Nasal lavage at home

One of the most popular and effective ways to influence inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx is nasal lavage at home. The procedure is very simple, but very effective in allergic conditions, excellent prevention of acute respiratory infections. According to yoga adherents, nasal lavage should be done daily. This can be argued, but the therapeutic effect of the procedure does not require additional evidence.

Indications

When will nasal lavage at home help the body overcome the disease? The procedure is recommended for sinusitis, frontal sinusitis, ethmoiditis and pathological processes in the adenoids. Rinsing is also carried out to alleviate the condition with allergic rhinitis.

The liquid enters through the anastomoses and washes out mucus and pus from the maxillary and frontal sinuses, as well as from the ethmoid labyrinth. Doctors recommend this procedure for sinusitis that has not yet progressed to an advanced chronic form.

Washing technique

The procedure is very simple and anyone can do it, rinsing does not require special preparation. At home, nasal rinsing can be done in several ways.

Method 1

The water or liquid for rinsing should be at room temperature. It is necessary to collect the liquid in the palms of your hands. Then, leaning over the sink, draw the solution into your nose. After that, you need to spit it out and blow your nose, freeing the nasopharynx from the remaining liquid and pus.

Method 2

Nowadays, there are many different devices and compressors for washing the nose, most of which are used in medical institutions. There are also many devices for washing the nose at home. Special watering cans for washing the nose, shaped like a small teapot, are sold in pharmacies. Yoga practitioners also have similar vessels, which are called neti pots. They can be metal, ceramic, plastic and even rubber. All of them have a narrow spout or an elongated neck that is inserted into the nostril. A bottle of nasal drops will do for these purposes, only the hole needs to be made wider so that the solution can flow in a stream. If rhinitis is accompanied by tonsillitis or inflammation of the tonsils, then the second method will wash not only the nasopharynx, but also remove at least partially the plaque in the throat and on the tonsils.

The head should be in a vertical position when rinsing in this way. Before the procedure, you need to fill the enema with a soft tip with the liquid intended for rinsing. Then you should bend over the sink, open your mouth and stick out your tongue. Insert the tip of the bulb into one of the nostrils, and squeeze it until the solution, having passed through the nasopharynx, begins to pour out through the oral cavity.

The enema stream should be moderate to eliminate the possibility of infection entering the sinuses or middle ear under pressure. Then it is the turn of the other nostril. The rinsing should be completed by blowing your nose thoroughly to remove the remaining fluid and mucus from the nasopharynx. This rinsing makes breathing easier after the first procedure.

Method 3

For the so-called nasal shower, it is necessary to prepare an Esmarch mug with a hose, a tap and a tip. The tip should be of a special shape, resembling an olive, 2 cm in size with a maximum diameter of 2 cm, and with a diameter in the narrow part within 1 cm. Esmarch mug with 0.5 s solution is installed half a meter above the vessel for the flowing water. The tap must be installed in such a position that the composition flows out no faster than in 5 minutes. The tip is immersed in the nostril of the nose.

During the procedure, you can breathe through your mouth. The solution will gradually enter one nostril, wash the nasal septum and pour out through the second nostril. After that, the liquid is poured through the second nostril in the same way. You can blow your nose half an hour after the procedure is completed.

Method 4

If the maxillary sinuses are inflamed, it is recommended to resort to washing the nose using the displacement method. This method is suitable for patients whose sinusitis has not yet become chronic. Many people know this method under the name "cuckoo" rinsing. Such rinsing cleans both the nasopharynx and sinuses from accumulated suppuration and mucus. If this method is used simultaneously with laser treatment, the results will not take long to come. But such treatment is only possible in a hospital. Experiments with the use of this device for rinsing the nose at home are usually ineffective, because after the "cuckoo" you need to use a special aspirator for the contents of the nasopharynx. Its mechanism of action is simple: due to negative pressure, the contents of the sinuses are sucked into a special container of the device. It is unlikely that you will be able to do this on your own, especially if we are talking about a procedure for a child.

It may seem that rinsing the nose is an extremely difficult and unpleasant procedure. But in fact, it turns out that the fears were unfounded, and the result comes instantly: rinsing the nose at home will eliminate congestion, ease breathing, relieve swelling, remove mucus, pus, dust, microorganisms from the nasopharynx and disinfect the nasopharynx.

Solutions for washing the nose at home

Rinsing the nose with sea salt. Sea water has a very positive effect on the condition of the nasal mucosa, it can stop the development of many diseases, even chronic ones. If it is possible to rinse with sea water, it is recommended to choose it from all the liquids for rinsing the nose.

Sea salt is easy to find in a pharmacy, and its cost is not very high. It is easy to make a composition for washing the nose at home from salt:

• Mix 1 teaspoon of sea salt in 400 ml of water. The water should be boiled or purified warm and unboiled;
• 2 tsp. sea salt per 200 ml of water. A liquid with a high concentration of salt is only suitable for those whose working conditions force them to breathe dusty air, since the use of the solution dries out the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx;
• 2 teaspoons of sea salt per 1 liter of water. This composition is ideal for gargling, washing the nasopharynx with sinusitis.

For a child, the liquid should be less concentrated: 2-3 g of salt per 200 ml of water.

Rinsing with a saline solution. If you don’t have sea salt at hand, you can use regular kitchen salt for rinsing. It can easily replace sea salt, while retaining all the benefits of salt therapy. The ideal concentration is 1 teaspoon of salt per 0.5 liters of water.

For rinsing, a mixture of salt and soda is often used: ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of soda per 200 grams of water. This composition has an antibacterial effect and is intended for treatment, so it is not suitable for prevention or hygiene.

Read also: Washing the nose with salt

Saline solution. This is an abbreviated name for isotonic solution. There are several types of saline solution, the most famous of which is a 0.9% sodium chloride solution. Saline solution for rinsing the nose is the safest remedy with no contraindications. It is sold in pharmacies ready-made - in special bottles, aerosols and ampoules. Doctors believe that rinsing with saline solution can be done both for therapeutic purposes and for prevention - to cope with the usual drying of the nasopharyngeal mucosa. Doctors agree that rinsing the nose at home with saline solution is the most effective, harmless alternative to modern expensive medications.

Contraindications

Seemingly harmless and universal, this procedure is not always indicated. In no case should you rinse your nose if the nasopharyngeal tissues are very swollen or the nasal septum is significantly curved, if there are benign or malignant neoplasms in the nasopharynx, if there is a possibility of inflammatory processes in the middle ear or if there is a hole in the eardrum. In these cases, the procedure is fraught with complications. You should also consider the risk of allergy to the ingredients of the rinse composition.

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