Ok, this may seem like a dumb idea for a post, but my little girly is sick and is having breathing trouble and I've discovered here via the net a way I can help her without giving her steroids or chemicals, doesn't cost a lot, and guess what? My doctor totally approves also, so I'm not being frugal at the cost of her health, don't worry.My doc said that I should put saline in a nebulizer and let her breathe in the salt water solution... and they usually sell saline in pharmacies for this purpose among others...
Well, I didn't have time to make it to a pharmacy, and I didn't see the need to buy it if I could make it myself, and saline solution is saltwater solution...
Fortunately, google came to the rescue, and I discovered how to make my own saline solution, and I've been using that in the nebulizer and it seems to be helping my baby, fortunately.
I figured I'd share it with you in case you ever are in need of this for yourself or your child...
Homemade Saline Solution Recipe
Ingredients:1 cup water (ideally filtered)
1 tsp salt
Instructions:
1. Bring water to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes to get rid of any impurities.
2. Mix salt into the water and stir until dissolved.
3. Let the saline mixture cool.
Use in your nebulizer to assist with breathing issues. The moisture makes breathing easier, and the salt kills bacteria and viruses.
You can also put into a squeeze bottle and squeeze a few drops into each nostril to help clear up congestion.
You can also use this in a neti pot to do nasal irrigation to alleviate sinus issues and congestion in adults.
I did read about adding half a teaspoon of baking soda to the mix, but wasn't sure about whether or not to add that for nebulizer use (as the store bought stuff is just salt and water), but feel free to add that when doing nasal irrigation with a neti pot.
Here's to hoping you feel terrific and have no need for this recipe, but if you do, hope it helps you out!
In case you are looking for other ways to keep you baby healthy and unable or choose not to breastfeed, check out these organic formula options as well.
Hope my daughter feels better soon as well...
Do you own a nebulizer? Have you ever had to use it with saline? Do you buy the saline or make your own?
Do you use a neti pot?
Tags
babies
frugal strategies
health and wellness
made from scratch
natural medicine
non food recipes
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I applaud your ingenuity. I know from personal experience that your method works wonders.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I just had back surgery yesterday, and was intubated for the procedure, this morning I woke up very congested (yes I smoke , dumb I know) so between a little chest percussive therapy, the awesome homemade saline, and using the huff cough technique, much of the secretions (phlegm) came right out. Thanks for the great recipe, not quite duoneb, but pretty darn close. Take my word as someone who is trained in respiratory therapy enough to have given over 800 neb treatments when I say this method is fast acting and very effective. nice work!
DeleteHello :) Is it okay to use sea salt for this saline solution? Thank you.
DeleteI'm on top of this recipe right now as i speak. I am a copd sufferer has been intubated twice for resp.failure.
DeleteI gets no relief from the seasonal weather change to various allergens that keeps me in exasperations.
Can't afford my meds.
Nobody but God poured the idea into my spirit to refer to google.
Quite impressed i can say all that popped up SIT nebulizer solution.
I'm in process now to putting it together.
If it didn't work God would have never led me to it.
Blessings to you all
Hi I am 82 and I have copd and I have been looking for a solution neb always helps me but I now have one at home , thank you for your information
DeleteI use sea salt and never had a problem.
DeleteLiquid silver in a nebulizer is the best treatment for any breathing problems
DeleteBig Pharma has an answer to this issue. It’s called MUCOMIST and my Pulminary Dr. said it does the same thing as salt and water in my neb. Even with good insurance, this stuff is a small fortune and once opened it’s only good for HOURS!!
DeleteI have tried it on myself, as well as my kids and I can say that its the cheapest and more natural way of helping the cough, lung congestion, and consequently the breathing of anyone. We have here in Europe also places with salt rooms, to help children, so if you get into more than you can handle, you should check if any are around where you live. I am sure they have them everywhere, its not hard to make.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and hope everyone stays healthy and don't need to use it. ;)
Thanks for the info, made it as soon as I seen the recipe, I hope I have success as well, hope your baby is doing better..
ReplyDeleteI had sinus surgery in 2006 and the dr gave me this recipe to use to make the solution to irrigate my sinuses. It worked wonders! I had lost the recipe and forget the measurements so thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteI used this recipe before and it helps. I just added baking soda for nasal use as it can sting otherwise.
ReplyDeleteOne of my friends just sent me to this post cuz I am having a horrible time breathing in between treatments (sick kids passed it to me, I have asthma. It is never pretty when that happens.) Thank you so much. I'm off to boil water and see if I can avoid a trip to the ER for a stronger treatment.
ReplyDeleteWhere are you located? I'm in Ohio and this year the pollens or something has caused it to be brutal on my breathing! Usually I'm dealing with difficulty breathing for a week each year at this time since we moved here but this year it's lasted 3 weeks, I've been handling it with homeopathics but the nebulizer helps so much I've been avoiding it cause the doc refused to write a script for just the saline solution. I refuse to put toxic junk in my body so I've been holding out and decided to pop online today to see if I can find a good source for this info. Having hubs boil the water now to make it so I can use the nebulizer.
DeleteWe use this all the time!
ReplyDeleteThank you, I have just been discharged from hospital and I need to use my nebuliser frequently, but I was running out of solution. This is just fantastic.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThank you! My 18 month old had a bit of croupe and we already had a nebulizer and this really came in handy:) Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWe swear by saline nebulizer treatments. We've been giving them to my son since he was a baby. We got him through RSV without any medications or steroids - only saline nebulizer treatments. Any time he is congested we start giving them to him 2 times a day (morning and evening). He keeps him from getting a sinus infection or a worse cold.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this recipe! I have a dehydrated baby goat with pneumonia & the vet said I could give her a shot with sterilized water, but this would be much better since this is what is supposed to be in the fluid solution! (it is the weekend, and I don't think he wants to come in to sell me the correct stuff).
ReplyDeleteAlso, I am going to try this solution in our humidifier as my son currently has a 'croupy' cough. Has anyone done that with success?
On a side note, any time our family has a respiratory illness, we make 'elderberry hot cocoa'. I collect elderberries and make my own elderberry juice for jelly, so I always have a lot of elderberry juice around. The year H1N1 was a big deal, I found a study done in Israel that showed if elderberry juice were used at the beginning of a respiratory illness (can't remember if it was first 24, 48 or 72 hours of onset), that the time and severity of the illness would be reduced over 70% of the time. I mix 2oz. elderberry juice with 6oz. hot cocoa (we add home-made whip cream too--YUM!) That first time, only my middle son (5ys old then)was brave enough to try it with me. He and I were only sick for 3 days, and the rest of the family (two more sons & hubby) were sick for a full three weeks! I think we drank it three times a day for 2 or 3 days.
Since then, someone gave me a small bottle of elderberry juice (preserved in grain alcohol) and the directions say to take 30 drops which was a full small dropper 2x per day. So you can probably use a lot less that 2oz.
This is definitely an acquired taste, as plain elderberry juice tastes awful! I thought the unhealthy addition of the sugar to make it good was worth it to get the medicine down, especially with such good results!
Give cooked elderberries for pneumonia, flu, all upper respiratory ailments. Do research.
DeleteThank you for this.
DeleteIt works great for me and my 15th mth old son
ReplyDeletethank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteJust made up a batch for my almost 5 year old son. He woke up with terrible croup around 2 A.M. I couldn't find his parts to the breathing machine so I put him in the bathroom with the hot water on then after got the humidifier out. Was a long night. Thank goodness for my mother-in-law, she had extra parts for the nebulizer so I was able to borrow until I get new parts. It seems like it's helped my son, and best thing is that it doesn't make his heart race. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteHow long does it take before it goes bad (What is the shelf-life?)
ReplyDeletedistilled water with lid on it a week is safe
DeleteMake sure to boil water first or use distiller water! It's very rare but regular tap water can contain a fatal amoeba.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone tell me how many CC's of this you use in your nebulizer? Mine goes up to 6cc's but I can't find anything that tells me how much to use per treatment. Will this help with an upper respiratory infection in a a10 month old?
ReplyDeleteYes it helps but for little ones just half a cc to one cc is good enough I have used this with my daughter eversunce she's been a few mths old
DeleteI usually prepare a 7% saline solution using distilled water. Don't use table salt as it is iodised. Use himiliyan salt or sea salt without iodisation. I also put my solution in glass bottle and pasteurise it in a pressure cooker. Don't cap the bottle. Just put a cotton wool plug in the neck of the bottle. After pasteurisation and cooling, you can then cap the bottle of solution. I also researched that you may adjust the pH of the saline solution to pH 7,5. with a weak solution of sodium bicarbonate. Use a pH indicator paper or pH meter. This basic saline is helpful in fighting any bacteria and maintains a basic pH which is ideal.
DeleteUse 4ml.for nebulization. Good Luck. I am a COPD sufferer and this has helped me a lot. You can write me on sachparuth@gmail.com
Pickling salt is very pure and next to the canning jars.
DeleteHow do you make 7%?
DeleteThanks! I was looking quickly for a solution as I don't have any on hand and need to rid my son of nose congestion so I'm trying this method as a sinus rinse.
ReplyDeleteSalt solution in nebulizer really helps. We use it for our 4 year old son.
ReplyDeleteI have long used this along with already diluted albuterol solution in my nebulizer. I use the saline to "thin" out the already prepared albuterol in about a 3:1 (saline-to-albuterol-solution) and then take an extended treatment. I find that I can use less albuterol and that the treatments are more effective.
ReplyDeleteThanks I was Rx'd a script that required me to mix saline into it myself and they dident write the script for the saline so I couldent get any late Friday memorial day weekend had to do something and found this info and I am using it rite now seems to do the trick just fine in my nebulizer . Thank you,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe! I have bronchospasms so I was told by my doctor to do a nebulizer treatment twice a day. I'm using this as a substitute for my albuterol since I'm almost out.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your message. Helped me immeasurably today!
DeleteI used this recipe just now for my congestion in my nebulizer and its starting to work! Not coughing as much! Thank you so much! :)
ReplyDeleteI was in a pinch and just used boiled water. As I used my nebulizer, I looked up saline alternatives etc, and it brought me here. I'll know what to do next time. Thank you for this post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! I am using this with my mom who is old and fragile and the last thing she neeeds is any strong medicine. I hope your baby is doing great!
ReplyDeleteI used this but its way too salty to be inhaled..gave me nausea and my baby kept crying hysterically...please tell me If it's really this salty or I'm going wrong somewhere
ReplyDeleteuse sea salt not regular table salt
DeleteI'd love to try this, but I'm a bit confused about the proportions..I saw other recipes for homemade saline that called for a quart of water (4 cups?) for 1 tea spoon of salt; or even half a spoon of salt mixed in 8 cups of water.. Is it definitely 1 tea spoon per 1 cup?
Delete1/2 teaspoon salt per cup (8oz) water, so a quart would get 2 teaspoons.
DeletePlain salt is preferred, but iodized won't hurt for nasal. You don't want the other minerals in Himalayan or Sea salt. HTH
DavetteB, LPN-retired
Reading a Dr Mercola article on using hydrogen peroxide and salt, he says that salt is necessary in a solution to be nebulized to prevent osmotic differential that can damage the lungs, so I very much think that we need to be a lot more precise when adding salt to our nebulizer mix, or we may get the wrong osmotic differential.
DeleteI do NOT recommend adding baking soda. I read about that too, and the one time I did it, I regretted it. Can't remember now, but I think it just inflamed everything.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing, I was really worried and pity my 8 month old baby now, She's having difficulty breathing with here congested nose. I will give it a try now, is it okay to use iodize salt?
ReplyDeleteI don't have a nebulizer, any suggestions for a 4 mo old. They gave her the salt water treatment in ER in it works but sent home with nothing
ReplyDeleteIs there a definite disage to be taken into the nebulizer?
ReplyDeleteThat is what I want to know.
DeleteThe saline bullets that are prescribed for nebulizers are 3ml each, for a child you could use half, 1.5ml. HTH
DeleteDavetteB, LPN-retired
How much do I put in the nebulizer?
ReplyDeleteI cant thank you enough for your advice this has extreamly helped my 6yr old grandson who suffers a very baf aschma cough Every winter for weeks and weeks at a time. I had just brought him a Nebuliser and ure recipe has helped him Almost immediatly he stopped coughing what a releaf for him as he gets sooo exhausted from constant cough. Thank you so much. I highly recommend this as it definately works. I hope your little girley made a full recovery. Xx
DeleteDoc said NEVER do this as its not sterile saline. Its fine for irrigating but with the nebulizer it goes straight into the lungs. Same for otc saline drops.
ReplyDeleteyoou can purchase sterile saline tubes also if you. dont want to use homemade
DeleteWhat a brilliant idea! I tried it on my LO and it works! Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteMy brother and I are always suffering for asthma. We are always using our nebulizer to breath well and sometimes, we run out of medication such as salbotamol or ventolin especially when asthma suddenly hit us at midnight. So hard!!!! Thank you so much for the information. You don't know how big help is that information I just learned from you. Hope your baby will be fine. Thank you again...
ReplyDeleteI just ran out of nebulizer treatments, being that I and my 2 children suffer from seasonal asthma and I really can't afford a prescription right now anyways. Its crazy how this; something so simple and affordable, worked instantly and even better than the treatments we were doing. Thank you soo much for posting, this has been a life saver.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, made it as soon as I seen the recipe, I hope I have success as well, hope your baby is doing better
ReplyDeleteSusan @ Humidifier For Baby
My doc suggested Simply Saline by Arm & Hammer as it is 3%. He said that there were other brands out there, but not 3% solution. He really stressed that I need a 3% solution. I thought there was bound to be a recipe on the net before I buy the Simply. Sure enough, there are plenty of recipes out here. Does anyone know what the percentage for this particular recipe is?
ReplyDeleteApprox 2.5%
DeleteMy asthma started when I'm 8 years old when change weather comes I have trouble to breath then my doctor say that I can use salt and water to replace my common medicine when I'm using nebulizer thanks
ReplyDeleteIs this an effective alternative for copd? I use Breo along with my nebulizer and have noticed lately that my meds are not working very well.
ReplyDeleteIs there a cure for c o p d?
DeleteNo.
DeleteI have been using saline for my 10month old baby and there is little change. ..so it won't hurt to try this homemade recipe....thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteI have chronic Bronchitis and have been on steroids every two weeks for the past year. I had congestion in my throat that none of my meds cleared except Prednisone and I knew this was harmful over time. I saw this article and decided to give it a try. I was having terrible asthma-like symptoms and could barely breathe. I was about ready to take the steroids but I decided to try this first. I have never done a breathing treatment that cleared me as well and as fast as the saline nebulizer solution. I think I have found the answer to my Prednisone dilemma. Thank you for posting this cheap, easy-to-use and effective remedy. It works!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteHe Penny,
Great post.
I thought of doing the same and came across your blog, but your method seems a little incorrect.
The saline you would end up making is called a hypertonic saline.
The pharmacists who sell the saline solution is called an isotonic saline.
If you would want to make it. you should be having a mixture of 9.0 g of salt per liter (0.90%).
Especially for kids, you would never want to use the hypertonic saline. I know you find a lot of improvements, but other kids might have adverse effect to hypertonic saline.
The pH value is different for these two salines.
Just a note worth considering.
Do the people here ever wonder why the pharmacy sells STERILE saline (apart from wanting to make money). I shudder to think what they are sticking into their childrens(and their own) lungs!
DeleteI started doing something similar to this to relieve asthma symptoms after reading several research articles about hypertonic saline inhalations for CF to clear excess mucus. What is effective for helping with mucus clearance is hypertonic saline, not isotonic saline. The guidance I've seen in published research is that solutions in the range of 7% are most effective. I talked about it with a pulmonologist who told me that anything from 3-7% is fine.
DeleteIs this at all effective for a cronic asthmatic
ReplyDeleteJust fixed this recipe letting it cool now ? will comment later on results hopefully it works cannot afford albuterol sulfate anymore !!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am on Albuterol Sulfate myself and I always seem to run out.Being on my last vial and knowing I'll need it in the morning I decided to look up a home made version Glad I did .It's cooling on the stove now.
DeleteI have had extremely bad asthma for 17 years military related and when the VA takes to long to send me my meds I do the same as what your doing.
ReplyDeleteThank You very much this really HELP!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing, I really had a problem looking for the saline solution to the local drug store here in Pagadian City, somewhere in Mindanao region Philippines. I had visited all the Pharmacy already and asked them for saline solution but their eyes wonders what I am talking about. I can't believe they are ignorant. I had no problem before buying solution when I was still living at Cebu City.
ReplyDeleteThis solution really works, I got relieve within 30 mins,the only issue to me I have, is the amount of salt to use, I cut back a bit perfect thanks for this blog!
ReplyDeleteI've been looking for an alternative for my son and I think your blog has been the answer to my prayers, thank you!
ReplyDeleteMy son had Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and he has neuromuscular scoliosis which is crushing his lungs. The doctor prescribed albuterol and being holistic, I'm terrified to give it to him, especially after reading all of the side effects.
I've also read everyone comments and they have helped with my decision as well, thank you to everyone!
Thanks
ReplyDeleteWow it really works thank you
ReplyDeleteim using this right now as i type for my little brother i hope it works he is wheezing and w ehave ran out of the medecine for the matchine
ReplyDeletewhen you say "Cup" does this mean the american measurement or does it mean an uknown quantity
ReplyDeleteYes US measurement
ReplyDeleteI use hymayalian salt brine in mine. I shudder at real salt. Sodium has good uses but hymayalian salt has 84 minerals and trace minerals, as well as calcium, magnesium, etc... It's just so much better for you. I also drink a shot of it every morning to feed my body
ReplyDeleteWe made this, although my boyfriend made it with a larger amount of Himalayan pink salt and water .. I’m nervous if the salt may be too much for my 16month old. He said he found a recipe for saline solution and made that, which was a larger batch. I want to try it as my baby is wheezing and coughing terribly and I hate the albuterol for him.
ReplyDeleteWhat brilliant suggestion and alternative to albuterol...my son was wheezing all day and I tried the saline solution in the nebulizer...it worked! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI am making it now, I have a chest cold with severe congestion, I have five more min to boil, boiled tap is okay right?? I hope this works, I used my last treatment last night and I can't even lay down to sleep without coughing.
ReplyDeleteVery Impressive..Thank You❤
ReplyDeleteI have a 59 yr old boyfriend and I boiled his tube and t thingy way to much I don’t know so as my sister always told me when I asked her a question “google it” so I did it brought me here I did it as you instructed and I made sure it was cool enough so he put two drops in each nostril stung a tiny bit but he went fast asleep thank you so much you are my hero God be with all you who have any problems with breathing!!!!!! Love you Hero
ReplyDeletePersonally I wouldn't consider inhaling the minerals found in Himalayan salt - ingesting it is fine. I'm using sea salt fwiw.
ReplyDeleteThank you, this is very helpful and it doesn't give you that adrenalin rush. I don't know if I'm suppose to use only little but I fill my nubilizer cup twice and were able to get the mucus out.
ReplyDeleteIs it normal for my child to cough after this salt water solution?
ReplyDeleteThe saline loosens up the mucus so they may cough it up. If they are old enough to know how to spit tell him to spit it out. He shouldn't have a long, hacking cough though. HTH
DeleteDavetteB, LPN-retired
This is really helpful! I remember my daughter's pedia put some saline water everytime she nebulizes to help her breathing issues.
ReplyDeleteIs this considered Hypertonic .9 Saline?
ReplyDelete0.9% is isotonic, not hypertonic.
Delete1/2 teaspoon per 8oz. water; you can half or double as needed.
HTH
DavetteB, LPN-retired
It works and easy
ReplyDeleteHow important this is in this time of pandemic. I used it for my mom
ReplyDeleteAt midnight, 8 years later, this literally just saved me! I was wheezing so bad. Out of albuterol solution + my inhaler. Works like a charm! Thankyou.
ReplyDelete