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Is it possible to cure a runny nose with folk remedies? “KP” asked for clarification to Head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, otorhinolaryngologist of the highest category, Candidate of Medical Sciences of the CDC “Arbatsky” of the Pirogov Center Zulfiya Elchueva.
1. Rinse your nose with water
– Is it possible to carry out some kind of prophylaxis in the fall so that you don’t catch it at all during the season?
– Guaranteed to protect yourself from a cold, alas, will not work. But there are simple and effective ways to reduce the risk of it occurring. To do this, twice a day, morning and evening, you can rinse your nose with plain water. This is how you flush out the mucus that formed during the day or overnight, along with pathogens, from the nose. How to do it: take water in the palm of your hand, lower your face and take a light small breath. Then the mucus must be blown off. This method is natural and works best. The popular oxolinic ointment has recently been out of favor with doctors. In fact, it only thickens the mucus in the nose, preventing you from blowing your nose properly. But it does not become a barrier to infection. The main rule of washing: this should be done only if the nose is not blocked. If prophylaxis is late and the mucosa is already swollen so that you breathe only through your mouth, you can use any vasoconstrictor drops in an age-appropriate dosage. But not longer than 5 days! If you resort to their help for a long time, addiction occurs. We have to drip more and more often, and without them, the nostrils are tightly laid.
2. Or maybe soap and garlic?
– There is such a popular recipe: if you wash your nose with soapy water, you can supposedly deal with the problem in the very first hours. And those who prefer garlic for all problems have their own way: grease the edges of the nostrils and under the nose with a cut clove of garlic. Like, in this way no infection will penetrate the barrier of phytoncides.
“Washing your nostrils with soap won’t do you any good. On the contrary, both the skin and the nasal mucosa are affected. Instead of easy breathing, you can get severe irritation that will require further treatment. And if you anoint the nostrils with garlic, the effect, of course, will be, but not the same as we would like. You will definitely start crying and sneezing, but this method will not save you from a cold. If you overdo it, you can completely burn the mucous membrane with caustic garlic juice. And it, by the way, protects our body from the introduction of viruses and bacteria.
3. Facing in a basin
– There is also such a popular way: to dive face into a basin with a strong salt solution and draw it in with your nose there.
– You don’t have to do that! Water can get not only into the nose, but also into the bronchi. But rinsing the nose with saline can help. For this, ready-made saline solutions in the form of sprays, which are sold in a pharmacy, or saline from there, are suitable. It is easy to prepare it yourself: mix half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water. You can also use sea salt. The important point is that all the crystals must dissolve completely. Otherwise, they can injure the nasal mucosa.
4. Do not treat – will it go away on its own?
Yes, a runny nose can go away without treatment. Rinsing the nose with water and blowing it will be enough. True, if congestion is strong, then it is very uncomfortable. Especially for children of preschool and primary school age. Due to their age, their airways are shorter than in adults, so mucus with an infection gets into the ears much easier and faster. Running otitis media (and they often pass painlessly) can lead to deafness. In children, the first thing to do before washing the nose is to remove the swelling using vasoconstrictor drops (in a children’s dosage, they can be poisonous!). Then rinse the nose with plain or brackish water. Sprays for adults cannot be used – their jet is strong, it will wash all the mucus with bacteria directly into the ears. The most reasonable thing is to use flushing systems that are sold in pharmacies: the solution is gradually poured into one nostril and flows out of the other, removing all the accumulated mucus.
There is snot – no covid?
– If you have a runny nose, then this is definitely not a coronavirus?
– Nothing like this. A runny nose with coronavirus happens, as it is a respiratory virus. At the same time, nasal congestion or discharge from it is not a specific symptom of a coronavirus infection. That is, a runny nose with COVID-19 may or may not be present. Therefore, it is important not to self-medicate a “cold” at home: see a doctor so that he prescribes the right treatment.