Breathe-Ease nasal spray and irrigation solutions.

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• What Is Breathe·Ease?
• Each package contains.
• What is Breathe·Ease used for?
• For use with the Grossan Sinus Irrigator.
• For Moisturizing Spray.
• Costs.
• Calibrated Measurement.
• Warm Saline.
• Benzalkonium.
• Recent articles on the negative effects of Benzalkonium.
• References.
• Click here to purchase nasal spray
• Click here to purchase irrigation solution.

What Is Breathe·Ease? 

Breathe·Ease is a new moisturizing and irrigation solution for the nose that is both effective and economical. Breathe-ease unique "Ringers-Locke" solution is formulated to approximate the body's natural salinity and electrolyte composition. This unique formulation is reported in medical journals best for nasal cilia to prevent the nasal cilia from slowing due to infection, allergy, and contagion and more appropriate than regular saline. 

Breathe·Ease solution incorporates a formula proven effective in clinical trials. Breathe·Ease is additive-free, and is as economical as possible: You make Breathe·Ease solution yourself by just mixing our formula with water in our refillable spray bottle included with every package.

Each package contains:

• 190 g of powder for nasal solution
• a refillable spray bottle 
• a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon - white - for adding to 4 ounces of water for spray 
• a one teaspoon measuring spoon - blue to add to a pint of water for irrigation with the Grossan Pulsatile Sinus Irrigator.

What is Breathe·Ease used for?

Saline nose drops are needed for most nasal and sinus conditions. They are recommended for dryness, crusting, and as an aid to normal nasal function. Saline sprays can also be used to prevent and treat nose bleeds.

The nose is supposed to moisten inhaled air, helping to maintain a moist environment for the cilia in the sinuses. These cilia are the body's first line of defense against infection. The moist, mucous environment also forms a pathway for the good white cells to reach the bad bacteria that may attempt to infect the body through inhalation.

Any dryness, itching, or crusting in the nose means that a moisturizer is needed for the nose to do it's job. Saline had always been considered the most common, safe, and simple such moisturizer. Today we know that the preservatives that must be added to insure a long long shelf life can be harmful or irritating to the nose, especially when the nose is irritated already . Here is a partial list of the additives found in saline nasal sprays: 

So it is important to avoid any of these preservatives that might irritate an already sore nose. So Breathe·Ease was developed as a means of providing a solution for the dry irritated nose.

However, the purpose of a saline type spray is to restore normal cilia function. Professor Wilbert M Boek of University Hospital, Utrecht reported that certain solutions containing potassium chloride, calcium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and salt were much better for restoring nasal/sinus cilia than those without these ingredients. Clinical experience has borne this out. Hence Breathe·Ease is a formula based on Professor Boek's findings. He showed that a product called Locke-Ringer's solution, used in the hospital for intravenous administration to patients needing fluids did a better job of restoring cilia function than physiologic saline. Plus he cautioned against the use of some of the preservatives that can harm the delicate nasal membranes.

Breathe·Ease is especially designed for use by the child. The incidence of children with sinusitis is increasing at an alarming rate. Many of these children could be helped by regular use of moisturizer solution. Breathe·Ease is for kids:

• No preservative to burn.
• Spray bottle that kids can handle easily.
• Oval surface to place the kid's favorite sticker on. "See, Pokeman uses this spray too"

For use with the Grossan Sinus Irrigator:

Experience has shown that when the Breathe·Ease formula is used for Grossan Sinus irrigation, patients get better clearing of sinus infection and post nasal drip. This is because there is no iodine, preservatives, or silica in the formula. The measuring spoon allows for accurate measure. Add one teaspoon of Breathe·Ease to a pint of water in the Water Pik basin. Stir, then use as directed to restore cilia and remove purulent material.

For Moisturizing Spray:

Using the white 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon, add 1/4 ounce Breathe·Ease= formula powder to four ounces of water. Spray nose as needed. Change once a week. The spray bottle can be used as a spray, to irrigate directly, or just as drops.

• For kids or adults with colored discharge: 3 to 4x a day. 
• For kids or adults with nose bleed 3 to 4 x a day. 
• For dry weather twice a day For smog days twice or 3x a day. 
• To prevent nose bleeds twice a day. 
• Use of spray bottle to irrigate: 
  • During the pollen season can use the spray bottle as an irrigator to remove pollen from the nose. Try this 3x a day after downtown smog or diesel exposure, irrigate to remove the particular matter.

Costs: 

Spending four dollars or more plus tax for a penny's worth of saline solution must discourage a lot of people. With Breathe·Ease  you get 150 or more refills of solution, refilling once a week. You use the 1/4 teaspoon added to four ounces of boiled or bottled water. You can even save the surplus for further use. So its economic to use for irrigation with the spray bottle as well.

Calibrated Measurement: 

Many worry about mixing the right amounts of saline. One teaspoon can vary enormously, as much as 40 % in one study. Here the teaspoon is exactly measured so there is no mistake.

For use with the Grossan Sinus Irrigator you get over 60 day's supply. With this special formula, and because there are no preservatives, silica, or iodine, many patients require less days of irrigation.

Warm Saline:

Every doctor tells you to irrigate with warm saline. Warm solution helps bring more circulation to the area, and besides, it feels good. Yet, some solutions with additives can only be used at room temperature.

Fresh For many customers once they have opened the store bought saline solution and carried it about for weeks, they no longer consider it to be fresh and toss it to buy a fresh bottle. Part of this has to do with the preservatives giving a "smell" kind of sensation. With Breathe·Ease= you know its fresh because you make it every week.

Benzalkonium:

The preservative Benzalkonium Sodium causes problems with nasal sprays. Around 1985, it was noted that the number and severity of cases of rhinitis medicamentosum was increasing with increased use of benzalkonium, an antibacterial preservative found in most over-the-counter prepared saline nasal spray products. Rhinitis medicamentosum means that the nose gets stuffy and congested after use of nose drops such as oxymetazoline (Afrin®). The more the nose drops are used, the more "rebound" when the drug wears off, that is, the worse the patient gets after the drops wear off, requiring more and more use of the drops. The drops become effectively addictive, and worse, the nose is always stuffy anytime the drug is not active in the nose. 

Next, it was discovered that you could get rhinitis medicamentosum just form the Benzalkonium alone, as well as saline with Benzalkonium. So, it wasn't the nasal medication oxymetazoline that was responsible, but the Benzalkonium. The oxymetazoline did shrink the nose nicely, but the benzalkonim caused a rebound congestion.

These additive problems are so important that the Dannemiller Memorial Educational Foundation gives special training to doctors on this subject. This training emphasizes that if you are allergic or have an infection, the additives can be more irritating than when you are "normal".

Recent articles on the negative effects of Benzalkonium include:

Berg: Mucosa exposed to benzalkonium chloride showed squamus cell metaplasia ( the normal cells changed to undesirable cells). Benzalkonium chloride appears to be potentially toxic to the mucosa. 

Steinsvag: benzalkonium chloride has toxic effects on human respiratory mucosa and human neutrophils. It destroyed mucosa and inhibited human neutrophil action.Benzalkonium chloride induces mucosal swelling, which explains why the presence of this preservative in a decongestant spray aggravates rhinitis medicamentosa.

References: 

Physiologic and hypertonic saline solutions impair ciliary activity in vitro. Boek WM. Laryngoscope, 109(3):396-9 1999 Mar.
Physiological salt solution (0.9%) was found to slow cilia movement. Locke-Ringers solution with soda bicarbonate, potassium and calcium chloride, and salt was found best for cilia. "This solution is more appropriate than saline for nasal irrigator and nebulazation or sinus lavage." He reported complete ciliastasis with some hypertonic solutions, often within 5 minutes of exposure.

Benzalkonium chloride in a decongestant nasal spray aggravates rhinitis medicamentosa in healthy volunteers. Clin Exp Allergy.1995; 25:957-965. 
Benzalkonium chloride induces mucosal swelling, which explains why the presence of this preservative in a decongestant spray aggravates nasal/sinus symptoms

Effects of topical nasal steroids on human respiratory mucosa and human granulocytes in vitro. Steinsv¡ag S. Acta Otolaryngol (Stockh), 116(6):868-75 1996.
"It is concluded that benzalkonium chloride has toxic effects on human respiratory mucosa and human neutrophils in vitro."

Effect of topical corticosteroids and topical antihistaminics on ciliary epithelium of human nasal mucosa in vitro. Hofmann T. HNO, 46(2):146-51 1998 Feb.
"An irreversible cessation of ciliary movement was observed in all cells exposed to nasal sprays containing benzalconium chloride....." "we recommend that this preservative should not be used anymore in topical nasal medications."

The effects of topical nasal steroids on rat respiratory mucosa in vivo, with special reference to benzalkonium chloride. Berg OH. Allergy, 52(6):627-32 1997 Jun.
"In conclusion, benzalkonium chloride appears to be potentially toxic to the nasal mucosa."

A clinical trial of hypertonic saline nasal spray in subjects with the common cold or rhinosinusitis. Adam P. Arch Fam Med, 7(1):39-43 1998 Jan-Feb.
Hypertonic saline does not improve nasal symptoms or illness duration in patients with the common cold or rhinosinusitis. Thirty two percent of users noted burning and wouldn't use the product again.