Home Remedies For Sore Throat To Avoid
Dr. Allan warns that not all sore throat remedies are created equally. He recommends you pass on these two:
- Apple cider vinegar. It probably has some antibacterial properties, but thats not going to do much for the sore throat itself.
- Essential oils. They havent been well-studied or clinically proven for safety or effectiveness.
And avoid things that can irritate your throat, including:
- Acidic foods or spicy foods.
- Lying down immediately after you eat, especially if you have acid reflux.
When Pain Relief Is Not Enough
As mentioned earlier, common sore throats tend to go away on their own. If you experience any of these symptoms of strep throat, however, you may need a prescription for an antibiotic. If none of these at-home remedies are helping after 48 hours, you can save your spot online at a GoHealth Urgent Care center near you!
Why Is My Throat So Dry
A dry throat is often a sign of a head cold, dehydration, or sleeping with your mouth open, especially during winter. Effective home treatments include drinking warm liquids, such as broth or hot tea, and sucking on throat lozenges. See a doctor if your symptoms continue or get worse after one week.
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When To See A Doctor About Throat Pain
Dr. Allan advises using common sense when deciding whether to seek out medical care.
- Have throat pain thats severe, prolonged or not improving, or stretches into your ear.
- Have trouble swallowing, breathing or opening your mouth.
- Are coughing up blood or have blood in your saliva.
- Feel enlarged lymph nodes, or lumps, in your neck.
- Have white patches on the back of your throat or a rash, possible signs of strep throat or scarlet fever.
- Have a high fever.
- Lose your voice for more than a week or two.
And remember, when it comes to illnesses, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Wash your hands often. And if you do get sick, Dr. Allan recommends immediately replacing your toothbrush with a fresh, germ-free one.
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When To See Your Doctor
If your sore throat is severe, you have a rash, swollen tonsils, or a fever over 101 degrees that lasts for longer than a day, it’s time to make an appointment with your doctor. It’s likely strep or another bacterial infection. In this situation, you’ll typically be prescribed antibiotics and can continue the at-home remedies to soothe your throat pain.
Other Causes Of A Sore Throat
Smoke, breathing in dry air, or acid reflux usually feels very different from an infection. Usually, patients dont feel as sick and the pain is not as severe.
Try sipping warm tea and sucking on cough drops or zinc lozenges. They can usually soothe the throat irritation and inflammation that cause discomfort. But some of the home remedies may mask the pain.
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Best Ways To Prevent A Sore Throat From Progressing To A
83%If you are just not getting better after a few days or are getting worse, such as tea or chicken soup, so I7 Sore Throat Remedies to Make You Feel Better Fast 1, Keep your throat moist with lozenges or hard candies, rest your voice just as you would a sore or 3, Literally, Avoid , can help to ease a sore throat, Gargle with salt waterbut steer clear of apple cider vinegar.Heres how you can stand a good chance of preventing a cold from developing: As soon as you experience that sore, tea, 1, in addition to the tea, Try hot tea with lemon or some hot soup
Sore Throats In Children
Sore throats are a common childhood ailment. Theyre often caused by viruses and will get better in four or five days. If your child is running a fever of 101°F or higher, pay a visit to the pediatrician. A fever could be a sign of strep throat. Because strep is caused by bacteria, it needs to be treated with an antibiotic.
You can relieve the pain of your childs sore throat with medicine such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen . Just check with your pediatrician first if your child is less than six months old. Dont give aspirin to kids younger than 18, because of the risk of a rare but serious condition called Reyes syndrome.
Here are a few other ways to relieve your childs throat pain:
- Mix 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 8 ounces of warm water, and have your child gargle with it. Kids over the age of 6 are usually old enough to gargle without swallowing.
- Give your child warm liquids, such as chicken broth or tea. Kids over a year old can have a little honey mixed into the tea to soothe their throat.
- Let your child suck on something cold, such as an ice pop.
Avoid using sore throat sprays on children. These products contain the anesthetic benzocaine , which can cause an allergic reaction in some kids.
You dont have to endure a sore throat. Plenty of OTC treatments and home remedies can help you find relief from the pain and discomfort.
If the pain doesnt improve, see your doctor. Also make an appointment if you:
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Why Is My Throat So Dry Even After Drinking Water
The throat can dry out from exercise, sleeping with your mouth open, breathing through your mouth, living in a dry environment, or not drinking enough fluids. Dry throat can be caused by tobacco or marijuana use, excessive coughing, allergies, medication side effect, and, in rare cases, throat and esophagus cancers.
How To Make Sore Throat Tea
All you need for this tea is water, honey and lemon juice. Its not even really a tea since theres no well, tea, but its more of a soothing warm liquid.
Heat up water in either a kettle or in the microwave and place in a cup.
Add honey and lemon juice into the cup. You want to make sure youre using pure honey not honey mixed with other ingredients which will rub your throat. Mix it until the honey is fully combined with the water.
Sip warm and continue until its all gone. After 1 cup, your throat should feel some relief already!
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Both Vaccinated And Unvaccinated People Can Have An Omicron Sore Throat
If you get COVID-19 now, theres a good chance youll have a sore throat, whether or not youre vaccinated. The nonspecific symptoms, such as sore throat and runny nose, are happening more or less equally in both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, Galiatsatos says.
Keep in mind the COVID-19 vaccine isnt meant to protect you from those symptoms its really meant to protect you from severe disease, he says.
Weisenberg seconds that: The main difference between the vaccinated and boosted and the unvaccinated is that the risk of severe disease is much higher in the unvaccinated.
Craig Spencer, MD, an assistant professor and emergency medicine physician at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, frequently tweets about what he sees while treating COVID-19 patients in the ER.
In his experience, unvaccinated people tend to have more severe symptoms or a more dangerous course of COVID-19, whereas vaccinated and boosted patients who get COVID-19 typically have mild symptoms.
By mild I mean mostly sore throat. Lots of sore throat. Also some fatigue, maybe some muscle pain. No difficulty breathing. No shortness of breath. All a little uncomfortable, but fine, Dr. Spencer tweeted.
What Can Cause A Sore Throat
There are a variety of things that can cause a sore throat including:
- Viral infections, such as the common cold or flu
- Bacterial infections, such as strep throat
Of these, viral infections are the most common culprits. However, these will typically go away on their own with time. On the other hand, bacterial infections and allergies may require medication to improve.
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Antibiotics For Bacterial Infections
Strep throat and scarlet fever require prescription antibiotics to cure the infection and prevent potentially serious complications, including rheumatic fever and kidney damage.
A five- to 10-day course of penicillin, amoxicillin, or erythromycin is commonly prescribed. Fortunately, relief typically comes within 24 hours of treatment.
It is important that you complete your course of antibiotics to fully treat the infection and decrease the chance of recurrent symptoms or resistant bacteria.
Antibiotics may also be prescribed for other types of bacterial infections that could be causing a sore throat. These drugs will not cure viral infections. However, they may be prescribed if your healthcare provider believes you are at risk of developing a bacterial infection on top of a known viral infection.
What Is Best For Itchy Throat
Saltwater gargles are most effective for sore or itchy throats caused by bacteria or viruses. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt into 240 milliliters or 1 cup of warm water and gargle using the saltwater mixture several times daily. The heat may ease your throat irritation and the salt may help reduce mucus buildup.
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When Is A Sore Throat Serious
In most cases, your sore throat will improve with at-home treatment. However, its time to see your doctor if a severe sore throat and a fever over 101 degrees lasts longer than one to two days you have difficulty sleeping because your throat is blocked by swollen tonsils or adenoids or a red rash appears.
Relieving Your Sore Throat With General Health Practices
Tip: Shoot for three liters of water a day for men, and 2.2 liters of water a day for women.XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world’s leading hospitalsGo to source
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Sore Throats Arent Always Due To Omicron
COVID-19 aside, throat pain may also be due to the common cold, flu, or strep throat, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Unfortunately, theres no way to know what kind of infection you have without testing, according to R. Scott McClelland, MD, MPH, a professor of medicine, epidemiology, and global health and a clinical attending physician in infectious diseases at UW Medicine in Seattle. Even a specialist in infectious disease cant determine that, he says.
How Do I Fight Off An Impending Sore Throat
Its not always possible to fight off an impending sore throat. However, there are some things that you can do if you feel a sore throat coming on.
Try resting up and limiting your exposure to things that may further irritate your throat. Also try reducing your stress levels, as high stress can negatively affect your immune system.
Sipping on warm liquids and staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water can help too. Using a humidifier can add moisture to dry air.
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Using Home Remedies To Relieve A Sore Throat
Optional: Put one teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar in the water and gargle as usual. Do not swallow!
Sore Throats And Children
Sore throats are very common in children. They are usually caused by a virus. The child will normally also have a runny rose, cough, sore ears, a fever, be tired and be off their food.
It is more likely to be strep throat if the child is older than 3 years and if they have swollen glands in the neck, swollen, red tonsils with white spots, a rash and vomiting.
If youre not sure about your childs symptoms, or you are worried, see your doctor.
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How A Sore Throat Is Treated
A sore throat often signals an oncoming cold. Home remedies may help with some types of sore throat, while others may require medical treatment. A sore throat due to strep throat, for example, usually requires antibiotic treatment in order to prevent serious complications.
This article discusses the various treatment options for sore throat, from home remedies to over-the-counter medications, prescription medications, and more.
What Is The Cause Behind A Sore Throat
There are several different causes of a sore throat.
They include viruses, such as those that cause colds, the flu, and COVID-19. Bacteria, specifically those that cause strep throat, can cause a sore throat too.
Allergies to substances such as pollen, mold, and pet dander are another possible cause. So are irritants in the environment, such as secondhand smoke, air pollution, or chemical fumes.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease or a tumor in the throat can cause a sore throat as well.
According to the , a viral infection is the most common cause of a sore throat.
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Q How Do You Get Rid Of A Sore Throat
Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.
There are a number of things you can do to get rid of a sore throat. First, drink plenty of fluids to help keep your throat moist. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, as they can actually make your throat feel drier. Second, eat foods that are easy to swallow and avoid spicy or acidic foods that can irritate your throat. Third, use a humidifier or steam vaporizer to add moisture to the air and help soothe your throat. Finally, try gargling with warm salt water to help reduce swelling and pain. If your sore throat persists for more than a few days, or if you experience other symptoms like fever or difficulty swallowing, be sure to see your doctor. With proper care, most sore throats will resolve quickly and without complications.
Home Remedies To Get Rid Of A Sore Throat
In the meantime, try some of Dr. Allans tried-and-true ways to alleviate your sore throat.
1. Warm and cold fluids
Sip on warm drinks, like tea or chicken soup. Or try cold liquids, such as ice water or popsicles. It depends on your preference and what soothes your throat best.
Liquids help clear mucous membranes, keep things flowing and prevent sinus infections, says Dr. Allan. Warm temperatures may also reduce coughs by soothing the back of your throat. Try both warm and cold to see what works best for you.
2. Gargling
Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of salt or a similar amount of baking soda in a glass of warm water. Gargle the concoction every three hours for an all-natural sore throat remedy.
Salt water can help reduce swelling and irritation in your throat. Baking soda also soothes the throat, breaks up mucus and can help with throat-irritating acid reflux.
3. Over-the-counter antihistamines and pain relievers
An antihistamine may dull or relieve throat pain. Acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen also help with pain thats located a little deeper in your glands and other parts of your neck.
Histamines are chemicals that help your immune system fight foreign substances. But sometimes, they go overboard, triggering symptoms that can make a sore throat feel worse, explains Dr. Allan. Antihistamines can counteract this overreaction.
4. Steam and humidity
5. Hot toddy
Dr. Allan shares why hot toddies can be very soothing:
6. Rest
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