Why gargling is more important now than ever
Expert opinion:
“Both the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement and the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommend gargling with salt water to soothe sore throats. According to the ACS, regular use of saltwater gargles can help keep the mouth clean and prevent infections, particularly in people undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy.”
“In East Asia, especially Japan, gargling is strongly encouraged by the national government, along with other practices like hand-washing, wearing face masks, and social distancing, as a matter of routine hygiene during the regular cold and flu season. Most of the early studies suggesting that gargling may help to prevent and treat upper and lower respiratory infections, not surprisingly, come from Japan.”
“A 2005 study by the Mayo Clinic used a test group of 400 people split into two groups. One group was asked to gargle salt water three times a day. The other group was not. After a test run of 60 days during flu season, the group of people who used salt water gargle saw a 40 percent decrease in upper respiratory tract infections compare to the other group.”
"You’re creating a high-salt barrier and you’re pulling out a lot of fluids from the tissues in the throat area, so you’re washing the virus out. The salt functions as a magnet for water. It’s good for symptomatic relief.… But, it certainly not going to cure a viral infections.” Sorana Segal-Maurer, MD, chief of the Dr. James J. Rahal Jr. Division of Infectious Disease at New York Hospital Queens
What about Coronavirus?
Gargling will not cure the coronavirus. Coronavirus is thought to remain in the throat for four days before it reaches the lungs. Drinking lots of hot water and gargling is not proven to eliminate the virus. In fact, as many as 25% of the people tested positive could be asymptomatic. So, we might not even know when we contracted the virus. Given this, why gargling is still helpful?
Similar to hand washing, it is not a cure for the coronavirus. But, it can cut down the risk. A 2006 study found that hand washing can cut the risk of respiratory infection by 16 percent and a 2008 study showed a 21 percent reduction. For gargling, we don’t have the data to know with certainty and we don’t want people to falsely believe that gargling is the way to prevent coronavirus.
Anecdote
We notice older healthy people who gargles daily is coughing less in the morning due to mucous buildup overnight. We also notice they do feel better if they gargle regularly. While we can’t quantify this yet, we will continue to collect data.
Our take
While there is no conclusive scientific proof that gargling prevents respiratory infections, there isn’t much downside to it. But, the benefits are compelling from soothing sore throats, preventing gingivitis, maintaining proper pH level, clearing respiratory tract, to reducing inflammation. A salt water gargle can thin the sore throat causing mucus build-up in our respiratory tract and nasal cavity. If we are washing our hands daily, shouldn’t we do the same with our mouth?
Gargling Mix
By B&B
Ingredients:
Himalayan Pink Salt
All natural baking soda
Organic Turmeric
Organic Ginger
Organic Lemongrass
Organic Cinnamon
Usage:
Twice daily (morning and night time)
Benefits:
Anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial.
For more information, please sign up and we will reach out to you with more details.