Treatment of sinusitis in any form involves the mandatory adoption of measures to evacuate the secretion secreted by the mucous membranes of the maxillary sinuses. Without this, the healing process can be delayed for a long time, and the transition of the disease to a chronic stage is also possible. Considering that only a small part of sinusitis is treated in inpatient conditions, rinsing the nose with sinusitis at home becomes an important part of therapy. At the same time, it is important to know what and how to rinse your nose for maximum effect.
How to rinse your nose at home
Regular rinsing of the nasal cavity, regardless of the state of the body, is a very useful procedure, it helps to improve hearing, eliminate hoarseness and relieve nasal congestion. It is described in Ayurveda - Indian traditional medicine, it is used by yogis to purify the mind and body.
In the case of sinusitis, irrigation can ease the symptoms of the disease, thin mucus and remove it from the sinuses and nasal passages. Rinsing tones up the capillary system, enhances the protective function of the epithelium, and reduces swelling. You can rinse your nose with sinusitis using various devices:
- a special ceramic or metal teapot "jala-neti";
- small syringe;
- a medical syringe with a volume of 10 or 20 cubic millimeters with the needle removed;
- special irrigation devices that are sold in pharmacies complete with solutions.
You can simply draw the solution into the palm of your hand and suck it in with your nose, and then tilt your head back for a few seconds. This will be enough to irrigate the nasopharynx and moisturize the mucous membranes.
Irrigation can be carried out for adults and children, pregnant women and people with chronic ailments, there are no contraindications. However, the effectiveness of this method of therapy is low in people with overgrown polyps or a deformed nasal septum. This is due to the impossibility of normal circulation of fluid in the voids.
Pressure gargling is not recommended for babies, as fluid can enter the windpipe and cause choking. Another possible problem is the leakage of solution with infected mucus into the Eustachian tube. The auditory tube in a child is anatomically wide and short, so it is very vulnerable. Disease-causing bacteria through the Eustachian tube enter the middle ear, causing acute otitis media. A teapot for children is the best option. Although adults are less likely to do this, they should not create a lot of pressure when feeding the fluid.
Irrigation procedure
Despite the use of various solutions and devices, the nose is washed at home using the same procedure. It is important that the patient, especially if it is a child, is not afraid of the procedure. To obtain a good result, the child should voice all subsequent actions and carry them out calmly and without haste.
- The liquid should flow freely through the nasal passages, therefore, before starting the manipulation, you need to blow your nose to clear the nose of accumulated mucus and dried crusts. With severe tissue swelling, 10 minutes before the start, sprays or drops with a vasoconstrictor effect are used.
- All actions are performed over the sink or bowl. Correct position of the patient - the head is tilted forward and turned to the side so that one nostril is higher than the other.
- The medicinal solution is poured into the upper nostril and out through the lower nostril. Then the head is tilted to the other side, and the whole procedure is repeated once more. In this case, you need to breathe through your mouth often. It is not necessary to supply water under strong pressure - this causes pain and threatens complications. Also, you can not deeply insert the tip of a syringe or syringe into the nostril, so as not to scratch the mucous membrane. Ideally, the patient himself should rinse himself, listening to his feelings.
- At the first attempts, part of the infused may fall into the throat, it is better to spit it out, with experience all the water will come out through the nasal passage. It is possible to separate the oropharynx from the nasopharynx with a soft palate if during the infusion it is possible to say "cuckoo" or "and-and-and" quietly. Half a glass of liquid is enough to flush one sinus. The procedure is usually repeated twice or thrice during the day until complete recovery.
- To avoid discomfort, the liquid should be approximately equal to body temperature and definitely cannot be higher than 40 degrees.
- After the rinse is complete, sit, leaning forward to let the water drain from the sinuses, and then blow your nose.
Some experts suggest a slightly different principle of irrigation. They advise, throwing your head back and sideways and pinching one nostril with your finger, pour water from a glass into the other, and then spit it out through your mouth. In this case, the solution does not flow simultaneously through both nasal passages. Such a technique is considered by them to be safer from the point of view of the non-proliferation of bacteria with unilateral sinusitis, but it is unacceptable for children who may choke.
At the end of irrigation, the mucous membrane is well cleared of exudate and is most susceptible to the action of drugs. Therefore, after it, as a rule, actions are carried out according to the recipes of traditional medicine (lubrication with ointments, laying turunda with medications, instilling infusions).
Medicinal solutions for rinsing the nose with sinusitis
After choosing a device and studying the method of irrigation, the patient faces another dilemma - how to rinse his nose with sinusitis at home. Here, modern traditional and folk medicine offer a rich selection of various remedies for every taste. It remains only to choose for yourself whether to use a simple saline solution, buy a remedy in a pharmacy, or prepare an herbal collection yourself.
The easiest method is therapeutic sinus irrigation with 0.9% saline (sodium chloride and water).
This salt concentration makes the resulting solution closest to the natural fluids of the human body, its osmotic pressure is the same as that of human blood. Physiological saline is widely used in medical practice; it can be purchased inexpensively at any pharmacy.
At home, saline is easy to prepare yourself. It is enough to dilute half a teaspoon of simple rock salt in a glass of warm boiled water. Sometimes table salt is sold not pure enough, with mechanical impurities. In order for no solid particles to remain, the solution must be allowed to settle for a couple of minutes, and then filtered. More than necessary, you should not throw salt. The effect of the drug will not increase from this, and the mucous membrane can be burned.
You can also safely use the iodized product or buy sea salt at the pharmacy. If the patient experiences a burning sensation or pinching during irrigation, then you need to reduce the concentration of the solution by adding a little water to it. Baking soda (no more than 2.5 g), added to the prepared saline solution, enhances the mucolytic effect of the liquid, reduces swelling and inflammation, and also improves the drainage of the maxillary sinuses.
Among the pharmaceuticals, the most popular and inexpensive ones are:
- Furacilin. Well suited for the weakening of inflammatory and purulent processes characteristic of maxillary sinusitis. It has a pronounced antiparasitic and antimicrobial effect, liquefies thick mucus.In the pharmacy, furacilin is sold in the form of a ready-made solution or tablets. For irrigation, one tablet of medicine is dissolved in one glass of warm water, it is important that no grains remain.
The solution should have a moderate yellow color. However, people with kidney disease are better off looking for another remedy. - Potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate). A standard saline solution is prepared, to which several crystals of potassium permanganate are added (the color of the water should be light pink). Potassium permanganate stops the reproduction of microbes.
- Iodine. 2 drops of iodine are pipetted into the saline solution and mixed. Fights germs. For greater efficiency, you can alternate rinsing with iodine and with potassium permanganate.
The solution should have a moderate yellow color. However, people with kidney disease are better off looking for another remedy.Infusions and decoctions from natural raw materials
Many plants and beekeeping products have this natural ability to fight pathogens, relieve inflammation and restore mucous membranes. To prepare the necessary irrigation product, you do not need to walk through the fields and harvest herbs. Most of them are sold in pharmacies in dried form or in the form of alcoholic tinctures.
It is easy to prepare effective preparations for rinsing the nose at home, there is nothing complicated about it. The main condition is to know which components the patient may have an allergy or individual intolerance to. In this case, it is better to replace this component with another one.
The most popular and effective folk recipes based on natural raw materials:
- Pharmaceutical chamomile. One tablespoon of dried chamomile flowers is placed in an enamel (or glass) dish and 200 ml of boiling water is poured. You need to insist for 30 minutes, then strain. The broth cooled to body temperature is poured into the nostrils 3-4 times a day. The flavanoids present in this plant help to relieve pain, soothe and regenerate mucous membranes, and relieve allergic edema.
- Propolis. A very active product of beekeeping. It has many useful properties, in particular, it removes toxins from the body, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, fights microbes, enhances local blood circulation, and relieves pain. To prepare the drug, you just need to add 15 drops (half a teaspoon) of 10% alcohol propolis tincture to a warm saline solution. To obtain a 10% infusion, it is enough to mix the propolis crushed into powder with ethyl 96% alcohol in a ratio of 1:10 and insist the resulting emulsion for a week in a cool, dark place.
Vegetable and berry juices. For the rinsing procedure, you need to use only freshly squeezed juices in a 1: 3 ratio with saline. A good result is shown by juices of onions, red beets, black currants, cranberries, carrots. After 10-15 minutes, it is recommended to rinse the nasopharynx again with plain warm water.- Decoctions of various medicinal herbs. You can prepare a product using a single plant, or you can combine them in different versions. The brewing method is the same as for chamomile: one tablespoon of dry herb or collection in a glass of boiling water. To enhance the effect of natural ingredients on the body, many experts advise to alternate rinsing with decoctions of different herbs during the day.
Vegetable and berry juices. For the rinsing procedure, you need to use only freshly squeezed juices in a 1: 3 ratio with saline. A good result is shown by juices of onions, red beets, black currants, cranberries, carrots. After 10-15 minutes, it is recommended to rinse the nasopharynx again with plain warm water.You can take a simpler path and not waste time preparing decoctions from dry raw materials. The pharmacy sells powders and infusions of herbs and various natural minerals. Among them, the most common:
- Malavit, an alcohol solution based on natural components of the Gorno-Altai Territory. It includes herbs, resins, balms, active compounds of chemical elements, mummy. 7-8 drops in half a glass of water.
- Elekasol, a powder consisting of grated plants of a string, licorice, chamomile, calendula, sage, eucalyptus. 4 g of powder is brewed with a glass of boiling water for 15 minutes.
- Rotokan, a water-alcohol solution of extracts of chamomile, calendula and yarrow. One teaspoon of the product is dissolved in 250 ml of liquid.
