How to rinse your nose at home

As you know, most of the bacteria enter our body through the nasopharynx. If microbes, viruses, infection get on the nasal mucosa, enhanced mucus production begins. To flush infected mucus, and with it all pathogens, nasal lavage is used.

Nasal lavage is one of the most effective medical and preventive procedures. Washing the nasal mucosa is used in the treatment of many ENT diseases.

The nasal mucosa normally produces mucus, which maintains moisture and protects the body from dust and allergens. If a virus enters the nasal mucosa, the surface begins to swell and produce a huge amount of mucus to protect itself. Therefore, with a cold, it flows from the nose and causes nasal breathing. With prolonged and severe swelling, the mucus can stagnate and then chase. Suppuration of mucus leads to sinusitis, sinusitis and other ENT diseases. Therefore, it is very important to do a wash, which cleans the sinuses from pus, stagnant mucus, bacteria.

When to wash your nose

Nasal lavage is used in combination with other drugs and procedures. We describe some cases when washing is simply necessary.

1. Nasal lavage is considered an integral part of treatment for diseases such as sinusitis, acute respiratory viral infections, adenoiditis, sinusitis, tonsillitis.
2. Sometimes benign neoplasms called polyps appear in the nose. Because of their growth, breathing is laid, a person is forced to constantly breathe through his mouth. This leads to discomfort and other unpleasant consequences. It is easy to get rid of polyps with a course of nose washings.
3. Nasal lavage has a powerful preventive effect in protecting against bacteria and viruses. If you have been indoors with a large number of people (especially during a respiratory illness), the risk of infection increases dramatically. Therefore, when you come home, you must definitely do a nose wash. This will protect you from illness, even if the virus has already entered your nose. He just rinses and does not have time to penetrate the body. This is especially true for people with reduced immunity - these are children, the elderly, pregnant women.
4. Flushing is also very effective for allergic diseases. If allergens get in the nose, they will torment the person for a long time. Washing the nose will help reduce the amount of allergens in the body, get rid of sneezing, itching in the nose, and mucus.
5. In addition, many doctors say that regular washing of the nose helps to strengthen the immune system, make a person more stress-resistant, efficient. Washing the nose improves the overall microflora of the body, which reduces the risk of asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia. Washing improves the patient's condition with nervous exhaustion, headache, and fatigue.

Thus, rinsing the nose is a necessary procedure for many categories of patients. But for the washing to be beneficial in itself, the procedure must be performed correctly.

How to rinse your nose - a technique for performing the procedure

You can rinse your nose with any medicine that you can buy at a pharmacy or cook it yourself. We will talk about the variety of medicines a little later, and now you will learn how to do a classic nose wash with salt water.

1. Take two glasses of warm water, approximately 40 degrees.When washing, do not use cold water, because it can cause hypothermia. Dilute a tablespoon of salt in water. Salt draws mucus out, relieves swelling of the mucous membrane and disinfects the surface from various bacteria and germs.
2. For washing, you can use a small rubber bulb, a large syringe (without a needle, of course) or a small kettle. The procedure should be performed over the sink or over the pelvis.
3. If you use a kettle, fill it with salt water. Place the teapot nose on the right nostril and tilt your head to the left. Gently pour salt water into the nostril. If your nose is clean and you have relaxed all your muscles enough, water will flow out of your left nostril.
4. If the fluid flows out of the mouth, then you are doing the nose wash incorrectly. It is necessary to hold the pharynx as if to prevent the liquid from entering it.
5. If washing is done with a pear or syringe, pay attention to the fact that you do not need to supply water with a strong pressure. In this case, the accumulated mucus can enter the middle ear.
6. After washing, you need to thoroughly blow your nose to each nostril so that there is no solution in the nose. Keep in mind that for about an hour, the remnants of mucus and fluid will flow from the nose - this is normal.
7. After the procedure, it is better not to go outside. Water leaches not only mucus, but also beneficial microflora. Cold air entering the mucosa can lead to hypothermia. It is best to do the procedure a few hours before bedtime.
8. As was said, washing the nose flushes along with the bacteria the beneficial microflora of the nasal mucosa. Therefore, it is often impossible to do the procedure. It is optimal to rinse the nose no more than twice a day for illness and once a day as a preventive measure.

Is it possible to do nose washing for children

Nasal lavage in childhood is permissible only if the child understands the essence of the procedure and agrees to its implementation. Forced nose washing should not be; the child may choke. For the same reason, the nose is not washed by young children - they can be choked with water that gets into the nose.

Rinsing the nose to young children is done with a pipette. Pipette salt water into a pipette and drop 3-4 drops into each nostril of the baby. Salt water dilutes the mucus to make it easier to bring out. The child of the first year of life still can not blow his nose, so the mucus must be removed with special devices. In the pharmacy you can buy a nozzle pump, which is a small rubber bulb. With the help of the vacuum that is created in the nostril, it draws out all the mucus and the rest of the salt water. Such washing is very beneficial for the child. It not only cleans the baby’s airways, but also moisturizes the mucous membrane. After all, as you know, if the mucous membrane is overdried, this creates favorable conditions for the development of bacteria.

Drug solutions for washing the nose

In the pharmacy, you can choose any suitable means for washing the nose. Usually they are made on the basis of pure water and sea salt. These are aquamaris, aqualor, dolphin, salin, otrivin, hummer. They are very convenient to use, because the packaging has a special dispenser adapted for washing the nose.

If the washing is professional and is done in the office of an ENT doctor, special formulations in which there are antibiotics are usually used.

You can also use any antiseptics that are found in every home medicine cabinet. These are furatsilin, chlorophyllipt, hydrogen peroxide, a weak solution of potassium permanganate. One of the most effective means for washing the nose at home is sea water. It is easy to prepare because the ingredients are found in every home. On a glass of water you need to add a pinch of salt, baking soda and a few drops of iodine.

In more serious cases with purulent stagnation, miramistin, protorgol, and chloramphenicol are used. The use of these drugs with a simple cold, as well as without a doctor’s prescription, is undesirable.

Folk recipes for preparing a solution for washing

Decoctions of herbs, plant juice and other recipes of alternative medicine have no less pronounced medicinal properties. They relieve swelling and inflammation, disinfect the mucous membrane, anesthetize and soothe. We have collected the most effective and effective recipes for you.

1. Chamomile. This flower has a huge amount of medicinal properties. To wash your nose with chamomile decoction, you need to take a tablespoon of dried inflorescences and two glasses of water. Pour boiling water over the chamomile and let the broth brew for about an hour. When the broth is still warm enough, it must be filtered and used to rinse the nose. Chamomile decoction relieves swelling and redness, soothes the mucous membrane, improves blood circulation. It is also very effective in allergic reactions.
2. Calendula. This plant is known to all due to its antiseptic properties. Prepare a healing broth - one tablespoon of the plant for half a liter of boiling water. Nasal lavage marigold solution is often used for viral colds. Calendula broth can also be used for concomitant symptoms, for example, for gargling.
3. Mint and eucalyptus. Peppermint decoctions are used for washing to remove strong swelling and clear the airways. Take a tablespoon of mint or eucalyptus and prepare a saturated broth. Rinse with this compound to enjoy breathing through your nose.
4. Celandine. Rinsing the nose with celandine has a powerful medicinal effect on the body. When preparing the solution, you need to be extremely careful - in a concentrated form, the decoction can be poisonous. For two glasses of water, add no more than two teaspoons of the crushed plant. Celandine decoction has been successfully used to treat sinusitis, sinusitis, adenoiditis.
5. Beets and honey. For many diseases of the respiratory tract, this popular recipe is used. Grate the beets and squeeze the juice from it. Dissolve 10 tablespoons of beetroot juice and a tablespoon of natural honey in a glass of warm water. It is best if the honey is fresh in a liquid state (that is, candied honey will not give the desired benefit). With the prepared composition, you need to rinse your nose, as usual. This helps with both allergic and viral infections.

When you can’t rinse your nose

Any procedure has contraindications. Nasal lavage is no exception. The nose should not be washed with nosebleeds and a tendency to nosebleeds. You can also not self-medicate for any tumors in the nasal passages. Rinsing is strictly contraindicated in case of otitis media and damage to the eardrum. If there is a history of nasal septum injuries, rinsing the nose is not recommended, since in this case the flow of mucus and fluid can be unpredictable. Well and, of course, you don’t need to rinse your nose with a solution that you are allergic to.

Nasal lavage is a natural and effective procedure for cleansing the airways, protecting against viruses and removing germs. Flush your nose, take care and be healthy!

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