It has been a hot few weeks in Southern California. I have seen a ton of patients with complaints relating to their nose and sinuses. I thought I would share a bit of information.
The job of the nose is to warm and humidify the air we breathe. It also filters out particulate matter and prevents it from entering our lungs. Just the mere fact that we live in Southern California means our noses are bombarded with pollution and dust on a regular basis. When the lining to the nose is exposed to the pollution, dust, or allergens, it becomes swollen in order to bring immune cells to the surface. This leads to nasal congestion and increased mucus production. One of the best things that can be done for this is to help rinse the nose clean on a daily basis. Salt water spray is a fantastic way to keep the nose healthy. It also will improve the sinus drainage and my help prevent some infections and nose bleeding.
I think everyone who lives in this type of climate should be using a salt water nasal spray on a daily basis. There is no upper limit on how much to use and there are really no downsides.