SALT WATER RINSE FOR THE NOSE
(BUFFERED HYPERTONIC SALINE NASAL IRRIGATION)
The Benefits:
When you rinse your nose with this salt water and baking soda mixture, it washes crusts and other debris from your nose.
Salty water pulls fluid out of the swollen membranes of your nose. This decongests the nose and • improves air now. Not only does this make breathing easier, but it helps open the sinus passages.
Studies show that this mixture of concentrated salt water and baking soda (bicarbonate) helps the nose work better and moves mucus out of the nose faster.
The Recipe:
Carefully clean and rinse a 1-quart glass jar. Fill the clean jar with tap water or bottled water. You do not have to boil the water.
Add 2 to 3 heaping teaspoons of "pickling/canning" salt Do nOt use table salt, which has unwanted additives. You can ask for pickling/canning salt at the grocery store.
Add 1 rounded teaspoon of baking soda (pure bicarbonate).
Stir or shake before each use. Store at room temperature. After a week, pour out any mixture that is left over and make a new recipe.
If the mixture seems too strong, use less salt — try 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of salt For children, it is best to start with a weaker salt water mixture. Then gradually increase to using 2 to 3 heaping teaspoons of salt or whatever the child will accept.
The Instructions:
Plan to rinse the nose with the salt water mixture 2 to 3 times each day. Make the salt water and baking, soda mixture according to the recipe. You will need a bulb/ear syringe, a large medical syringe (30mL), or a Waterpik.
Pour some salt water mixture into a clean bowl. Many people like to warm the salt water in a a microwave oven to about body temperature. Be sure that the salt water is not hot.
Fill the syringe with salt water front the bowl. Do not put your used syringe back into the jar, because that will contaminate your salt water.
Stand over the sink or in the shower and squirt the salt water into each side of your nose. Aim; the stream toward the back of your bead, not the top of your head. This lets you spit some of the salt water out of your mouth. It will not hurt if you swallow a little.
Most people notice a mild burning feeling the first few times they use the salt water mixture. This usually goes away in a few days. Please call me if you have any problems or questions.
For Young Children:
You can put the salt water into a small commercial spray container, like a nasal steroid spray bottle. Squirt it many times into each side of the nose. Do not force your child to lie down. This rinse is easier to do when sitting or standing.
If You Use a Nasal Steroid:
You should always use the s
alt water mixture first, then use your nasal steroid spray (like Flonase, Vancenase, Beconase or Nasacort). The steroid works better when it is sprayed onto the nasal membranes that have been cleaned and decongested by salt water. Then the steroid medicine will reach deeper into the nose and sunuses.
