Faster cold relief & recovery...

Today's post: Monday, 1-28-2008

Good news for people with stopped up noses or who tend to get sinus problems.

Recently I read an interesting health news item that said that in children, research had been done that found that using a nose spray with a combination of sterile water & sea salt or simply boiled sea water that had been allowed to cool in kids with colds helped the children get over their cold & its symptoms about 30 to 40 % faster than the children who didn’t get the spray.

That alone is useful info since the thinking now is that kids should NOT take over the counter cold medicines, particularly the decongestant ones. So this is a safe & effective alternative.

Then late last week I got even more useful & related information.

It turns out that it may also help prevent or treat sinus problems & secondary infections & works just as well or even better with adults.

I also got an explanation of why it works, a potentially more effective way to do it, & that you can get sea salt at a health food store or grocery store like a Whole Foods Market & get distilled water & a bulb syringe at a drugstore to do it for yourself or your kids.

(With smaller kids you likely should be very careful they don’t choke on the water by breathing at the wrong time, which is why doing it only a little at a time as a nasal spray might be best for younger kids.)

Here’s that article: (My added comments follow it.)

"This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise's Total Health Breakthroughs, offering alternative solutions for mind, body and soul. For a complimentary subscription,
visit http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com " (

It appeared last Friday, 1-25-2008.)

“An Ancient Practice to Relieve Sinus Congestion
By Joseph McCaffrey, MD, FACS

A stuffy nose and sinus misery are all too common at this time of year. A lot of folks reach for over the counter remedies that may or may not help the symptoms but do nothing for the underlying cause.

Fortunately, there's an ancient practice that works great to relieve the sinus distress and improve your health without having to resort to drugs. But first I want to tell you about one over-the-counter treatment you should avoid like the plague -- decongestant nasal sprays.

These sprays work by constricting the small blood vessels in the nasal passages. As a result, the swollen mucous membranes shrink and congestion temporarily feels better. When the drug wears off, people tend to use the spray again. That's when the problem begins.

Your body very quickly adapts to the sprays, often within a few days. If you continue using them, the blood vessels will be normal size when you're taking them and overly swollen and engorged if you try to stop. The spray has had no lasting benefit and has created its own problem.

Instead of that, how about a method that has been around for over 2000 years and that modern studies (1) show is effective?

The method is saline nasal lavage -- that is, rinsing the nasal passages with a saline solution. Ayurvedic practitioners have recommended this for years and now more and more western physicians are as well.

Our nasal passages act like a filter for our respiratory system. Airborne debris, including pathogens and allergens, is trapped in a normally thin layer of mucus and cleared from the nasal passage. If the system is overwhelmed, the debris accumulates, the nasal passages are irritated and the misery begins.

Nasal rinsing helps restore balance by clearing built up material and restoring an environment that allows the mucociliary lining to do its job.

Although the lavage may seem a little odd at first, people soon become used to it.
The traditional tool is a netti pot -- a small pot, usually ceramic, with a spout that is inserted gently into a nostril to instill the solution. Many health food stores carry these. Alternatively, you could use a bulb syringe, which is available in most pharmacies.

The technique is essentially the same with either tool. First, mix a saline solution, using 1/2 to 1 tsp salt (I suggest canning or sea salt rather than the usual table salt) to 2 cups water. Some people find the solution more comfortable if they add a pinch of baking soda (not powder) since it also helps break up mucus.
You'll use one cup of the solution in each nostril. To rinse the right nostril, lean forward over a sink, turn your head to the right and then use the netti pot or the bulb syringe to gently instill the solution. The solution will run out the opposite nostril.

When you're done, clear mucus by gently blowing your nose. Now repeat on the opposite side.

If this all seems a bit too involved, you can find commercially packaged irrigation systems at many pharmacies and online. These will include either a premixed irrigation solution or a pre-measured packet to mix with water as well as a bottle or other method of doing the actual irrigation.
Simple saline sprays are also useful. Obviously, while these won't flush out mucus and contaminates the way a saline irrigation will, they do help maintain moist mucous membranes. This can be especially helpful in the dry months of winter heating.

If you have sinus problems, try these methods to see how soon you can be breathing easily.

Reference

1. Papsin B and McTavish A. Can. Fam. Physician 2003;49:168-173.
[Ed. Note: Joseph F. McCaffrey, MD, FACS is a board-certified surgeon with extensive experience in alternative medicine, including certification as a HeartMath Trainer. His areas of expertise include mind-body interaction and cognitive restructuring. Dr. McCaffrey strives to help people attain their optimum level of vitality through attention to all aspects of wellness.”

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Here are my added comments.:

If your mucus in your nose seems quite thick which would make this procedure take longer & potentially be less effective, here are three solutions to try.

1. Drink a large glass of real juice with vitamin C or two cups of tea or green tea or eat a large bowl of chicken soup or drink a large glass of water about half an hour before you do this.

(Bottom line, be sure you are drinking a good bit MORE water than usual. It really helps you avoid feeling hammered by the cold & is protective against bacterial infections too. Doctors say to do it; but few let you know WHY it is important & what it does for you.)

2. Consider eating something that’s spicy hot such as adding a bit of cayenne pepper to your chicken soup because a side effect of eating spicy hot foods is that it tends to make your nose run & reduces the thickness for you.

3. You can also use the decongestant nasal spray but ONLY ONE, repeat ONE, time just before you do this procedure the very first time if your congestion is horribly thick.

And, be absolutely sure to wait at least 3 days before even thinking of using it again. By that time using the procedure above you probably won’t need it anyway.

A doctor once suggested this way of using Afrin decongestant spray to me. And, it might work really well for you to do it just before you do the procedure in the article the first time you do this procedure for each cold where the mucous is thick.

However, it also might be worth trying this nasal lavage procedure after just the extra water & hot spices the first time; & then only go to the store for the nasal spray if you still need it.

Also, ask your kid’s doctor before using the decongestant nasal spray with kids. It’s not currently thought to be wise; but your doctor may have had good experience with this just using it once idea & OK it if your kid is older.