Many elders remember being told as youngsters to gargle with salt water to avoid getting a cold or sore throat. Well, guess what? Grandma may not have known why this was a good idea scientifically, but generations before her spoke of its effectiveness.
Thanks to Dr. Sandeep Ramalingam and colleagues, we now understand the reason why saline sprayed in the nose and gargled in the throat can kill the common cold virus.
We also know about the cleaning power of bleach and are using it to wipe down surfaces to kill COVID-19. Have you ever wondered why this works? There is a chemical in the bleach which will kill pathogens, including fungus, bacteria and virus. The chemical is called hypochlorous acid. Obviously, it is not safe to inhale or ingest bleach. However, we do have an easy and safe alternative! When we put salt water (hypertonic saline) in our nose and mouth guess what our cells create? You got it, hypochlorous acid!
With this knowledge, Ramalingam and colleagues conducted an experiment. In a 2019 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature, they studied 60 people who had developed a common cold. Interestingly, 25% of these colds were caused by one of the common coronaviruses. Half of the people used salt-water gargles and nasal inhalation and the other half did not. The hypertonic saline users had milder symptoms and the duration of the cold was significantly blunted. More importantly, saline significantly reduced the spread of the virus to others by 35% – a potentially important finding in the context of the new coronavirus (COVID-19). This is likely due to much less movement of the virus from the infected person into the environment.
A somewhat similar study was performed in 400 children 6-10 years old who developed colds and influenza. One-third of the children were treated with conventional medications while the other two-third used nasal saline (sea water) spray. These children were followed for 12 weeks. The children who used nasal saline regularly had quicker resolution of infection and less reappearance of illness.
Want even more exciting news? Another study in 46 adults followed for one year showed using saline nasal rinse daily significantly reduced the incidence of upper respiratory infections.
Our country is taking bold actions to curtail the spread of COVID-19. We should be bold enough to listen to sage advice from our ancestors. Science has shown us WHY Grandma’s remedy is likely to work against COVID-19!
In light of the tremendous transmission rate of COVID-19, it is our recommendation that we follow Grandma’s advice and use saline water gargles and nasal irrigation daily. Within two weeks, Grandmother may be smiling, as she watches a dramatic reduction in the spread of COVID-19.
Ingredients:
To make a smaller batch, use 1 cup of water with one tsp of salt.
How to use:
Go to the website for complete instructions on how to perform nasal irrigation and gargling: http://www.elvisstudy.com/nasal-irrigation-and-gargling.html
Frequency of use:
WHO is right in that there have been no double-blind prospective trials of people with COVID-19 using NaCl to perform hypertonic nasal irrigation and gargling (HSNIG). Respectfully, studies have shown this technique does inhibit common cold viruses, including the coronavirus (HCoV 229E). Waiting for a randomized trial to show this safe, simple, inexpensive therapy is effective for COVID-19 seems overly cautious in light of the current science and danger from the ongoing pandemic.
The research of Ramalingam et. al., published in the journal Nature, has provided the scientific mechanism for the effectiveness of HSNIG. Epithelial cells in the nose and throat produce the substance hypochlorous acid (HOCL). The amount of production is dependent on high levels of chloride. HSNIG provides the necessary chloride to generate concentrations of HCOL to kill viruses enough to mitigate symptoms and the spread to others.
Recent evidence indicates there is significant replication of COVID-19 in the nose and throat during the first five days of symptoms. The research also indicates these new viruses are infectious. This provides an opportunity to curtail the spread by killing these viruses with HSNIG during this initial symptomatic period. It can take days of infection to create enough viral concentration to produce symptoms. Currently, thousands of people have occult infection with COVID-19. They can innocently infect others. Empirically, use of HSNIG by everyone regardless of symptoms could assist in stopping the current pandemic.
The supporting research is provided as PDFs on our website www.baledoneen.com. We invite you to read and make your own assessment.
In short, here are a few highlight statements drawn from the research, which support our recommendation for all Americans to use HSNIG.
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