Everyone may encounter some small accidents in daily life, such as accidentally hurting their fingers while chopping vegetables, or sometimes eye fatigue and dryness, which need to be relieved with a safe, effective, gentle and non-irritating solution.
And all this seems to make the "panacea" in the family medicine box - normal saline become a necessary savior. So, what are the wonders of saline?
In fact, in addition to being widely used in medical scenarios, it can play a great role in our daily life.
01
The magical power of saline in the home
Normal saline is composed of a solution of sodium chloride at a concentration of 0.9%, and because its osmotic pressure is exactly the same as that of human blood, it does not have any adverse effects on the microenvironment of normal cells.
This characteristic of normal saline makes it play many miraculous functions in daily life.
First of all, saline can deal with minor accidents in the family.
Whether it's accidentally cutting your finger while cooking, or your child falls and bruises while playing outside, saline can come in handy in the first place.
It cleans wounds quickly and effectively, helping to remove dirt and bacteria and reducing the risk of infection, while advancing wound healing by balancing the microenvironment around the wound.
In addition, it can also be used for eye discomfort.
When we read and operate on a computer, we can also experience symptoms such as dryness, itching, and foreign body sensation in our eyes.
At this time, saline can play its role in irrigating the eyes, helping to remove foreign bodies in the eyes and reducing irritation to the eyes, which is safer and more effective than directly rinsing with water.
For patients with allergic rhinitis, saline is a big boon.
During pollen season, or in air-conditioned rooms, allergens such as dust mites and pollen can cause nasal congestion and runny nose in patients with allergic rhinitis.
At this time, you can clean the nasal cavity with normal saline, which can effectively relieve the symptoms of nasal congestion, and also has a certain relieving effect on runny nose.
02
Sanitary water water nasal wash caution
Patients with rhinitis need to pay attention to the following points when using normal saline nasal irrigation:
1. Appropriate temperature: When using normal saline to rinse the nasal cavity, the temperature should be around 30 degrees, which can avoid uncomfortable irritation to the nasal mucosa and nerves.
In contrast, using cold water to wash your nose may trigger some uncomfortable symptoms.
Because the sudden temperature difference can irritate the nerves at the base of the skull, some patients may experience discomfort in the nasal mucosa and even headaches.
2. Water pressure: For best results, simply instilling saline will not completely clean the nasal passages.
In fact, a certain amount of water pressure is needed to help flush the dirt out. When performing nasal irrigation, it is important to pay attention to the size of the water flow, not the larger the flow, the better.
Excessive water pressure can cause mucus to flush into the sinuses or eustachian tubes, which can lead to complications.
3. Normal saline is an adjuvant treatment: saline nose washing is only a part of rhinitis treatment, for patients with severe rhinitis, it is only used as an adjuvant treatment, and cannot replace drug treatment.
For patients with mild rhinitis, saline nose washing can be done as part of daily care.
If rhinitis recurs, it is not enough to wash your nose with salt water. Patients also need to visit the hospital for comprehensive treatment according to the doctor's recommendations.
03
Proper preparation and storage of normal saline
Although saline is widely used, we need to pay attention to the following points during self-preparation and storage:
First of all, when preparing saline to clean the nasal passages, it is recommended to use special nasal lavage salts instead of table salts.
Nasal wash salt is usually available in 2.7 g/bag or 4.5 g/bag, and is used to prepare 300 ml and 500 ml nasal wash respectively.
This is because nasal wash salt and table salt are not the same in purity and fineness, and the casual use of table salt may cause allergic reactions.
Secondly, it is also important to choose the source of water for the preparation of normal saline.
Bottled purified water should be chosen instead of tap and mineral water. The pH value of tap water is 6.5-8.5, and it contains many impurities, which cannot meet the requirements of normal saline for "mild".
The minerals in the mineral water may also cause discomfort in sensitive people.
Finally, normal saline should be "ready for use" to avoid long-term storage.
After opening, normal saline may breed bacteria in the general environment, so it is recommended that after opening and using, even if it is not used up, it should be discarded to avoid reuse.
For this reason, we should also choose products in small packages when buying to avoid waste.
Write at the end
In our daily lives, there will always be all sorts of unexpected little situations. Having a bottle of saline solution is like having a bottle of family doctor, which allows us to respond immediately to these emergencies and better protect the health of us and our families. So, go get a bottle of saline solution for your home!