Benefits of salt water to prevent the flu

If you have the flu and did not want to depend on medicines, salt water gargling was allegedly effective and easy to handle.

When flu strikes, throat usually feels itchy and painful. Gargling with salt water can reduce the symptoms of it. Nasal or respiratory congestion that often arise can also be overcome with salt water gargle.

As reported by the New York Times, the salt solution was able to pull excess fluid in the inflamed tissue in the throat, thus making the pain less.

Dr Philip T Hagen, from the Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies, explains gargling salt water can loosen the mucus is thick and can eliminate irritants such as allergens, bacteria and fungi in the throat.

Salt solution is a liquid so it can draw out excess fluid in the throat area that was inflamed. Not only reduce inflammation, salt also will ease the pain that appears.

The study, published in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers involved nearly 400 participants. The researchers record their health condition for 60 days in winter, since healthy.

A number of participants who had requested cold rinse three times a day with salt water. The group regularly gargle salt water proven to decrease the level of the upper respiratory tract infections by 40%.

According to research, salt water gargling is useful lower bronchial symptoms. This reinforces other studies that found that gargling salt water help a sore throat and clogged.

For best results, according to a team from the Mayo Clinic, dissolve half a teaspoon salt in full glass of warm water. Then gargle with the solution for several seconds.

In a random study in 2005, researchers observed 400 healthy people for 60 days in the flu season. Most participants were asked to gargle three times daily. At the end of the study, the gargling group has a risk of upper respiratory tract infections decreased 40% compared with people who do not rinse.

In addition to reducing the risk of infection, gargling with salt also proved able to make symptoms more mild cough. Other studies mentioned, rinse also helps prevent nasal congestion.

For best results, dissolve half a teaspoon of salt into a glass of warm water and use it to rinse the mouth for a few seconds.

Posted in: health info