A person’s nasal passages perform several functions at once. This is the heating, moisturizing and purification of the inhaled air. Moreover, the air is cleaned not only from dust, but also from some types of microbes. Under normal conditions, the nose performs its filtration function perfectly, but under the influence of adverse factors, the efficiency of functioning can be significantly reduced.
The most common reasons for this to occur are excessive dust pollution and colds, leading to nasal congestion, as well as chronic rhinitis (runny nose). You can help your nose cleanse and restore its natural barrier function by washing your nose at home.
The technique that allows you to rinse your nose at home is quite simple. There are several ways to do this. But the preparation of the nasal passages for each of them has a common basis. First of all, it is necessary to maximally clear the nose of accumulated mucus. But it's still not worth blowing your nose too much, since in this case it may get under pressure into the middle ear with the development of inflammation. For this reason, in no case should you blow your nose with your fingers or a handkerchief. It is better to simply remove with a strengthened exhalation what is possible and drip into the nose, before washing at home, a few drops of vasoconstrictive nasal drops (based on naphthyzine, galazolin, etc.). The washing liquid must be isotonic (slightly brackish), since absolutely fresh water causes unpleasant sensations when washing the nose at home.
Washing the nose at home can be carried out by independently drawing in salted water with the nose, for a certain peculiarity this is often called the “yoga method”. Of course, a certain skill is required here, but it can be acquired very quickly.
For those who do not want to exercise, rinsing the nose at home can be done according to another method, for which you will need a container known in medicine as Esmarch's mugs, sold in any pharmacy. This, in fact, is an ordinary funnel made of plastic or metal with a rubber tube, crowned with a tip at the output end, and a valve for regulating the fluid flow. The tip needs to be slightly adapted along the width of the nasal passage by wrapping, for example, a piece of bandage on it. Ideally, it should be in the form of an olive, and if there is a need for repeated washing for a long time (with chronic sinusitis, for example), then it makes sense to make it to order. For an adult, the diameter in the initial part of the olive should be about 10 mm, and in the wide part about 20 mm.
When the valve is closed, the container is filled with liquid in the amount necessary for the procedure and the prepared tip is inserted into the nasal passage to a depth of 2-3 cm. The head is tilted above the sink, the nostrils are free down, so that after bending the septum in the nose, the liquid flows freely without getting into the throat. The container itself is lifted and the crane is opened.
In addition to a simple saline solution in the presence of a chronic focus of inflammation (sinusitis, sinusitis), you can use a furatsillinovy solution (1 tablet per 200 ml of water) or decoctions of chamomile, calendula. Of folk remedies, especially for colds, you can use fresh onion juice diluted with salted water for about 1: 10. But you must first check the sensitivity of the nasal mucosa. To do this, first drop 1-2 drops of the prepared solution into the nose and make sure for 3-4 minutes that there is no strong burning sensation.
In any case, before performing a nose wash at home, it is necessary to consult an ENT doctor about the possibility of this procedure, since there may be contraindications to it.