.
4. 2-6 times a day.