


Nose Wash: How To Clean Your Nose?
Runny, blocked or congested nose … This is a common problem, which has several origins. It appears following a viral or bacterial infection, or even following an allergic reaction. In any case, it is an unpleasant episode to live. Blowing your nose does not allow you to overcome it and, at best, provides a few minutes of respite. Quality of life and sleep suffers.
Nasal washing with seawater or physiological saline offers a simple solution, without significant side effects, which, if practiced, cleans the nose and improves respiratory comfort.
How to clean your nose? What instruments and products are needed?
Why Wash Your Nose?
We breathe about 12,000 liters of air every day. The air inspired by the nose does not go directly to the lungs but passes through specific anatomical structures.
The air we breathe through the nose first passes through the nostrils. There, eyelashes prevent the entry of insects or large particles. Then, this air circulates in the nasal cavities, complex cavities located behind the nose. These pits communicate with the sinuses, other cavities located around the nose.
All these cavities (sinuses and nasal cavities) are covered with a mucosa comprising cells carrying cilia.
The nasal cavities are open on the pharynx, allowing air to pass to the lungs.
Little is known about the exact process used when cleaning a nose. The mechanical action of water eliminates the mucus produced in excess, or whose composition has changed under the effect of the disease (thickened, it is badly evacuated towards the throat). Water would increase the frequency of eyelash flapping, causing mucus to migrate. This is what makes it effective in case of infection of the upper respiratory tract, such as a cold, or in case of rhinitis.
In addition to its action on the mucus, water drives out impurities and other dust, which is appreciated when one undergoes, for example, the effects of passive smoking. It clears the allergens responsible for inflammation, decreases the mediators of the latter, and, during a cold or flu epidemic, drives bacteria and viruses out of the nasal cavities, preventing infection.
But its benefits don’t stop there. The water used is not neutral. It is generally water with salt added, to which bicarbonate is sometimes added.
Why? Because water should not be used pure. Such water, deposited on the mucous membrane (and this is valid for the skin), attracts to it the minerals of the cells: the skin tries to balance the concentrations between the cells and the water. A water isotonic has a concentration identical to that of the skin. Hypertonic water has a higher concentration than that of skin cells. This is why, to avoid attacking the mucous membranes, the water must be at least isotonic.
The saline, often used for washing the nose, is isotonic.

Allergic Rhinitis: Care And Prevention Measures Against The Disease
Allergic rhinitis is a picture of inflammation of the mucosa of the nasal cavity, caused by an overreaction of the immune system to air allergens. These can come into contact with our body through the inhalation of pollen, smoke, chemicals, dust, food ingestion, medications, skin contact with chemicals such as perfumes, creams, and inoculation of the skin through the sting of insects.
The main symptoms are sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, watery eyes, itchy eyes, nose and palate, sore throat, snoring, cough, and decreased palate and smell. People with other allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic conjunctivitis, and others are at a higher risk of suffering from this disease.
For allergic rhinitis, it is not always easy to avoid the focus of risk, taking into account that the allergic person is usually allergic to several substances at the same time, so the therapeutic action must often be based on the use of medications. The best known and used under the guidance of the attending physician are second-generation antihistamines and the use of corticosteroids for prolonged treatment.
Instead, over-the-counter nasal drops or decongestant sprays should not be used for more than a few days at a time, because resorting to them continuously for a week or more can produce a rebound effect that can worsen the patient’s situation.
Likewise, the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare recommends taking some preventive measures against the disease:
- -Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or the inside of the elbow when coughing or sneezing.
- -Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, mainly after cleaning your nose, before eating food and when entering the house. The use of alcohol gel is an alternative for hand hygiene.
- -Always use disposable tissues.
- -Avoid going to crowded places.
- -In the case of suffering some symptoms, consult a doctor to find out the appropriate treatment that must be carried out.