Salt water treatment for virus

www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1300751/coronavirus-update-symptoms-treatment-salt-water-covid-19

Well it's worth a try. When I was a child my mother always advocated gargling with salt and water at the first sign of a cold or cough. It was always what she treated a sore throat with.
To this day I gargle with salt and water when I feel that ominous tickle in the back of my throat.

I’ve seen this ‘treatment’ suggested on here and in circulating emails pre lockdown. I seem to remember however being told by the medics that it wouldn’t work for coronovirus! Now they are testing it!!
It’s good for sore gums and mouth ulcers too although I can’t gargle with it as it makes me gag.

Normal saline water has long been used as a treatment for sinus infections. You sniff it up through the nasal sinuses. Saline more closely mimics body fluids rather than just water and is a great cleanser but don't even think about it as a treatment for anything more serious such as coronavirus.

My Dad always used to gargle with salty water when he had a sore throat, it was obviously a 'thing' back in the day.

I use Sterimar saline nasal spray just about every day, it’s brilliant.

My family have been using the technique for years! There are sprays that you can buy to have in your handbag/pocket if you need to just spray up your nostrils (not the 'sniffing' technique).

I use Sterimar at home or mix up my own solution. When I'm out and about I use Nasofed or Sinuforce.

A safe solution is 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 pint of boiled water.

I also have been using Sterimar for years.
I used to suffer with sinus problems, but using this spray seems to have alleviated the symptoms.
Colds seem few and far between as well.

I have tried this in the past for sinus issues. I bought a Netti pot and used it with warm water and a little salt. Helped a bit, but the sensation of water sloshing about in my nostrils made me feel queasy!

My mum was a great believer in salt for all sorts of things---a gargle for sore throats, mouthwash and a " sniffer " too.
Also bicarbonate and Epsom always in the cupboard for all ills etc. burns and poultices.

I periodically use a nasal wash with sachets of special salts and cooled boiled water which I was advised to do when I lost my sense of smell 10 years ago although it didn't help with that. I can see it might work but wouldn't want to rely on it.

My dad swore by 'sniffing salt water' when he had a cold

Willow500, my dad also used to sniff salt water if he had a cold (which was seldom). When I was a teenager, I thought I'd give it a go and put far too much salt in it - very painful! I've used the sinus rinse you can get from a pharmacy with the little sachets, but you can make your own preparation with a mixture of salt and bicarb, though sadly I can't remember the exact proportions! [blush}. This was prescribed for a badly blocked sinus.

My son has Sterimar. It's a godsend for snorers and believe me, he could snore for England!

Coincidentally I bought Sterimar not long ago, before lockdown, to try to clear the stuffy nose which had lingered since since Christmas. My Dad always used salt water to gargle and DH 's Step-DF recommended using it to clear sinus problems.

The study actually says that by using saline as a nasal wash and gargle up to twelve times a day appeared to reduce symptoms and duration by between 1.7 and 2.5 days. It also sees a reduction in shedding which I think is interesting.

I do think, however, that if I had the virus in anything but a very very mild form I’d not want to do this many times a day.

The researchers from Edinburgh are obviously interested in the nasal wash/gargling idea in general - they did a similar study with the common cold in 2018.

Here’s the study that the Express article (above) is referring to:
www.researchgate.net/publication/340433132_Hypertonic_saline_nasal_irrigation_and_gargling_should_be_considered_as_a_treatment_option_for_COVID-19

I understand you would be doing the salt water gargle, nasal douche treatment only during the early local stage of infection while virus is in the upper respiratory tract

BTW if anyone is going to try this out please make the salt and water solution only a TINY fraction more salty than blood saltiness as too much salt will sort of chemical burn

It's recommended by dentists after a tooth extraction: warm salt water (one teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water, and remember to spit the water out).

I'm glad the medics are testing lots of different things. I won't put my trust in anything though until testing shows results as with Dexamethasone.

Right at the start of this I read of someone who had the virus and treated herself with a saltwater nasal spray and paracetemol. In the absence of any other advice I did buy a couple of nasal spray kits. I do know you can buy this sort of thing at Boots and some people find them useful so I thought that it would be useful 'just in case'. Not had to use them and hope I never have to find out.