Sore throat: what to do at home?

Sore throat, along with a runny nose - one of the most common symptoms. Still, a huge amount of air passes through the mouth and nose, and it is not always clean and safe. Viruses, bacteria, allergens, dust and other foreign particles are first deposited on the mucous membrane of the nose and throat. In fact - this is the gate that protects the body from further penetration of pathogenic bacteria. That is why sore throat is considered the first sign of a cold. This article will talk about sore throat - how and why it occurs, how to treat sore throat and what can be done at home to get rid of discomfort.

Why does a sore throat

For the treatment to be effective and targeted, you need to know the enemy in the face and clearly understand the causes of sore throat.

1. Virus. In 70-80% of cases, the cause of a sore throat is a viral infection. Everybody knows the symptoms of a cold — runny nose, nasal congestion, nasal mucus, red and loose throat, sore throat when swallowing, headache, fever, and feeling unwell. As a rule, the virus passes in 5-7 days, antibiotics are not required for treatment, drinking plenty of water, fresh air and symptomatic treatment is enough. Viral lesions include tonsillitis, pharyngitis and other inflammations of the throat area. As a rule, we catch a viral infection from a sick person, but the disease develops brighter if the immune system is weakened - both general and local.
2. Bacterium. Carefully inspect the area of ​​your sore throat, you can do it yourself or ask someone close to you. If the throat is not just red, and there are purulent plaques on its surface, it means that it is a sore throat. There are several types of tonsillitis, only a doctor should prescribe treatment in this case. To cure a sore throat without antibiotics is almost impossible. However, it is advisable to select the desired antibiotic after bacteriological sowing in order to know exactly which drug of this group is more sensitive to bacteria.

These are the most common causes of sore throat.Inflammation can often begin with hypothermia when you are frozen in the wind or ate ice cream. Sometimes the cause of a sore throat can be injury - if, for example, a fish bone is stuck in the mucous membrane. The throat can ache after hot and sour drinks, after a chemical or physical burn. However, these are non-standard cases that occur very rarely. Let's talk about the commonplace and common cold, as well as sore throat, which from time to time visits each person.

What remedies to use for sore throat

Sore throat begins with a slight tingling, if you start treatment on time, the disease may not develop. But how to soothe the severe sore throat, which does not allow you to eat and sleep normally?

1. Herbal rinses. Surely in every house there are any medicinal herbs. As a rule, the most common chamomile. A decoction of chamomile inflorescences perfectly soothes the inflamed mucosa, relieves redness and swelling, relieves pain. Suppress the inflammation of pathogenic bacteria helps calendula - it is a powerful natural antiseptic.Against severe pain in the throat, you can use oak bark - tannins in the composition of the broth gently block the nerve endings, eliminating irritation in the throat. Sage, coltsfoot, nettle, yarrow - all these herbs can be used in the fight against the inflamed mucosa. You can cook a decoction of one herb or use several ingredients. Dry raw materials need to pour into a jar, pour boiling water and insist in a warm bundled form for about an hour. Gargle every 2 hours, sore throat will recede within 24 hours. Oak bark should be brewed in a thermos for 8-10 hours.
2. Rinse with antiseptic. Gargles are the most effective in combating inflammation of the throat, because during the procedure all the bacteria are not just destroyed, but washed off the surface of the mucous membrane. If you do not have any medicinal plants for cooking broth, be sure to look in the first-aid kit. To prepare the solution for rinsing any antiseptic will do. It can be chlorophyllipt, chlorhexidine, miramistin, hydrogen peroxide, even simple potassium permanganate. Potassium permanganate must be diluted in a glass to a pinkish state and must be passed through several layers of gauze before use so that the undissolved particle does not get on the mucous membrane and does not cause burns.You can dissolve the furatsilina tablet in water - for this, it is first crushed into powder and then poured with boiling water. You can cook sea water - dissolve salt, soda and iodine in a glass of warm liquid. This solution perfectly removes inflammation, disinfects the mucous membrane and relieves pain.
3. Antibacterial sprays and lozenges. The modern pharmaceutical industry provides us with a huge selection of antibacterial agents in the form of sprays, lozenges, lozenges and lozenges. Moreover, some manufacturers produce different dosage forms of the same drug. Such medications are useful if you can not rinse when you are at work or on the road. Hexoral, Lizobact, Strepsils, Septolete, Immudon, Tantum Verde, etc. are considered popular and effective antiseptics for throats.

When a sore throat hurts so much that it is impossible to tolerate, you can take an anesthetic pill along with local anesthetics. This will not help suppress inflammation, but will temporarily reduce the intensity of the pain.

How to deal with a sore throat

In the fight against sore throats it is very important to drink a lot. Firstly, it is a real alternative to rinsing, especially if the child is a patient who does not know how to gargle. Warm drinking washes away bacteria from the mucous membrane, which cause inflammation and pain. Secondly, a warm drink soothes the throat, relieves dryness and burning. Thirdly, a sufficient amount of fluid is necessary to flush the virus out of the body. That is, if you want to recover quickly, you need to drink 2-3 liters of fluid per day, this will help the body to quickly remove the virus. It is very useful to drink warm fruit drinks and fruit drinks. Perfectly relieves sore throat tea with lemon. With a strong burning sensation in the throat, you can simply chew the lemon wedge along with the zest, this will get rid of the pain and provide a powerful antiseptic effect. Prepare a vitamin bomb - add ginger, lemon and a few chamomile inflorescences to the teapot. For sweetness, you can drink tea with a cup of honey and honey - do not dilute bee products in tea, it loses its beneficial properties from high temperatures. In the fight against colds, a decoction of rosehips and tea with raspberries are very useful - they contain a lot of vitamin C.In addition, tea with raspberry jam and a decoction of raspberry leaves have a powerful diaphoretic effect that helps to cope with the temperature. But from the classic warm milk for the night should be abandoned. Recent studies have shown that milk is an excellent food for bacteria, and after drinking milk, inflammation will only increase.

If you have a sore throat, you need to give him maximum peace - do not shout, do not sing, it is advisable not to even talk. It is very useful for making throat inhalation - prepare any solution or decoction that you used to rinse, warm up and inhale the healing vapors with your mouth. It is much more convenient to use an inhaler (nebulizer). This is a device that sprays water or medicinal compounds up to microscopic particles, a person inhales fumes, they settle on the mucous throat, providing immediate local treatment. The inhaler is especially needed for laryngitis - relieves bouts of suffocative cough. It is possible to breathe medicinal solutions only after consulting a doctor, but to use Borjomi or saline for inhalation is not only effective, but also safe.

With a sore throat, you need to strictly stop smoking and alcohol. Alcohol and nicotine excite the mucous, making it more loose and susceptible to inflammation, sore throat after bad habits increases. It is also worth refusing from too hot drinks, spicy and spicy dishes - all this provokes increased pain in the throat. Ventilate the room often - humid, clean and cool air will significantly speed recovery. In addition, regular airing will help protect healthy family members from bacteria. With colds, try not to carry the disease on your feet, the body should rest and recover, provide yourself with bed rest. Otherwise, complications may occur.

When colds are very useful to make foot baths. This is an excellent folk remedy with really proven effectiveness. Steam your feet in hot water, it will help to cope with a cold in the early stages of the disease. When exposed to high temperatures, blood rushes to the feet, pours from the throat, the process of inflammation decreases, the pain passes a little. The procedure is also effective in dealing with the beginning cold.Remember that pregnant women feet steaming is strictly contraindicated!

For viral infections, it is helpful to do warming procedures. For example, you can make a vodka compress. Moisten a piece of clean bandage in vodka or alcohol, attach it to your throat and leave for 10 minutes. You can make a warming honey cake - mix honey, a pinch of mustard and vegetable oil, add rye flour and knead the dough, form a cake. Attach the tortilla to the throat - it warms well and keeps warm for a long time. You can lubricate the throat, nose and chest with a cold animal fat - badger, goose or pig. But remember that the warming procedures do not do with angina and other purulent lesions, otherwise the inflammation will increase.

How to protect yourself from throat diseases

Some people are sure that their throats are a “weak point”, which begins to inflame first. Indeed, some patients are especially prone to ENT diseases, and any more or less cool food or drink leads to a red and sore throat. In fact, it is not only a matter of physiology, the reason lies in the hardening of the body.If you do not protect your child from cold drinks from early childhood, the body will gradually get used. If you raise the baby in sterility and constantly give him only warm water, he will always get sick as soon as he begins to go beyond his "hotbed". But what to do now? How to train your throat?

In addition, you need to generally improve health and improve immunity. To do this, you need to eat right, temper, move more, walk in the fresh air. If you wet your feet, you must make a hot foot bath and drink tea with lemon, honey and raspberries. When supercooling, it is effective to drink vodka with pepper before bedtime - this will help protect yourself from an impending cold. Take care of your body, and the throat will never be felt!

Video: how to treat red throat