Hey mum? Do you have any advice on dealing with a really bad sore throat?? Thank you!!!
I pretty much have a constant one from various different issues but there are a few things you can do to ease it if not actually cure it.
Gargling with salt water is a tried and true classic which is also good for minor tooth pain. Take 8oz of water and add a 1/2 tea spoon salt to it. Make sure it’s well dissolved then gargle with it until the water is gone. You might also want to swish vigorously to remove any lingering bacteria from the rest of your mouth. (If you’re dealing with a bacterial infection it’s also a good idea to floss and brush with extra care, and also possibly pitch your toothbrush/head afterwards. Turns out you can re-infect yourself with strep throat from your toothbrush, who knew. I do now.)
I tend to do this twice a day because of my issues, once when I wake up and when I go to bed, but you could also do it a third time during the middle of the day if you’re desperate. Try not to do it too much though, as salt water can actually irritate your throat more if you do it too much. The reason for this is that it creates a high-salt barrier in your throat and is effectively sucking the infected fluids from your throat tissue. It’s a bit like a neti pot rinse but for your throat in that regard, and while it won’t cure a virus (or even a bacterial infection if it’s bad enough) it will help speed the recovery along and also help break up any phlegm you’re struggling with. Just make sure you drink a lot of fluids to compensate for it. Also I know this might seem obvious, but don’t drink the salt water.
Speaking of fluids, you never mentioned if you are sick or if this is a sore throat from something else, but keeping the throat as moist as possible will help a lot. I tend to alternate between chilled water (juice is also fine but acidic things might make your throat worse if it’s particularly raw) warm drinks like tea are also good, as is coffee provided you don’t make it too strong. If you are not allergic to it, a good dollop of honey is very good for a sore throat and you can add it to any hot beverage or even just a cup of hot water to sip on if you don’t like tea or coffee. I actually used to gargle with a tea spoon of slightly warmed honey as a child because it was good at helping my inflamed tonsils. I wish I could still do it but such is life. The way to do this is take a tsp of honey (try to make sure it’s real honey, most commercial honeys in the US are cut with corn syrup and are effectively useless. Look for certified “True Source Certified” on the label) and mix it with three tsp of warm water and mix it together. Doesn’t make a lot but it’s enough to give your throat a good coat. Some people can cough or find this quite acidic to do, in which case add more water. Manuka honey would be preferable but isn’t necessary. Any good (certified) honey will do.
If your sore throat is being caused by sinus drainage or dry air, adding a humidifier to your environment will be beneficial, as will taking a steam bath—which you do by pouring boiling water into a heat proof basin, draping a towel over your head and leaning over the bowl. If you try this please be careful not to burn yourself and only do it for 20 minutes at a time, and if it’s too hot for you to handle don’t struggle through, take breaks as needed. What this does is helps to get warm moist air into your system, which is soothing by itself, but will also help with any congestion you might be having which could be contributing to the sore throat. Don’t add any essential oils to either of these things. They are unnecessary for this and most oils marketed as congestion cures are actually an irritant for the lungs and throat. The way the menthol works is to cool and effectively numb your airways so it feels like they are opening up, while actually it’s the steam doing the work. So save yourself some money and an extra irritant and just go with clean water. If you can’t do a face steam bath, having a hot shower (or even just sitting in the bathroom while it steams up) will also help.
If you’re sore throat is being caused by something like reflux (you can tell if it is because you will have frequent heart burn too and it will be worse after lying down) you can try several things, such as elevating your head of your bed, and also trying to sleep on your left side—preferably with your upper body elevated with a wedge pillow or by tilting your bed—and avoiding being on your back and stomach as this allows the acid to rise. You might also want to try eating smaller meals throughout the day instead of large ones, and try to avoid eating close to bed time. If you suspect it is reflux and you can’t seem to fix it with slight adjustments, talk to you doctor, you might need some meds or have a bacterial infection called helicobacter pylori which can eventually lead to ulcers. It can usually be remedied with acid reducers and a course of antibiotics, but will require life adjustments after that to keep it in check.
If it’s just a plain old sore throat from a virus or talking too much? Fluids, cough drops (I like the Ricola ones) honey and salt water and try to rest your voice. Write things on a pad if you need to.
If it persists and you start to notice white spoits or streaks on the back of your throat? Go see your doctor and don’t ignore it, it could be a bacterial infection like strep throat that needs antibiotics. And that’s a fucker to deal with if you ignore it and it turns into scarlet fever. Trust me.
Good luck friend, hope you feel better <3
