Trump's Musings on Drinking Disinfectant
Dare we say it, but President Trump's musings the other day may rightfully have got him into some hot water but it's possible there were some truths in some things he mused about....
Hear us out
Washing body parts in disinfectant is not unheard of, for example, these papers not only demonstrate a quicker healing outcome for patients with open abdominal wounds, but they show how safe Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is when it comes into contact with human flesh, and wound washing with HOCl is an accepted practice:
Intraabdominal Lavage of Hypochlorous Acid: A New Paradigm for the Septic and Open Abdomen
But washing one's lungs with disinfectant?
Lung washing with saline solution is also practiced and has been around for a few decades, using saline solution:
Basic principles and technique of bronchoalveolar lavage
New ‘lung washing’ procedure helps patients breathe again
Rinsing epithelial cells which line the lungs and nasal passages with a salt solution (saline) has been shown to trigger the release of HOCl by the immune system, and has shown to inhibit viruses in these areas:
Role of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) in sodium chloride-induced inhibition of virus replication
Hypertonic saline nasal irrigation and gargling for suspected COVID-19
Cut out the middleman?
So, could a jump from the use of a saline solution to promote the stimulation of the HOCl immune response to simply introducing HOCl (which let's face it, is a pretty damn powerful albeit safe endogenous disinfectant) directly to the epithelial cells be such a far-fetched concept? i.e. 'washing lungs out with disinfectant'?
Low-concentration hypochlorous acid nasal irrigation for chronic sinonasal symptoms: a prospective randomized placebo-controlled study"Our results showed that low-concentration HOCl irrigation resulted in a greater improvement in CRS symptoms as compared to saline irrigation."
Your thoughts?
In the meantime, here's a persuasive article with advice on how to DIY some HOCl production in your nasal passages in the comfort of your own home.
Homemade saline solution that could help abate COVID-19