What to do against a Sore Throat?

A Sore throat is a common physical symptom of a throat infection which is caused by either bacteria or viruses. This symptom can also be a result of other conditions such as trauma in the throat, like after an intubation. It is characterized by pain and swallowing. The majority of sore throat cases are caused by an acute viral pharyngitis and only about 37% is caused by streptococcal pharyngitis. So what to do against a sore throat?

Causes of a Sore Throat

A sore throat caused by viruses does not actually need any medications since viruses are self limiting, while bacterial causes can be treated with antibiotics in order to lessen the clinical course of the disease and to prevent complications like rheumatic heart disease for streptococcal pharyngitis. When a person with streptococcal pharyngitis has already taken antibiotics for 24 hours, he/she is not contagious anymore and can god back to work by then.

Treatment

However, there are some things that you can do in order to make asore throat disappear a lot quicker. Here are some of those.

1. Gargle with mouth wash three times a day. If you do not have any budget for that, you can try mixing salt in a glass of lukewarm water and gargle it. This will kill bacteria that are present in your mouth and throat.

2. Pain is always included in the symptoms of sore throat. You can counteract this by taking in acetaminophen or paracetamol. If your child has sore throat, do not give him/her aspirin because there are some studies that say aspirin can cause reye’s syndrome in children especially when aspirin is given during viral infection.

3. Lozenges with menthol and benzocaine or phenol can help alleviate dryness of the throat and so as pain.

4. Brush your teeth and tongue more often.

5. Try to drink cold beverages. The coldness of the drink can numb your throat and decrease the pain you are feeling. In doing this, simply mix fruit juice with ice and let it stand for about 5 minutes and then drink it using a straw. Try to retain the juice on your throat for quite some time before fully swallowing it.

6. Eat soft liquid or foods so that the food can easily pass the throat. Avoid spicy or any irritating foods that may further the pain you are feeling on your throat.

7. Quit smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages as this can further irritate the throat and make the pain worst.

Self medication is not advised. So if you feel like our having a sore throat, go and visit your nearest throat specialist so that proper management can be given on your condition.