Saline Sinus Rinses: What Good Are They? 1/4

by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD

The concept is simple:

Rinsing your nose and sinuses out every day is a bit like rinsing the dirt off your car with a garden hose – particles are rinsed away by hydro-mechanical action.  The advantage: things that you are allergic to – allergens – are rinsed away so they do not continue to cause irritation, rhinitis.  In addition, other particles are rinsed away too:  bacteria, viruses, mold spores, and pollutants, in addition to allergens.  Finally, anyone with allergies can tell you that their nose produces too much mucus (SNOT); this is rinsed away too.

Simple.  The end result is improved mucociliary clearance, the holy grail of healthy sinuses (go over to the search box on the right and type in “cilia” if you want more).

Results of Saline Sinus Rinsing (all good!):

• rinse away allergens
• rinse away bacteria
• rinse away viruses
• rinse away mold
• rinse away pollutants
• rinse away acid from reflux
• rinse away over-production of mucus

Osmotic Action:

A bit less simple is the concept of osmotic action of the saline formula that you use.  If you use hypertonic saline – meaning stronger salt concentration than in our bodies – the effect will be to draw fluid out of the swollen nasal and sinus lining.  This can be a good thing: reduce swelling, open the sinus passages.  On the other hand, medical studies have shown that too much hypertonic saline will make your sinus cilia unhappy.  Unhappy cilia, reduced mucociliary clearance.  That’s a bad thing.

When to Use Hypertonic Saline Rinses:

I recommend using hypertonic saline only during times of acute rhinosinusitis, or acute exacerbations (worsening) of chronic rhinosinusitis, and not for routine maintenance of healthy sinuses.

Conclusion:

If you or your child have asthma, and also have rhinitis or sinusitis, doing saline sinus rinses will improve your life.  Give it a try.

Are you doing sinus rinses? For allergic rhinitis? For sinusitis? For your kids or for you?

Let us know in comments.

See you here over the next few weeks as we review how to make sinus rinses easier, and more effective.

Best health and success to you and your families.

Please post a comment so that we can all learn to achieve sinus health, and healthy airways.  And please, “be excellent to one another.”

Until next time, remember … you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose (unless you’re a boogor doctor ;~D)

Saline Sinus Rinses:  1 of 4 parts

Next time:  Medical Evidence to Support Sinus Irrigations

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Tags: asthma, bacteria, cilia, integrative medicine, mold, mucus, natural remedy, pediatric sinusitis, pollutants, rhinitis, rhinosinusitis, saline sinus rinse, sinus, sinusitis, sinusitis treatment, virus