17 Old Wives Tales for how to cure that sore throat!
Posted by Sonny Saggar on Sun, Jan 15, 2012 @ 03:55 PM
Urgent Matters THE blog for 'The Non-Emergency Room'.
Shown below are some suggestions I found online for how to cure/soothe a sore throat, apart from visiting the urgent care, that is! Mostly old-wives' tales, but some of them are based in scientific fact as well as connected to modern genuine remedies. I just thought I'd write a different kind of blog article today and ask my readership what is their favorite way of treating a sore throat, chiefly because I got one today (after months of being perfectly fine and like a typical guy, I'm in denial that I'm even sick). I like to say macho things to my wife like "I don't get sick" and other comical statements, just so she can post what I say on Facebook!
Anyway, my personal favorite is ginger tea and sleeping with a handkerchief around my neck, much like the turtle neck suggestion. I find it really works. It might have something to do with raising the ambient temperature in my throat (much like a fever would) and making it easier for my immune system to be bacteriostatic or bacteriocidal, not sure which. I'm curious about just eating a lettuce leaf - that one just seems way too simple to work......
What do you do? If you have a scientific basis behind what you do, especially if it works, I'd love to hear it! Simply add your comments below or at facebook.com/ducstl
- Gargling with salt water will reduce swelling in the throat. The excess salt in the gargle helps to draw less saturated fluids out, reducing inflammation. It does NOT kill bacteria. The best way to treat a sore throat is to gargle with warm salt water 6-8 times a day.
- Of course, the best solution is to eliminate the cause instead of treating the symptoms. Eating half a leaf of fresh sage, combined with 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric, will greatly reduce the drainage and congestion. This works at least as well as the pharmaceutical medications (and without their side-effects).
- You should make your body alkaline to boost its uptake of oxygen. Drinking homemade lemonade with a pinch of baking soda periodically is a fast, safe, and effective way of doing this. Lemon juice is an acid, but it makes the body more alkaline because of the way it gets processed. The baking soda will add buffering bicarbonates to make the body resistive to becoming acidic again, which is the normal state during sickness. None of these things will provide immediate relief for the throat pain. That requires time.
- To treat the pain (and most effectively kill the bacte
ria) use a small amount of cayenne pepper with 3% hydrogen peroxide in a gargle. Sea salt is also fine to add. The remedies mentioned in previous answers really are effective, but not as fast. Your body will very rapidly deplete its iodine reserves anytime you are sick, so I recommend adding a quarter-sized patch of 2% iodine on your skin once a day, and more often if it absorbs rapidly. A couple of drops of 3% hydrogen peroxide in each ear periodically is helpful too. Even drinking a tiny amount of it in a drink will give your body a tremendous boost.
- I would suggest raw honey. Mix it with tea and lemon for a refreshing taste. Don't forget to use "raw" and not just ordinary processed and refined honey. I suggest that you use 1 standard drinking glass of hot to warm water 1 teaspoon of cayenne powder, and a couple pinches of salt for good measure.
- A great natural remedy is a spoonful of tehina or sesame paste - this home remedy is used quite often in the Middle East.
- Take a small bowl. Squeeze some lemon into it and then add some salt. Take a tablespoon and drink some. Drink some more. Then gargle the last bit and spit it out. It might taste horrible, but afterwards - in about a minute - I felt some relief.
- In desperation I tried chewable ginger tablets, known as Ginger Trips. I took 2 to start with and then an additional tablet whenever the pain started to come back. It was the only thing that worked of the various things that I tried. After I controlled the pain with the ginger, I used a 3% hydrogen peroxide gargle to help get rid of the lingering bacteria and took vitamin C to boost my immune system.
- Get some throat coat tea bags (Traditional Medicinals, at the health food store); they contain licorice and that soothes the throat and lungs. Don't use it if you have high blood pressure or liver disorders, though.
- Take throat lozenges and contact your doctor.
- Eat some lettuce; it helps the pain a lot.
- Gargle with warm salt water every morning and night and take lime/lemon and honey by the spoonful (relish it really; this is actually quite delicious). Your sore throat should be completely gone in a week (or less).
- Wear lots of turtle-neck sweaters, get some throat spray, and some medicine. Don't drink anything cold or have anything cold to eat, and buy lots of cough drops, too.
- The best way to get rid of a sore throat is to drink lots of hot drinks - grape juice is good - or take homeopathic medicine.
- To get relief and speed up the healing process, dissolve 2 x 500mg Aspirin tablets in 50 ml of warm water and add 2 teaspoons of Manuka honey. Sip this during the day and you won't even know you have a sore throat. Manuka honey has a bio active component with a numbering system that starts at 5 and goes up 20-25.
- You could also try some Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen. This will ease - and maybe get rid of - the pain for about 4-5 hours. Keep doing this, over and over again, until your sore throat has gone.
- Avoid citrus/acidic fruits or food. It can make your sore throat worse. You can try going to the Asian market to buy some pickled plums. Take one plum and mush it up, then add warm water, and stir. Then drink some, but not all at once. Also take tiny sips. This may sound disgusting, but trust me, it works! When you drink it, don't expect it to taste good... just drink it as if it is soup.
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