Should I mix salt water to gargle?

My mother often buys salt grains to mix with salt water to gargle. She thinks that salty salt water is good, it helps kill bacteria, while physiological saline is too bland and has no effect.

Is it advisable to make your own salt water to gargle regularly? (Ly Lan, 35 years old, Binh Duong )

Reply:

Salt contains mainly sodium chloride (NaCl), which helps limit the growth and destroy many types of bacteria and viruses. Gargling with salt water regularly can prevent many respiratory diseases, reduce sore throat, balance the pH of the mucosa and the mucus layer on the surface of the throat mucosa. Keeping the nose and throat clean can create a "block" to prevent many harmful agents from reaching the lower respiratory tract.

Salt water for gargling can be mixed at home in a ratio of about 1/2 teaspoon of salt to 250 ml of clean water. The water can be filtered water or boiled water that has cooled. The salt should be pure. Some people think that gargling with salty salt water is good, helping to kill bacteria; physiological saline that is too weak has no effect, which is incorrect.

The habit of estimating the amount of salt and then mixing it into water and gargling every day is not good for your health. If the salt is too salty, it can affect the throat lining, unbalance the pH of the throat area, and long-term use can easily cause dryness and irritation. People with electrolyte disorders and high blood pressure (common in the elderly) should be careful when mixing salt water to gargle at home. If the salt water is too diluted, it will not have an antiseptic effect.

Clean salt for gargling. Photo: Freepik — Clean salt for gargling. Photo: *Freepik*

It is better for families to choose pre-mixed saline solution, which is available at pharmacies. Because homemade saline solution may not be clean, it is difficult to achieve the appropriate concentration such as 0.9% sodium chloride saline solution. 0.9% sodium chloride is also known as isotonic saline solution, meaning that in 100 ml of solution there is 0.9 g of salt; equivalent to the concentration of human body fluids including blood, tears... in a state of normal physiological activity. Physiological saline solution is prepared at pharmaceutical companies that ensure production conditions, including sterility, so it is safe for health.

Currently, pharmacies sell some types of medical saline in pill form and instructions on how to mix it yourself at home. If your mother does not use a bottle of pre-mixed saline, you can also buy her this homemade saline for better health benefits. The saline should only be mixed enough for one gargle, and used immediately after mixing. If you mix more, put it in a jar with a lid and store it in a cool place, avoid keeping it for more than 3 days. Your mother can gargle with saline about 2-3 times, do not gargle too much to avoid affecting the throat area.

MSc.MD.CKI Nguyen Thi Thuc Nhu
ENT Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City

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