By Archana Sharma

Jaipur, Mar 15 (IANS): A hospital in Jaipur has been recommending the ancient practice of Jal Neti to help its staff escape the clutches of Covid-19 and has been successful to an extent.

Elaborates Dr. Virendra Singh, chest expert with Rajasthan Hospital, "We have a 100-member staff in our Covid facility, while our non-Covid facility had 200 members. Even as just one staff was infected in our Covid ward, a total of 20 employees were infected by Covid in the non-Covid ward," he informed.

The Covid ward staff members were taught the art of Jal Neti to prevent them from the infection while the other ward staff were left free, considering them to be safe as they were in non-Covid ward, said Singh.

So the effects were clearly evident in the small infection rate in employees deputed in the Covid ward against a high infection rate in the non-Covid ward, he added.

An international medical journal, Lung India, reported in May last year that doing salt-based water gargles and nasal wash (Jal Neti) on a regular basis can prove helpful for patients in the early stages of the suspected contraction of this deadly virus.

The study, authored by Dr Sheetu Singh, a chest specialist at SMS Medical College, Jaipur, said that Jal Neti helps patients fight Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

However, she emphasised on proper learning of nasal wash technique under expert supervision.

Like hand-wash, nose and throat wash can remove or reduce the viral load. Previous studies have shown that cells in threat and nasal mucosa convert chloride ion of hypertonic saline to hypochlorous acid (HOCL) having an anti-viral effect. Interestingly, HOCL is an active component of the bleaching powder which is used in disinfecting hands by wash, she said.

Yogini Hemlata from Yagasthali concurs that Jal Neti can be an important cleansing kriya which removes Kaph Dosh. "Since covid is related to kaph, this kriya is quite important. It acts like an ear nose throat doctor and clears cough," according to Hemlata.

Added Dr Virendra Singh: "Many studies show that nasal wash and gargles can reduce period of illness, symptoms of the viral disease and amount of viral shedding. With decreasing amount of viral shedding, the risk of spread of infection in other household people reduced.

Those engaged in preventive categories should follow nasal wash and gargles, he said adding that we recommend this practice for prevention.