Seawater spray can cure children’s colds

A dose of nasal spray made from seawater from the Atlantic Ocean can ease symptoms of cold in children.While saline washes have long been recommended as the treatment of cold, few people know that seawater can provide the same results. It could be that the salt water has a simple mechanical effect of clearing mucus, or it could be that trace elements in the water play some more significant role, the exact reason why such a solution works is still not known. To assess the efficacy of nasal sea water in relieving symptoms of cold, Czech researchers studies 390 children with uncomplicated cold or flu symptoms. Some of the children were given standard treatments such as nasal decongestants. Others received those same medications plus the saline nasal wash. This study lasted for 12 weeks in the winter of 2006. The children given salt-water spray got it six times a day initially and three times a day in the latter half of the study. The results indicated that the noses of children given the spray were less stuffy and runny the second time they were checked. And eight weeks after the study began, those in the saline group had significantly fewer severe sore throats, coughs, nasal obstructions and secretions than those given standard treatments. Moreover, fewer children in the saline group had to use fever-reducing drugs, nasal decongestants and mucus-dissolving medications or antibiotics. And to add to this further, children who used the salt spray were sick less often and missed fewer school days.Thus, for parents worried about how to treat children's colds, the answer may be a dose of salt water.

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