Nasal washing unclogs the nose and helps treat respiratory diseases; understand

The arrival of winter causes not only a colder thermal sensation, but is accompanied by a series of diseases that have nasal congestion as a symptom, such as flu, colds, infections, rhinitis, sinusitis, rhinosinusitis, among others.

According to data from the ABORL-CCF (Brazilian Association of Otorhinolaryngology and Cervico-Facial Surgery), the drop in temperature increases the rate of respiratory diseases by about 40%.

Once the respiratory symptoms are installed, there is that feeling of discomfort caused by the shortness of breath in the nostrils, which worsens at night. As a result, sleep is worse, mouth is dry, a runny nose and even irritation become more common at this time of year.

Experts say that sleeping with your mouth open due to nasal congestion, in children, affects the development of the facial bones, growth, decreases learning, causes difficulty in concentration, changes food, causes restlessness, drowsiness and irritability.

Already in adults, snoring is one of the main consequences of breathing through the mouth due to nasal congestion. “Snoring is not something that should be tolerated, as well as mouth breathing. It is necessary to seek a doctor”, warns the otolaryngologist Pablo Marambaia.

To treat nasal congestion, Marambaia, who is a member of the Technical Chamber of ENT of the Regional Council of Medicine of Bahia, recommends that nasal lavage be carried out with the use of saline solution, without contraindication.

The most frequent situations in which ENTs indicate nasal lavage are to assist in the treatment of allergic and non-allergic rhinitis, which are acute infectious processes caused by viruses and acute or chronic bacterial infections.

Syringes, sprays, cleaners and neti pots are some of the instruments that can be used to clear the nose. The accessories are recommended by both Marambaia and the president of ABORL-CCF, Renato Roithmann.

“There are several ways to do the washing, from simple sprays with solution sold in pharmacies to washing in larger volumes, with saline solution”, guides Roithmann. “It depends on the clinical situation of the patient”, continues the president.

But in times when several videos go viral on the internet with tips on how to wash, including babies who squirt water through their nostrils like an open hose, Marambaia makes an alert.

“A lot is said today about washing with large amounts of serum, but the volume must be adequate to the size of the patient”, he says. “On social networks, we see small children who are washed with a lot of volume”, she points out.

Marambaia explains that overdosing can affect the ear tube connection, which connects the nose to the ear. “When you exaggerate, especially in children, there is a risk of the serum going into the ear and causing inflammation”, she warns.

In Roithmann’s assessment, high-volume lavage is considered when more than 60 ml of saline is placed in each nasal cavity. “Which is mostly recommended only for cases of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis,” she notes.

For Marambaia, the ideal is to apply 5ml of serum in each nostril of children and up to 20ml in adults. “It’s good that the serum is heated a little, to stay at body temperature. Everything that is cold harms the nose’s defense mechanism, such as mucus production,” she says.

The president also advises that pressure should not be applied during washing, in addition to leaving the mouth open while washing in high volume. “This way, the liquid enters through one nostril and leaves through the other. This is an important detail”, he informs.

The use of decongestant drops for more than five days is not recommended by either of the two specialists, at the risk of the patient developing rhinitis caused by the medication itself, which can also cause chemical dependence.

“The drops provide momentary relief, but the drug itself creates the need to use it again,” warns Roithmann.

“We do not encourage the use because it can cause the nose to become addicted only to decongest with the medicine”, concludes Marambaia.