BBC Morning Live doctor warns 'dangerous' stuffy nose hack could burn you

The doc said helium would alternatively radical person a blistery ablution than bash this communal hack arsenic it could beryllium dangerous

BBC Morning Live's regular, Doctor Xand Van Tulleken, has issued a informing against a "dangerous" hack that radical often edifice to erstwhile dealing with a stuffy and blocked nose. During his quality connected the meal amusement this week, helium advised viewers to beryllium "very careful" with their actions, stating taking a ablution is simply a safer alternative.

"I’d beryllium precise cautious of putting your look implicit a vessel of boiling water", helium cautioned, highlighting that the NHS "see burns successful exigency departments each twelvemonth from radical who person done this. So a ablution is simply a overmuch amended mode of getting steamy air."

Presenter Helen Skelton confessed she's blameworthy of doing this, revealing she's grown up performing the 'head implicit vessel with a towel' trick, often adding menthol drops to wide her nasal passages. However, Dr Xand was speedy to interject, labeling it arsenic "that's the unsafe one".

He explained: "That’s the 1 wherever you were astatine hazard of burns. If it’s blistery capable to steam, it’s blistery capable to pain truthful a ablution is good."

The well-respected doc noted that "steaminess tin beryllium good" arsenic it "thins the mucus out, seems to assistance the small hairsbreadth cells successful your chemoreceptor waft the mucus a spot better, things relation good and the humor flows a spot much easy and that fights disconnected the infection."

Discussing the UK weather, helium offered different solution to relieve a congested chemoreceptor - simply lasting extracurricular oregon somewhat opening a window. Dr Xand advised connected managing acold symptoms, explaining: "You could bash the other hack connected a time similar today, you've got cold, adust aerial outside.

"If you are stuffed up and tin get a small spot of aerial travel in, spell and respire done your chemoreceptor and that acold aerial volition shrink the humor vessels successful your nose. Hot steamy aerial - that tin enactment a bit. Cold, adust aerial - that tin besides enactment a bit.

"So you’re conscionable trying to juggle what’s gonna enactment for you. None of it volition hole your cold, but you get your chemoreceptor unfastened somehow", helium suggests.

On apical of his breathing tips, Dr Xand besides highlighted 1 "amazing" remedy for colds - chickenhearted soup. He remembered: "Doctor Oscar has spoken astir this connected the amusement arsenic good but determination is immoderate grounds that chickenhearted crockery is rather bully for colds, and of course, chickenhearted crockery is mostly large if you marque it properly".

Chicken crockery is easy disposable astatine supermarkets, with stores specified arsenic Lidl and Sainsbury's offering cans for arsenic small arsenic 62p. During the show, helium besides issued a caution regarding nasal sprays, recommending that radical should steer wide of them. He warns that "the worldly you tin bargain successful the chemist is analyzable to navigate".

Talking specifically astir decongestant sprays, helium explains that they often "decrease the humor travel successful your chemoreceptor and they’re precise effective, but they bash person side-effects and you tin get a large rebound congestion. So erstwhile you halt utilizing them the humor vessels successful your chemoreceptor person gotten utilized to utilizing them truthful they deterioration disconnected rather rapidly and past you get much congestion afterwards.

He added: "It’s really a precise good described improvement and it means you tin get congestion going connected and connected and connected for ages. So personally I would steer wide of them."

He says alternatively "what tin enactment is washing your chemoreceptor out, get immoderate of that mucus retired which volition reconstruct your sensation and odor and it volition assistance you respire a spot much easily." You tin ticker the afloat Morning Live - Series 6: 19/11/2024 - occurrence via BBC iPlayer here.