- Ear, Nose and Throat Care for Your Child #3: Foreign Body Aspiration: The Nuts and Beans - January 3, 2011
- Ear, Nose, and Throat Care for Your Child #2: How to Protect Yourself During the Cold and Flu Season - January 3, 2011
- Ear, nose, and Throat Care for Your Child #1: Q-tip or Not to Q-tip - November 8, 2010
- Cedars Sinai Medical Center Pediatric Lecture - July 6, 2010
It is cold and flu season again so be on guard. As we all know, viruses are spread by direct contact (poor hand washing) or through the air (via sneezing or coughing). Good general hygiene is essential, most importantly hand washing. Other important factors include exercise, healthy eating, and getting adequate rest. The CDC recommends frequent hand washing or the use of an alcohol based hand sanitizer and avoiding touching the nose, which spreads viruses from the hand to the upper respiratory system.
What else can I do?
Nozin, a nasal sanitizer, appears to offer another level of protection at the entrance site of many viruses and bacteria that affect us and so could be beneficial this cold and flu season.
What is Nozin?
Nozin is a nasal sanitizer and antiseptic. It is an all-natural alcohol based product that is infused with natural oils such as citrus, jojoba, coconut, and Vitamin E which act as moisturizers. It is non-habit forming, zinc free, has no antibiotic, steroid, or antihistamines. Viruses and bacteria also have no ability to develop a resistance to Nozin. Studies show Nozin kills 99.99% of common respiratory disease-causing pathogens, and lasts up to 8 hours. These characteristics suggest Nozin may be a good preventative measure in stopping transmission of cold and flu viruses.
Who can use it? When and where?
Nozin is safe for children and adults. Nozin should be placed into the nostrils daily before school and lasts up to eight hours. It is applied by placing a few drops on a Q-tip (provided) and then passing the swab just inside each nostril. As parents, you should still encourage your children to wash their hands throughout the day. However, with the use of Nozin, if they forget, there is a second line of defense. Nozin can also be used before exposure to large groups of people such as birthday parties, playgrounds, sporting events, trips to the mall and air travel. Nozin should be re-applied after bathing or swimming.
Where can I get Nozin?
Nozin is available online or at your doctor’s office.
A message from Dr. Lorraine M. Smith, Director of the Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology at the Osborne Head and Neck Institute:
“As a Pediatric Otolaryngologist, I am in constant contact with children who are sick. There fore, in order to protect myself I am vigilant about following a proper and constant hand washing routine. I also use the Nozin nasal sanitizer on a daily basis. I find that, besides the flu shot, these two simple steps have protected me from contracting the cold and flu since 2009.”
To learn more about Dr. Lorraine Smith or Pediatric ENT care, visit: http://www.ohni.org/
