Xlear® Xylitol Nasal Wash
Xlear® (pronounced "clear") is a spray that
washes your nose.
Xlear® contains a saline solution with xylitol,
a natural substance found in many foods and made by cells in
the human body. Xylitol is used commericially to sweeten many
gums. Many countries encourage the use of xylitol in gum because
it reduces tooth decay.
Finish physicians have done excellent studies
showing that chewing 8 sticks of this gum every day reduces
ear infections in children by 40%. They also showed that
a 5% solution of xylitol on cells in the nose releases the attachment
of more than half of the invading bacteria, that are the major
cause of respiratory infections. It's like soap for your nose!
Attachment is what infection is all about. If
bacteria can't become attached there is no infection. When you
wash your hands you wash away bacteria. It's the same with the
nose.
Why wash your nose?
The immune system's first line of defense against
upper respiratory infections is trying to wash out the irritant.
In the nose we sense this as congestion, increased mucus, or
post nasal drip. Helping your immune system with this washing
is a much better response than blocking it with antihistamines
and decongestants, or tuning it off with local steroids.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) says that
hand-washing is the most effective way of reducing communicable
disease. The bacteria don't infect our hands but when we put
our hands to our face they get into our nose. Therefore, it
makes as much sense to wash our nose.
Ear infections in children, and sinus and bronchial
infections in adults usually start from infection in the nose.
Two bacteria,
Streptococcus Pneumoniae and
Haemophilus
Influenzae, cause most of these infections and kill more
than 40,000 people annually in the US, including many children.
Their primary home is in the nose.
A clean nose reduces the need for antibiotics.
The current overuse of antibiotics for upper respiratory infections
is the major cause of antibiotic resistance.
Nasal irritants cause most allergies and are a
major trigger of asthma.
The common cold, which starts in the nose, is
a major cause of time loss from work and school. Even the flu
virus enters the body through the nose.
Who should wash their nose?
Childhood seems to be where most problems start.
Children and the people who deal with them, day care workers
and primary grade teachers, should see the most benefit. People
with chronic problems should benefit.
If the CDC is correct, whoever washes their hands
should wash their nose and this should be a benefit to most
adults as well.
How often should the nose be washed?
It depends on how bad the problem is. Most of
the time adults can get by with two sprays in each nostril twice
a day. If a person has symptoms of congestion you can use it
every fifteen minutes until the congestion clears.
Children in day care who are more prone to ear
infection, or those who have had recurrent ear infections, should
have their noses sprayed before every diaper change. Day care
providers and teachers working with small children are exposed
to more of these bacteria and should use Xlear® more often.
How to use Xlear®
Using the spray is best with the head tilted forward
and the spray aimed back, not up, the nose. Remember the saying,
"When you spray your nose, look at your toes." The bottle
makes a spray held upright, a stream (not recommended) if held
horizontally, and drops if upside down. In a child who fights
the spray, using a few drops is OK. Make sure the child remains
lying down for several seconds after putting drops in their
nose so the solution can drain to the back of the nose where
the more common problems are located.
The most important part of using Xlear® is
to use it regularly. Even when a person does not have symptoms
of congestion, harmful bacteria can be living in the nose. Washing
the nose regularly is just as helpful as washing ones hands
regularly.
Is it safe?
Two sprays in each nostril 2 times a day gives
about 40 mg of xylitol. That is about 250 times less than the
average person makes in their own body every day. It is over
1000 times less than the safe IV dose, and less than a tenth
of the xylitol in an averaged sized plum. But, as stated above,
it is more than double the concentration found to reduce the
harmful, infection causing, bacteria.
Xlear® is not for diagnosis or treatment of asthma,
infection, or any other disease. If you have signs of infection
or asthma, see your Doctor.
