i dont see the reason why gargling with salt water would help, and i think that salt is way to big to make one-celled bacteria explode, but the fact that it could break up mucus and other stuff is reasonable
Bluemoonz, increased salt concentrations does indeed kills the bacteria, because they are not adapted to a more saline environment. Doing it just once wouldn’t help, but regular salt gargling could indeed get rid of the problem.
This is, um, oversimplified and/or backward. Salt water kills bacteria, but not by making them explode. The salt water technique uses osmosis to your advantage. The warm salty water outside the bacterium’s cell membrane is oversaturated with salt, and it needs more water. Water from inside the cell will osmose through the cell wall toward the salty water. This leaves the bacterium dehydrated, and it dies.
This is also how pickling preserves food.
This is, um, oversimplified and/or backward. Salt water kills bacteria, but not by making them explode. The salt water technique uses osmosis to your advantage. The warm salty water outside the bacterium’s cell membrane is oversaturated with salt, and it needs more water. Water from inside the cell will osmose through the cell wall toward the salty water. This leaves the bacterium dehydrated, and it dies.
This is also how pickling preserves food.
I’m curious how one irrigates the sinuses… I have sinus problems, and so does a good friend of mine. Do you just squirt a syringe of salt water up your nose? How do you do that exactly?
I used to just sniff it up into my nostrils.
Salt water clears a congested nose, along with the other benefits. I also gargle with Listerine.
Nose Better[sup]TM[/sup] can be used in and around the nostrils to quickly clear the nasal passages.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by AskNott *
**This is, um, oversimplified and/or backward. Salt water kills bacteria, but not by making them explode. The salt water technique uses osmosis to your advantage. The warm salty water outside the bacterium’s cell membrane is oversaturated with salt, and it needs more water. Water from inside the cell will osmose through the cell wall toward the salty water. This leaves the bacterium dehydrated, and it dies.
This is also how pickling preserves food. **[/QUOTE
Out of all the different variations, I think AskNott is right.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by AskNott *
**This is, um, oversimplified and/or backward. Salt water kills bacteria, but not by making them explode. The salt water technique uses osmosis to your advantage. The warm salty water outside the bacterium’s cell membrane is oversaturated with salt, and it needs more water. Water from inside the cell will osmose through the cell wall toward the salty water. This leaves the bacterium dehydrated, and it dies.
This is also how pickling preserves food. **[/QUOTE
Out of all the different variations, I think AskNott and AHunter3 are right. Since this is true, I’ve also been told that sugar water has the exact same effect. The reason that salt water was so popular was because mothers didn’t want their sick children to simply drink down the sugar water. I’ve never tried this, but if somebody could I’d like them to reply.
How much salt do you put in the water?
At last, something I know something about! Been lurking on the DopeBoard for a spell, mostly learning…
A sinus specialist in NYC gave me a plastic bottle, much like a dish detergent bottle, same type of top. It has a length of plastic tubing stuck into the bottom of the top that runs nearly to the bottom of the bottle. You fill it partway with the solution, screw the top on, stick the nozzle to your nostril, & squeeze while inhaling GENTLY thru your nose. Preferably over a sink! It can get messy.
It takes a few tries before you get the right combination of strength of inhalation & squeeze. When you do, the stuff goes up that nostril. You generally have to blow your nose (GENTLY) and/or spit after one snort up each nostril. Not a pretty process, but it works. You do it until when you snort it up one nostril, the nasal passages are so clear that it runs down the other nostril.
I do not know what to call this bottle thing, but it was manufactured for this specific purpose, it came in a labeled bag with instructions which I have long since thrown out. (Yes, I’ve been using the same bottle for almost a decade now.) I would imagine that a retail medical supply outfit would have them.
Believe me, this offers a LOT of relief. I’d had chronic sinusitis & periodic sinus infections for years, no surgery was indicated, nothing physically abnormal about my sinuses. This is the single best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten on the subject. Before I went to that specialist, I was getting sinus infections almost every 2 months, since then they show up maybe twice a year.
Oh yes, some words about the saline solution, which you have to make yourself:
You need to fine pure salt, no additives - not iodized kitchen salt! I was told either sea salt or kosher, never could find sea salt without additives so have stuck with the kosher. And use distilled water. It’s approx 3 tsp of salt to a quart of water, you’ll find how much salt you’re comfortable with after a few tries. Also add about 1/8 tsp baking soda to make the solution less irritating. Boil the water in a pan, dump in the salt & baking soda, & stir till the solution turns clear again, it’s quick.
Finally, it’s much easier on the nose to do this with warm - not hot - solution. I know how much to pour into a small pan by eye at this point for each dose. Just warm it gently & pour it into the bottle, if it’s too hot, easy enough to cool down by holding the bottle under a cold tap for a few seconds.
Good luck! This may sound like a lot of bother but if your sinus problems are bad it’s really worth it.
Can I just say it was much, much nicer to think of the bacteria exploding rather than doing some scientific osmosis thing.
I realise we are fighting ignorance, but some myths are just too nice to smash 
Oh well someone has already covered it but I questioned the credibility of this source after getting the direction of the gradient wrong as well as saying that the country known for using “pots” for nasal irrigation was China. It’s actually a yogic practice (Neti) and is obviously more often associated with India.
I do the nasal irrigation/lavage thing all the time with a Neti pot:
http://www.nutraceutic.com/Products/Ayurveda/AncientSecrets/ancientsecretsnetipot.htm
Here is more about it:
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/8513/34968/358834.html?d=dmtContent
My husband went to the urgent care clinic for a sore throat once, and the doctor told him to gargle with hot salt water with two crushed ibuprofen tablets stirred in. After you gargle, though, you need to (ick) swallow it. This works, but it tastes absolutely disgusting. My husband and I refer to this as “The Cure”.
Well, unless viruses have evolved cell walls and cytoplasm since I last checked, the osmotic effect of salt water on a cold will not be as effective as promised here
Don’t know if they will work with viruses, but it does work with bacteria that affect the throat and cause the sore throats.
To, anybody, really, what if you have high blood pressure and the doc has told you to cut out the salt? If you gargle and spit, won’t some salt be left in your mouth to swallow? Otherwise, it sounds like a good cure for sore throats.
I remember instructions to swish gently with salt water after a tooth extraction too.
Oh, and, thank you ghostrider. I’m printing that post out.
Why do that? Why not get a sterile saline nasal spray? They do work.
**Other Nasal Cleansing Thingies **
Neti Pots
If you don’t want to pay anywheres from $15 - 25 bucks for a nasal tea pot, you can go the cheap route and take an old Afrin nasal thingie, empty of the stuff that came with it, fill with warm salty water and use over a sink or in the shower.
Another option, for those who suffer from weather related sinus problems ( moi) , and this is entirely TMI, but must be shared as *it has helped me considerably ** is doing a fascia massage in your nostrils.
Essentially, depending on the size of your finger ( pinkie works best for me) in a hot shower, gently stick your finger up your nostril and rub the walls of your nose. It will seem weird at first, but *Aunt Shirley Tells No Lies * it will give you sinus relief. Make sure you do both sides.
If you are not totally squeemish, you could always try swallowing gauze and then letting it rest in your stomach long enough to absorb the acids and then (gag) pull it back up.
Welcome **ghostrider ** It is nice that you can make an intelligent, informed contribution in your first post!
I have yet to acheive such an honor, but it ain’t from a lack of trying!