January 13, 2022

As with most viral respiratory illnesses, the primary entry point into the human body is through the nose.  Once in the nasal passages, viruses propagate exponentially on nasal mucous membranes.  With COVID-19, this rapid growth is especially prolific, leading researchers to seek means to decrease the nasal mucosal viral load.  A recent podcast (1) between Joe Rogan and Dr. McCullough that “went viral” mentions this research and makes some recommendations for nasal lavage — salt water and antiseptic options to rinse out the nasal passages.  This simple, cheap, and available hygienic maneuver should be added to our therapeutic armamentarium, along with antiseptic gargles.

Probably the most transparently wrong choice that our federal government/CDC/Dr. Fauci/mainstream media made during the past two years has been the desire to shut off, and even demonize, discussions about therapeutic options to treat COVID-19.  They did this so we would focus instead on the vaccine as the end-all and be-all “cure.”  Unfortunately, because COVID-19 is much like other respiratory viruses, mutating too frequently for vaccines to catch up, and because the mRNA “shortcut-to-cure” spike protein–centric vaccine is tremendously less effective than naturally acquired immunity (2), it is past time to focus on therapeutic measures.  (Then again, herd immunity from the less deadly omicron variant might make this article moot.)

Part of the reason for all the blow-back from the public about how this plague has been handled is the irrational demonization and politization of available treatment options.  We’ll never forget the ridicule President Trump received from the mainstream media when he suggested that gargling with a type of bleach could slow down transmission of COVID-19 and even might shorten the illness.  It turns out that some dentists have been using sodium hypochlorite for many years for oral pathogens (3), and it helps!  Just make sure it’s really diluted with water, and you swish and spit.

There are a multitude of studies now that confirm the efficacy of “doctored” saline nasal sprays.  The easiest to obtain, with proven >99% success in eradication of discoverable nasal viral load, is a mixture of over-the-counter saline nasal lavage with added povidone iodine (4).  Just adding a tablespoon of this liquid, dark brown antiseptic to six ounces of salt water irrigation for the nose has been shown both to shorten the illness and decrease transmissibility of COVID-19 (5).  (Interestingly, all strengths of the iodine/saline solution worked in their studies, so being an accurate chemist when mixing is less of an issue.)

These studies mentioned quite a few other additives that would or should be similarly effective.  This would be important to those with a shellfish allergy, since these people usually avoid iodine.  Hydrogen peroxide with saline and carragellose (Algovir Cold Spray) is another easily obtained and effective nasal lavage antiseptic (6). 

Gargling with antiseptics is another encouraged therapeutic.  Mentioned in these studies is everything from povidone iodine/saline, hydrogen peroxide/saline, essential oils, green tea extract with pomegranate and aronia juice, Dequonal, and Octenisept to Listerine Cool Mint with and without alcohol.  (My non-dental reviewers did not test bleach, even though it is notoriously anti-infective.)

Dr. McCullough espouses washing out both sides of the nose and gargling with the iodine/saline mixture followed by gargling with Listerine.  He suggests repeating this every four hours until symptoms abate, then decreasing the frequency as the illness resolves.  He says this is similarly effective to the vaccine in shortening the illness and decreasing transmissibility, attributing a 75% efficacy to each.