Gargling saltwater multiple times a day studied as way to fight coronavirus in UK
Gargling repeatedly with salt water is being studied in the United Kingdom as a means of speeding up recovery from the highly contagious COVID-19 virus.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland have theorized “a simple salt water solution (could) help to reduce the early symptoms and progression” of the virus and they are seeking infected test subjects to prove it.
The catch is, those volunteers will be expected to perform the procedure a lot — up to 12 times a day for two weeks. That’s the equivalent of gargling or washing out your nasal passages with salt water every two hours.
COVID-19 has infected nearly 9.5 million globally and caused more than 480,000 deaths as of June 25, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The benefits of gargling saltwater (or vinegar and water) to “ward off or drive out” COVID-19 were disputed early in the pandemic as “false medical advice,” according to Snopes.com.
However, the latest study (called ELVIS COVID-19) it not about preventing or curing it, the experts say.
“This study is to find out if nasal washout (i.e. irrigation) and gargling with salt water (hypertonic saline) helps individuals with COVID-19 get better faster,” according to a statement issued to the volunteers.
“Preliminary data from those with the common cold has found that nasal washouts and gargling with salty water may be helpful in reducing the length of the illness. We do not however know if this same benefit is also seen in those with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.”
Despite being optimistic about the potential, the researchers are warning there is “a remote possibility” repeated saline nasal washouts and gargling saltwater could increase the spread of the virus.
Only infected people age 18 or over are being allowed to participate in the trials, which allow for the use of table salt or sea salt (maximum 250 grams). There will be both an intervention group and control group in the study for outcome comparisons, the researchers said in the report.
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 11:51 AM with the headline "Gargling saltwater multiple times a day studied as way to fight coronavirus in UK."