[Federalist] Many elders remember being told as youngsters to gargle with saltwater to avoid getting a cold or sore throat. Well, guess what? Grandma may not have known why this was a good idea scientifically, but that doesn’t make it any less effective.We also know about the cleaning power of bleach and are using it to sanitize surfaces amid the coronavirus. Have you ever wondered why this works? A certain chemical, hypochlorous acid (HOCL), in the bleach kills pathogens, including fungus, bacterium, and virus. Obviously, it is not safe to inhale or ingest bleach. However, we do have an easy and safe alternative.
Cells lining the nose and throat can produce HOCL when they are bathed with chloride. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this exposure is using sodium chloride, better known as salt or saline. The more chloride presented to the cells, the more HOCL they generate.
The process was clearly presented in 2018 by Dr. Sandeep Ramalingam and his colleagues, who said, "Antiviral innate immune response in non-myeloid cells is augmented by chloride ions via an increase in intracellular hypochlorous acid levels." Your white blood cells also produce HOCL, which plays a critical role in the initial immune response to a variety of infections, including COVID-19.
By cleansing your sinuses and breathing passages with hypertonic saline, you augment the natural killing mechanisms of your immune system. Theoretically, regular daily hypertonic saline nasal irrigation and gargle (HSNIG) could be a proactive step to kill the coronavirus.
THE SCIENCE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF
Evidence suggests HSNIG is effective with other respiratory viruses. In a 2019 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature, Ramalingam and his colleagues studied 61 people who had developed a common cold. Interestingly, 31 percent of these colds were caused by one of the common coronaviruses.