"While weâre in the middle of the cold and flu season, back-to-back illnesses may be hitting your household hard. Iâm sorry if that is the current POV of your life as a mom right now. However, what if I told you that there may be a simple wayâbacked by researchâto decrease the amount of time your kids are sick with an upper respiratory infection or the common cold? No, this easy solution isnât sorcery, but it may feel like it, especially as a parent. It involves diving into the research of how a type of saline can shorten how long kids are sick. Just one day with a sick kiddoâor twoâunder the weather may sometimes feel like a lifetime. If there is any way to make it feel less than that, then Iâm all ears. The question is deciding if it is for you and your family.
Dr. Meghan Elizabeth Beach Martin (@dr.beachgem10), a mom of four and pediatric emergency medicine physician, recently posted a viral Instagram video breaking down new research study. This study was presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Vienna, Austria, in fall, 2024. Her video breakdown has already been viewed over 3 million times over a two-day time span. With her pediatrician expertise and review, she says this remedy is cheap, easy and low risk. The other cool part? âYou can get better faster and get fewer people sick,â she says.
Editors note: ââThis content is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any medical conditions. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional, your physician or your childâs pediatrician.
The research that can decrease how long your child is sick
Dr. Martin shared that recent research by the ERS concluded that âif you give kids hypertonic saline in their nose a few times a day for about five days, [it] can decrease the amount of time that they are sick by about two days.â Plus, it can also lessen the amount of people who get sick in the home, too. With this insight, letâs break Dr. Martinâs post down:
What is hypertonic saline?
Dr. Martin notes that hypertonic saline is essentially salt water. However, donât start mixing salt and water into your own concoction. Itâs important to know what hypertonic saline actually is. For reference, normal saline is 0.9%. The 0.9% refers to the concentration of salt in the solution. Hypertonic saline is different because it consists of 2.6%, which Dr. Martin adds is âa little more saltâ than what you would find in normal saline. Most importantly, she also adds a disclaimer to never put tap water in your nose and to use distilled or boiled water and make sure itâs cooled off before administering it. If youâre wondering how to make this solution exactly, Dr. Martin doesnât provide an exact recipe with measurements, but she does advise looking for âextra strengthâ saline at your local store and consulting with your childâs primary doctor.
How hypertonic saline was given in the research study
How were kids given this remedy, you ask? Young kids were given three drops in each nostril, four or more times per day until they got well. This randomized controlled trial consisted of 407 kids ranging from the ages of 0 to 6 years old. Dr. Martin reviewed that during the research, âaround 300 of them ended up getting sick. Half of them did the [hypertonic] saline and half of them just did ânormalâ cold and flu stuff.â All-in-all, âThe kids that did [the hypertonic] saline got better in about six days. The other kids got better in about eight days.â
How does hypertonic saline help when you are sick?
When I was a kid, if I had any inkling of a sore throat, my mom always swore by gargling salt water. I never questioned the science behind it. It turns out others had the same experience growing up. One Instagram user, @ajachc, commented, âThis was always mandatory for us when sick growing up! I just had a terrible head cold and my 4 year old was walking around gargling his water like mama đ.â Plus, it was reported that kids who used hypertonic saline in the study had fewer episodes of wheezing, too.
The science behind this nasal saline research explained
The science is that there are cells inside your nose that naturally use the chloride in hypertonic saline to produce what is called âhypochlorous acid.â Hypochlorous acid acts as a defense system to fight any infection. I wonder if I missed this in an episode of The Magic School Bus.
Additionally, a bonus to using nasal saline is that it also helps with nasal congestion by clearing out all that mucus that gives you a stuffy nose. If ground zeroâaka your playroomâlooks like a bomb of tissues hit it, you may be wondering if Dr. Martinâs post is something for you to look into. If youâre interested in finding out more about how this may be beneficial to you and your family during this sick season, you can consult with your doctor on how to properly do it and gain more direction on whether this process is contraindicated or not.
Patty Schepel, Editorial Assistant
As the editorial assistant, Patty works with The Everymomâs team on pitches, creating original articles, updating existing content, photo sourcing, writing shopping product descriptions, inputting freelance articles, and more. When sheâs not working, you can find her spending time with her family, training for half marathonsâshe ran one 16 weeks pregnantâtraveling, cooking, reading a rom-com, and keeping her sourdough starter, Rose, alive.