Viruses can take up to ~12 hours to incubate, so regularly washing them out makes sense. And it works! In a Japanese randomized controlled trial involving 387 healthy adults aged 18-65 during the winter season, participants were randomized to simple water gargling, povidone-iodine gargling, or usual care for 60 days. You can read a screenshot of the study below.
Results:
– Water gargling reduced infection rates (cumulative incidence) by 36% compared to other interventions (see diagram below).
– Povidone-iodine gargling showed no significant benefit and damaged pharyngeal tissue
– Water gargling also reduced bronchial symptoms (cough and phlegm) when infection did occur
How to do this
Gargle with approximately 20mL of water for 15 seconds, repeated three times consecutively (discard the gargled water), at least three times daily until you feel you are ‘over the hill’. A general rule of thumb would be to do this after each meal.
Why It Works
Gargling physically washes out pathogens before they can establish infection. For example, the 8-12 hour incubation time of rhinovirus means even intermittent gargling can disrupt viral propagation. This is a critical time to do the time, whenever you are feeling something’s coming or getting that itchy feeling in your throat. You can thank me later!
There are several other easy ways to achieve this, they are not that difficult and can be done together preventatively for maximum efficacy. Contact me asap for a consultation where I show you more evidence-based strategies to reduce the risks severity and shorten duration of viral respiratory infections apart from the water gargling method, in time for the holiday season. Email me or use the contact form below.
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