Nasal hygiene method and composition

Abstract

A composition for and method of practicing nasal hygiene to wash and moisturize the nasal passage. Where the nasal wash comprises a liquid homogenized compound of water, chlorine dioxide (or source thereof), olfactory stimulants, unsaturated fatty acids, and fixing agents. Where the unsaturated fatty acid component comprises from 0.01% to 1% by weight of the compound.

Description

[0001]This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16 / 597,729, filed Oct. 9, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,110,056, issued on Sep. 7, 2021, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16 / 403,262, filed May 3, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,945,982, issued on Mar. 16, 2021, which claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62 / 743,328 filed Oct. 9, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62 / 666,561 filed May 3, 2018, the entire disclosure of these four applications is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to a method of practicing hygiene of the human nose and a composition for use in practice of the method of the invention.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]The nose is a vital organ, but is often ignored. The nose is responsible for filtering, warming, and humidifying the air one breaths. Increased air pollution overwhelms t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]It has been found that the ingredients of the composition interact cooperatively to provide an enhanced beneficial effect to the user beyond the individual effect of each individual ingredient. The inclusion of an unsaturated fatty acid in particular enhances the effect of the other ingredients. The nature of the interaction is not fully understood. It is believed that the combination of chlorine dioxide with the unsaturated fatty acid functions in the composition of the invention by activating and enhancing the effectiveness of one or more other components of the composition.

[0011]In particular, the use of at least three olfactory stimulants has been found to be more effective than a single olfactory stimulant.

[0012]The addition of at least one unsaturated fatty acid to the composition increases the moisturizing effect of the composition on the nasal passages and reduces oxidizing air pollution. The addition of at least one unsaturated fatty acid also enhances the ability of the nasal passages to filter particulate matter from polluted air. Preferably, the unsaturated fatty acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid, such as omega-7 fatty acids and omega-9 fatty acids, or a polyunsaturated fatty acid, such as omega-3 fatty acids. The compound may also contain combinations of monounsaturated fatty acid and polyunsaturated fatty acid.

[0016]By practicing nasal hygiene by the use of the method and composition of the invention, nasal irritation is reduced. Daily flushing or washing out the nose according to the invention has been found through testing to moisturize the nasal passages more effectively than previous washes. It is believed the increased moisturization of the nasal passage allows the nasal passage to better filter air.

Problems solved by technology

Increased air pollution overwhelms the natural function of the nose.

Air pollution, including ozone, nitric oxide, and nitrogen dioxide can cause lung injury if they are not filtered by the nose.

The condition of dry nose reduces the natural filtering and humidifying function of the nose.

However, none of the known solutions for nasal hygiene provide moisturizing compounds and antioxidant compounds.

Plain water, the universal cleanser, turns out to be a poor choice for nasal hygiene.

This procedure required using large volumes of rinse solution, and users underwent the inconvenience of catching and disposing of the spent solution after use.