A London-based doctor has revealed a ‘gruesome’ way to keep your sinuses clear – and it’s actually backed up by the NHS
A doctor has revealed an ‘underused method’ to clear sinuses that might make you squirm. Dr Sermed Mezher, the London-based medic, took to TikTok to share his views, commenting on one clip of a man draining his nose of mucus.
“This is the most underused method for clearing out your nose – look at all he’s getting out here,” he said on his account @drsermedmezher. “It’s called sinus rinse [but] why does it work so well?”
To start, Dr Mezher went into detail on the importance of sinuses. While they are often perceived negatively, these air passages not only filter but also warm and moisten the air we breathe. Essentially, they act a little like nightclub bouncers, deciding what air does and doesn’t make it to the lungs.
“The ambient air can be quite cold, dry and full of allergens and that can be quite harsh on the lungs if it goes straight in there,” Dr Mezher continued. “So, when it takes an alternative route through the sinuses, it helps to be warmed, humidified and cleaned to make it high quality once it hits your breathing pipes.
“But the air also contains bacteria and if they take hold in one of these little pockets, it’s very hard to get rid of them.” An accumulation of bacteria can often escalate into sinusitis.
While symptoms often resolve themselves within four weeks, the condition isn’t exactly pleasant, causing a dulled sense of smell and sometimes a runny nose with green or yellow mucus. The Mayo Clinic notes that hay fever sufferers are more prone to this infection, but a good sinus rinse might just ease the discomfort.
Dr Mezher continued: “Now, most people, when they get sinusitis, they think of doing things like steroid sprays and decongestants… And, when you spray, that’s alright, it can increase the size of this canal that opens into the sinus, but it’s much better to actually just wash them out and you can use that together with steroid sprays.
“Also if you give antibiotics, it can help kill the bacteria, but unless this fluid is gone, it’s easy to get re-infected.” If you are keen to try a sinus rinse, the NHS recommends using a homemade salt water solution for the best results.
Its simple guide, as reported by the Mirror, is set out below.
Method to cleaning your sinuses with salt water:
- Boil a pint of water and leave this to cool down
- Add one teaspoon of salt and another teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
- Cup your palm and pour a small amount of the solution into it
- Sniff this into one nostril at a time while breathing through your mouth. Allow the water to pour back into the sink and try not to let it go down your throat
- Repeat this three times a day until your nose feels more comfortable
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