Gargling with salt water is a natural way to reduce symptoms of a cold or sore throat, but can it prevent these maladies in the first place?
Keep reading to learn more about what gargling with salt water can do for a cold or sore throat.
What Causes a Common Cold?
The common cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. This virus is spread when you come into contact with droplets in the air that were released by an infected person who has talked, coughed, or sneezed. You can also get the cold virus if you share personal items such as eating utensils and towels with an infected person.
Symptoms of the common cold include a sore throat, congestion, headache, and fever.
What Causes a Sore Throat?
A sore throat is not a condition on its own. It’s typically caused by a viral infection such as the common cold or flu. Other symptoms you may experience with a sore throat include cough, headache, runny nose, fever, and nausea.
How Does Gargling With Salt Water Help a Sore Throat?
Gargling with salt water can often soothe and relieve a sore throat. This natural remedy produces no side effects such as those produced by over-the-counter and prescription medicines.
In addition to reducing the pain caused by a sore throat, gargling with salt water can help remove bacteria from the mouth and throat and prevent pathogens from infecting the throat. It can also help you achieve a healthy pH balance in your mouth that discourages the growth of harmful microorganisms that contribute to disease and infection.
Can Gargling With Salt Water Prevent Illness?
Recent evidence published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests that gargling with salt water can prevent upper respiratory tract infections in addition to reducing their symptoms.
Researchers evaluated the effects of gargling with salt water in 387 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 65. A portion of these individuals gargled with salt water every day for 60 days. By the end of the study, researchers learned that those who had gargled with salt water as a preventive measure were able to avoid developing sore throats and other symptoms of respiratory tract infections.
Prevent Sore Throats and Colds With Gargle Water
Gargle Water® Salt Rinse contains the right blend of salt and purified water that can effectively soothe a sore throat and reduce your risk of developing the common cold or flu. Visit our website today to learn more about our products that can relieve symptoms of viral infections.
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