Part 2 – Sore Throat Treatment
A sore throat is a common ailment that can be very irritating and uncomfortable, as you already learned in part 1 of this article series.
Jump over to part 1 by clicking here to learn more about the types of sore throat, as well as the main causes (if you haven’t already).
If part 1 is how you ended up here, well, it’s time to check out possible sore throat treatment that will allow you to take care of the issue at hand and prevent any further complications from occurring.
Without Further Ado, Let’s Get To It!
Disclaimer: This is not concrete healthcare advice! Consult with your healthcare professional in the case of consistent symptoms. Schedule a consultation with naturopathic doctor erica steele.
Sore Throat Treatment Options
As we mentioned, treating sore throat using remedies that follow to be pointed out should always be combined with a visit to your doctor. Our practice offers sick care (acute care visits) to determine what the root cause of the sore throat maybe-
This is always the first thing you should do before you decide to participate in any sore throat treatment without knowing the root cause.
Viral Infections
Now, let’s talk about a sore throat caused by a viral infection.
This type of cause can make your sore throat last for up to six or seven days and usually subsides on its own during this time.
An important mention here is that antibiotics do not help to treat a sore throat caused by a viral infection.
To ease pain or fever caused by a viral infection, taking a natural or synthetic pain remedy can be helpful to reduce the pain caused by the sore throat. Sore throat treatment for the pain can be gargling with colloidal silver, warm water with sea salt as well as herbal peppermint teas.
A noteworthy mention here is that when treating children, you should never give them a smaller dose and if you choose a synthetic use only aspirin because it has been linked to Reye’s syndrome– a rare but potentially life-threatening syndrome that causes swelling in the liver and brain. Having a fever is the body’s way of burning off the infection and is the natural immune process.
Bacterial Infections
When it is concluded that the culprit is a bacterial infection, you will probably receive a piece of paper from your doctor with a list of sore throat treatment
It is essential to treating a sore throat to take the prescribed natural or synthetic treatments by following the instructions and number of days.
Even if you don’t feel your throat is aching anymore, stopping sore throat treatment early could lead to the infection coming back, worsening, or spreading throughout other parts of the body.
With a bacterial infection, your best bet is to stick to the doctors’ recommendations and let them give you the clearance to get off of the sore throat treatment.
Home Remedies, Anyone?
The harsh winter just came, you went out to enjoy all the snow with your mates (being the little kid that you were back then), and after hours of pure cold joy, you came back home only to realize you had a sore throat.
Your mom then instantly knew exactly what to give you, and boom, just a day later, you were back out in the snow (this time equipped better, though.)
Sounds familiar? Yeah.
Before western allopathic medicine took up by storm there was the sore throat treatment using home remedies passed out throughout the generations.
When we are specifically talking about a sore throat, there isn’t that much of a division between people who decide to take care of themselves and doctors because the home remedies usually treating a sore throat work like a charm.
The first one, and it’s a biggie, is… You guessed it – rest.
Getting plenty of sleep and resting your voice are practically the two most crucial things to do.
After that, we have drinking fluids – lots and lots of them- to get that bug out of your system faster. Typically warm fluids help treating a sore throat, some with honey, and can also have sea salt in the,.
The logical follow-up is to consume comforting foods and drinks.
This is generally all the hot drinks like tea, warm water with honey, broth, etc. (Remember the goodness of a warm soup during your childhood years we mentioned earlier?)
Gargling with salt water may also be a very effective way to help out to sore throat treatment with the pain.
A saltwater gargle of ¼ to ½ teaspoon (1250 to 2500 milligrams) of table salt to 120 to 240 ml of warm water can help soothe a sore throat.
Also, don’t forget to dehumidify the air!
It’s important to let fresh air in the room from time to time to get rid of the stale such.
Using diffusers with thieves, peppermint, eucalyptus, and tea tree can also be effective. Diffusing these oil in the air can be helpful in keeping the air pathogen free. You may also gargle with a could drops of diluted tea tree or thieves, but be sure to be mindful when using this sore throat treatment.
And For The Alternative People…Treating a sore throat naturally.s
Herbal or alternative products for sore throat are usually put in tea bags or some pills but can be consumed on their own for a better effect.
Teas, soups, or different combinations between slippery elm, licorice root, marshmallow root, ginger, dried Sambucus plant, garlic, and others have proven to be effective in situations with a sore throat. We tend to use oral treatments topically for the area as well as systemic treatments to help clear the infection in your body.
It is essential to understand that not one of these methods is efficient by itself.
A combination of these methods can prove to be most beneficial to your throat and overall health.
So, hey, if that throat is aching, give yourself some rest, have a warm tea with honey, and let your body do what it does best – Healing you!
For Treating a Sore Throat Naturally I tend to follow the order:
- Sleep and Sweat! That is the first thing that I recommend
- I add nutrients Vitamin C, Zinc, and D3 to the patient to bolster the immune system
- Antiviral or antibacterial (Garlic, Olive Leaf, Oregano oil as an example)
- We then add a tea such as Eucalyptus, Peppermint as a drainer as well as a topical analgesic
These are some of the sore throat treatments that I utilize once I determine the root cause. If you are needing an acute assessment to not only determine the root cause but to assess what is the most effective means of treating a sore throat either herbal or homeopathic please feel free to reach out for a sick care visit.