STORY AT-A-GLANCE
According to recent research, gargling and rinsing your nasal passages with saline can ease the respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 and reduce your risk of hospitalization
The hospitalization rate among those gargling and irrigating their sinuses four times a day for 14 days, using 2.13 grams of salt dissolved in 8 ounces of warm water, was 18.5%. Those who used 6 grams of salt had a hospitalization rate of 21.4%. The untreated reference population had a hospitalization rate of 58.8%
Nasal irrigation and gargling with hypertonic saline has also been shown to reduce the duration of the common cold by 1.9 days and reduce transmission within the household by 35% when done within 48 hours of symptom onset
Irrigating your sinuses with povidone-iodine has also been shown to reduce COVID hospitalization rates
Nebulizing hydrogen peroxide may be the most effective strategy of all. In most respiratory infection cases, improvement is seen within a few hours. Some of your immune cells produce hydrogen peroxide to destroy pathogens. By killing the infected cell, viral reproduction is stopped. Hydrogen peroxide therapy aids your immune cells to perform their natural function more effectively