You can make a saline solution at home.
Wound irrigation is imperative to wound care because it creates an environment optimal for healing. Irrigation is done to remove debris or necrotic tissue, to clean the wound and to make it easier for your clinician to examine it. Saline water is water that contains dissolved salts. Using sterile saline water to irrigate wounds is one of the most common cleansing methods used by hospitals because it’s a nontoxic isotonic solution. According to The Journal of Athletic Training, it’s gentle enough to not damage healing tissues and neither adds nor takes fluid from the wound bed. There’s no issue of possible allergies to this cleaning solution and it doesn’t alter the bacterial flora responsible for repairing damaged skin.
History of saline water in healing
Salt is a natural element that’s been used for centuries to aid in healing, wounds and otherwise. The therapeutic uses have been recorded in both ancient Egyptian and Roman history. Hippocrates made medicines containing salt after realizing the reparative nature of seawater on fishermen’s hands, and Renaissance doctors recommended salt baths for patients with skin diseases.
The use of saline today
Saline water is usually used to cleanse wounds in a professional setting. However, several studies have found that the rate of infection in wounds irrigated with tap water wasn’t any higher than in wounds irrigated with saline water. Tap water should not be used in significantly deep wounds, like when bone or tendon is exposed. Swabbing, bathing or irrigating with saline water, depending on your doctor’s recommendations for your specific type of wound has been consistently effective in managing both acute and chronic wounds.
Make your own saline solution
Whether you have wounds or not, it is handy to have saline solution in the house. It’s better to use on minor injuries than hydrogen peroxide and it’s even been proven to promote mouth health. According to a British Dental Journal Study, heating saline water before treating a mouth sore produces a therapeutic increase in blood flow and promotes healing in the mouth as well. Just combine a cup of tap water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and boil it. Don’t use iodized or table salt. The structure of iodized salt has been altered through all of the processing that it goes through and many benefits that pure salt has have been processed out of it.
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