Home Treatment for Sore Throat

Often a mild sore throat is due to low humidity, smoking, air pollution and perhaps yelling. People who have allergies or stuffy noses may breathe through their mouth while sleeping, causing a mild sore throat.

Sore Throat can affect a person of any age but is most common among children five to ten years old. The most common causes of sore throat are viruses and bacteria.

Antibiotics are useless against viral infections. A sore throat caused by a virus must improve on its own. Pain relievers like lozenges, anesthetic sprays and other medications may relieve symptoms.

“Strep throat” is what we commonly call sore throat caused by a streptococcal bacterium. Strep throat is more common in children than adults. If one child in a family has a strep throat, other members with a sore throat are likely also to be infected with strep.

A sore throat is unlikely to be strep if the person has several other cold symptoms like runny nose, stuffy ears, cough and so on.

A “Strep throat” should be treated immediately by a Physician to avoid the following complications:

1. Throat abscess – Suspect a throat abscess if a child drools excessively or has great difficulty in swallowing or opening his/her mouth.

2. Rheumatic Fever – This condition appears one to four weeks after the sore throat and results in painful joints, skin rashes and heart damage. Antibiotic treatment of strep throat can prevent rheumatic fever.

3. Inflammation of the Kidney – This condition also comes ont to four weeks after the sore throat.

How to prevent Sore Throat:

• Humidify your home, especially the bedroom.
• Identify and avoid irritants that cause sore throat,
• Don’t smoke,
• Avoid contact with people who have strep throat

Home Treatment for Sore Throat:

• Humidify the home, especially the bedroom,
• Gargle with warm salt water. The salt reduces swelling.
• Some over the counter lozenges have a local anesthetic to deaden the pain.
• A vaporizer will moisten the air and ease dry air passages.
• Drink more fluids to soothe a sore throat. Honey and lemon or weak tea may help.
• Stop smoking.

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