Saline Rinses May Weaken Immune System
A new study suggests saline solution rinses may lead to sinus infection.
A new study finds that rinsing sinuses with saline solution to relieve congestion or inflammation, may make you more prone to sinus infections, according to an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The study found that among 68 people who irrigated their sinuses at least twice a day for a year, sinus infections decreased by 62 percent once they stopped irrigation.
“By washing the nose, we are removing the bad mucus but, unfortunately, we are also removing the good mucus that contains the antimicrobial agents as well,” Dr. Talal Nsouli, lead author of new research on the issue, told the newspaper. “And, by depleting the nose of its immune elements, we expose the patient to more sinus infections.”
The jury, however, seems to be out. Other experts disagreed with Nsouli’s conclusion arguing that the removal of the mucus is only temporary. “I totally, wholeheartedly disagree with the article,” Dr. Jordan S. Josephson, a sinus specialist with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and author of Sinus Relief Now, told the paper. “I think irrigation is a marvelous thing.”
