Sore throat: what to do at home?

Sore throat, along with a runny nose, is one of the most common symptoms. Still, a huge amount of air passes through the mouth and nose, and it is far from always clean and safe. Viruses, bacteria, allergens, dust and other foreign particles first settle on the nasal mucosa and throat. In fact, these are gates that protect the body from further penetration of pathogenic bacteria. That is why sore throat is considered the first sign of a cold. In this article, we will talk about sore throat - how and why it occurs, how to treat a sore throat and what can be done at home to get rid of discomfort.

Why sore throat

In order for the treatment to be effective and targeted, you need to know the enemy in person and clearly understand the causes of soreness in the throat.

1. Virus. In 70-80% of cases, the cause of a sore throat is a viral infection. Everyone knows the symptoms of the common cold - a runny nose, nasal congestion, nasal mucus, red and loose throat, sore throat when swallowing, headache, fever, and poor health. As a rule, the virus goes away in 5-7 days, antibiotics are not required for treatment, plenty of drinking, fresh air and symptomatic treatment are enough. Viral lesions include tonsillitis, pharyngitis and other inflammation of the throat. As a rule, we become infected with a viral infection from a sick person, but the disease develops brighter if the immunity is weakened - both general and local.
2. Bacterium. Carefully inspect the area of ​​your sore throat, you can do it yourself or ask someone from your loved ones. If the throat is not just red, but there are purulent plaques on its surface, then this is a sore throat. There are several types of tonsillitis, only a doctor should prescribe treatment in this case. It is almost impossible to cure a sore throat without antibiotics. However, it is advisable to select the right antibiotic after bacteriological culture in order to know exactly which drug of this group the bacteria are more sensitive to.

These are the most common causes of a sore throat. Often, inflammation can begin with hypothermia when you are freezing in the wind or eating ice cream. Sometimes the cause of a sore throat can be an injury - if, for example, a fish bone is stuck in the mucosa. The throat can hurt 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 a commonplace and common cold, as well as a sore throat that every person visits from time to time.

What remedies to use for sore throat

Sore throat begins with mild perspiration, if treatment is started on time, the disease may not develop. But how to relieve severe sore throat, which does not allow you to eat and sleep normally?

1. Herbal rinse. Surely in every house there are some herbs. As a rule, chamomile is most often found. A decoction of chamomile inflorescences perfectly soothes the inflamed mucosa, relieves redness and swelling, and relieves pain. Calendula will help suppress inflammation of pathogenic bacteria - this is a powerful natural antiseptic. Against severe sore throat, you can use oak bark - tannins in the composition of the broth gently block nerve endings, relieving irritation in the throat. Sage, coltsfoot, nettle, yarrow - all these herbs can be used in the fight against inflamed mucosa. You can prepare a decoction from one herb or use several ingredients.Dry raw materials need to be poured into a jar, pour boiling water and insist in a warm, wrapped form for about an hour. Gargle every 2 hours, sore throat will recede in a day. Oak bark should be brewed in a thermos for 8-10 hours.
2. Rinse with an antiseptic. Rinses are the most effective in the fight against sore throat, because during the procedure all bacteria are not just destroyed, but washed off the surface of the mucosa. If you do not have any medicinal plants for preparing a decoction, be sure to look into the first-aid kit. Any antiseptic is suitable for preparing a rinse. 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 be sure to pass through several layers of gauze before use so that the undissolved particle does not get on the mucous membrane and does not cause a burn. You can dissolve a tablet of furatsilin in water - for this, it is first crushed into powder, and then poured with boiling water. You can prepare 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 it is not possible to rinse when you are at work or on the go. Popular and effective antiseptics for the throat are Hexoral, Lizobact, Strepsils, Septolete, Immudon, Tantum Verde, etc.

When the throat hurts very much, which is impossible to endure, together with local anesthetics, you can take a tablet of an anesthetic. This will not help suppress inflammation, but temporarily reduce the intensity of pain.

How to deal with sore throat

In the fight against sore throat, it is very important to drink a lot. Firstly, this is a real alternative to rinsing, especially if the patient is a child who does not yet know how to gargle. A warm drink flushes bacteria from the mucosa, which cause inflammation and pain. Secondly, a warm drink soothes the throat, relieves dryness and burning. Thirdly, a sufficient amount of fluid is necessary for leaching the virus from the body. That is, if you want to recover as soon as possible, you need to drink 2-3 liters of fluid per day, this will help the body eliminate the virus faster. It is very useful to drink warm compotes and fruit drinks. Perfectly relieves sore throat tea with lemon. With a strong burning sensation in the throat, you can just chew a lemon slice together with the zest, this will get rid of the pain and provide a powerful antiseptic effect. Make a Vitamin Bomb - Add ginger, lemon and some chamomile blossoms to the teapot. For sweetness, you can drink tea in the bite with honey - do not dilute the beekeeping product in tea, it loses its beneficial properties from high temperatures. In the fight against colds, rosehip broth and tea with raspberries are very useful - they have a lot of vitamin C. In addition, tea with raspberry jam and a decoction of raspberry leaves have a powerful diaphoretic effect, which helps to cope with the temperature. But the classic warm milk for the night should be discarded. Recent studies have proven that milk is an excellent food for bacteria, after drinking milk, inflammation only intensifies.

If you have a sore throat, you need to give him maximum peace - do not scream, do not sing, it is advisable not to even talk. It is very useful for the throat to make inhalations - prepare any solution or decoction that you used to rinse, warm 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 to microscopic particles, a person inhales vapors, they settle on the throat mucosa, providing immediate local treatment. The inhaler is especially necessary for laryngitis - relieves attacks of suffocating cough. You can breathe drug solutions only after consulting a doctor, but using Borjomi or saline solution for inhalation is not only effective, but also safe.

For sore throats, you must strictly stop smoking and alcohol. Alcohol and nicotine excite the mucosa, make it more loose and prone to inflammation, sore throat after bad habits intensifies. It is also worth abandoning too hot drinks, spicy and spicy dishes - all this provokes an increase in sore throat. Ventilate the room more often - moist, clean and cool air will significantly speed up recovery. In addition, regular airing will help protect healthy family members from bacteria. With colds, try not to tolerate the disease on your legs, the body should rest and recover, provide yourself with bed rest. Otherwise, complications may occur.

With colds, it is very useful to make foot baths. This is an excellent folk remedy with really proven effectiveness. Steam your feet in hot water, this will help to cope with a cold in the early stages of the disease. When exposed to high temperatures, blood rushes to the feet, sheds from the throat, the inflammation decreases, the pain goes away a little. The procedure is also effective in controlling the onset of a runny nose. Remember that pregnant women steaming legs is strictly contraindicated!

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

How to protect yourself from sore throat

Some people are sure that their throat is a "weak spot" that begins to become inflamed first thing. Indeed, some patients are particularly susceptible to ENT diseases and any more or less cool dish or drink leads to a red and sore throat. In fact, it is not only a question 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 to it. If you raise a baby in sterility and constantly give him only warm water, he will always get sick as soon as he begins to go beyond his "greenhouse". But what to do now? How to train your throat?

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

Video: how to treat red throat