Will a salt water solution kill bacteria in a head cold?
Just to clarify, a “head cold” is usually caused by a virus, not bacteria, and bacterial and viral infections are treated differently. In addition, salt water solution (saline) will not kill anything, except a person who drinks entirely too much of it. However, saline will help alleviate some of the symptoms of a cold. Let’s ponder this: • When your body realizes it has been exposed to a virus, bacteria, etc., let’s say, in your throat, an inflammatory response begins. This inflammatory response has many components, one of them being swelling. • Swelling is fluid hanging out in places it shouldn’t be. This extra fluid can cause discomfort or pain, or a “sore throat.” • A saline solution helps draw out fluid by way of simple diffusion: things of a higher concentration will diffuse to a lower concentration. In this table below in the first column, imagine that the little blue dots are water in the tissues in your throat, and the blank space below is a saltwater gargle. Over time, the wat
