Sore throat can crop up at any time of the year and can be very distressing with constant itching, inflammation, pain, and dryness. It always accompanies a respiratory infection and can be easily treated with some simple home measures. Read on to know how to deal with soar throat.
Salt water gargling
Gargling with salt water is one of the most commonly used remedies for curing sore throat. Salt is a wonderful antibacterial agent and helps in relieving the inflammation, bacterial and viral action, and also the offensive odor associated with sore throat. For taking benefit from this simple remedy, all you need to do is to add half a teaspoon of salt to a glass of warm water. Use this water for gargling your throat. Ensure that the water reaches the deep layers, down your throat so that the bacteria are adequately destroyed. Allow the salt water to remain inside the throat for as much time as you can. Finally, make sure that you swish and rinse your mouth thoroughly as well with salt water. Doing this several times a day will help in relieving sore throat within a couple of days.
Steaming
After a salt water rinse, you can top it up with a warm steaming session to keep your throat free from dryness and prevent the sore throat for getting worse, especially in the night. Steaming can be done by boiling a pot full of water and using a towel around your face to retain the steam while you inhale and exhale deeply through your mouth. Steaming will help in soothing the throat and relieving the inflammation and pain. This can be done once or twice a day, especially before sleep for undisturbed sleep. Using a vaporizer or a humidifier throughout the night too helps a lot to relieve the irritation and discomfort associated with sore throat and keeping the throat from dryness as well.
Natural treatments
There are many natural treatment methods that can help in relieving sore throat naturally and without any side effects. These remedies are tried and tested and can even be administered on kids safely. One of the best remedies for treating sore throat is with garlic which is an anti inflammatory as well as antibacterial agent. You can take 2-3 garlic cloves a day for this. Allow the juice to linger in your throat for as much time as you can to relieve the inflammation and bacterial action. Alternatively, make an infusion with 4-5 crushed garlic cloves and boiling it with water for about 15 minutes. Take this 3-4 times throughout the day. Honey is another wonderful healing remedy that can treat and destroy bacteria and also moisturize the throat, easing the dryness and healing the sore throat within a couple of days. Take a tablespoon of honey and add to a glass of warm water. Consume this twice a day. Adding a teaspoon of ginger juice along with honey can help treat sore throat associated with cough and cold. Finally, another great remedy for treating sore throat at home is to take an infusion of peppercorns and coriander seeds. Crush some peppercorns and coriander seeds and boil along with a cup of water. Take this 3-4 times a day to keep the sore throat under control.
Drink hot soups and liquids
Sore throats generally go away within a few days on its own. But, you can also speed up this process by avoiding cold liquids that can aggravate the inflammation and pain, and take chicken broth and other warm liquids which will help in soothing the throat and easing the pain. Chicken broth is known to have anti inflammatory properties and it reduces the production of neutrophils that cause phlegm and mucous. To increase its healing powers, you can add carrots, garlic, pepper, celery, parsley, onions, etc., which are all great for treating sore throat and other inflammatory conditions when used individually as well. Taking warm liquids and soups throughout the day will help in healing the sore throat in a couple of days.
Medications
There are many over the counter medications that help in treating sore throat easily. If you are looking for a quick remedy that can act in a few hours time, over the counter medications and anti histamines that helps in controlling allergy related sore throat are the best. Allergy medications can be used as a preventive as well if you are very susceptible to constant sore throat due to external irritants.
