How to quickly eliminate a sore throat?

A sore throat occurs for a variety of reasons. So, irritation, trauma, inflammation or neuralgic disorders can become factors that provoke the onset of unpleasant sensations in the throat. Often, pain occurs against the background of a cold and disappears in just a couple of days, without causing significant discomfort and does not require special treatment. But how to get rid of a sore throat if the symptoms are more pronounced and do not go away within a few days? In this case, it is necessary to immediately begin therapy, including methods of traditional medicine, as well as medical recommendations.

Traditional medicine

In traditional medicine, there are many recipes that can be used as first aid for sore throat. Among the most popular methods are:

rinsing,
lozenges and sprays based on medicinal plants;
compresses,
inhalation.

Gargling in the treatment of inflammatory processes in the larynx allows you to quickly relieve pain symptoms, reduce swelling and discomfort. However, this method retains the positive effect for a short time, therefore, periodic repetition is required several times a day. Procedures using

infusions of herbs such as chamomile, calendula;
soda-salt solutions, and these ingredients can be used separately or together;
iodine or hydrogen peroxide solution;
lemon juice solution.

Despite the large selection of traditional medicine recipes for gargling, which are indispensable when the throat is very sore, the principles of the procedures are identical:

it is necessary to use exclusively warm and freshly prepared solutions;
rinsing should be carried out with your head thrown back slightly, trying to ensure that the medicinal solution penetrates as deep as possible into the throat;
to soothe a sore throat, repeat the procedure every hour.

Important! Before using solutions based on medicinal herbs, make sure that there is no individual intolerance to each of the components.

Lozenges based on medicinal herbs with extracts of lemon, honey or mint are able to have a soothing and soothing effect, and at the same time are an excellent analgesic that can eliminate pain. However, it should be remembered that it is not recommended to use lozenges containing anesthetics for more than three days. Indeed, against the background of the absence of a pronounced symptom, you can miss a serious illness without starting timely treatment.

Not knowing how to relieve a sore throat, you can try special sprays. They act in a similar way to lozenges and gargles, quickly relieving discomfort. However, before using the sprays, you should consult your doctor and carefully study the indications and contraindications for the use of the drug.

If for some reason gargling, sprays and lozenges are contraindicated, and the patient does not know how to soften the throat, compresses can be used. As a compress that will help relieve pain, use

a heating pad filled with warm water;
boiled potatoes wrapped in several layers of cloth;
Sea salt "gruel" wrapped in cloth.

Any of the compresses should be placed on the larynx area, if possible, placed around the neck. At the same time, there are practically no contraindications to this procedure, an overdose is impossible. Warming compresses can also be used for children. It is recommended to stay in bed for a while after the procedure.

If you're unsure of what to do or how to relieve pain, try moisturizing your throat. To do this, use a warm drink, herbal infusions with honey, which will help soften and soothe an irritated throat.

Drinking a large volume of warm liquid reduces the amount of mucus, helping the body to resist in the fight against pathogens and reduce sore throat. During illness, it is necessary to avoid dehydration by drinking two to three liters of fluid per day. The ideal option for replenishing the water-salt balance in the body and looking for an answer to the question of how to quickly relieve a sore throat is sports drinks, which are rich in electrolytes, capable of replenishing the missing minerals necessary to fight infections in a weakened body.

Also, to reduce pain and moisturize the mucous throat, it is necessary to maintain a sufficiently high humidity in the room, for this it is effective to use special devices - humidifiers. This issue becomes especially relevant during the heating season, when the humidity in the apartments is low.

When looking for ways to soften a headache, you should try steam inhalation. To do this, you just need to inhale warm steam, bending over a container of hot water and covering yourself with a towel. To increase the effectiveness of the procedure, infusions of medicinal herbs, ginger, essential oils can be added to the water. The duration of such inhalations is usually five to ten minutes. The number of repetitions - as needed.

Important! Before starting the inhalation procedure, check the steam with your hand so that it is not scalding hot.

General recommendations

How to reduce a sore throat using traditional medicine methods is clear. Now let's highlight a number of general recommendations aimed at eliminating the disease.
If the pain is so severe that it is impossible to swallow, you can quickly relieve the discomfort by using drugs containing paracetamol or ibuprofen. These substances can relieve pain symptoms, and they will also be useful when a sore throat is accompanied by a high fever.

In order to speed up the healing process and get rid of a sore throat as quickly as possible, you need to rest more. At this time, the body restores the spent energy more efficiently. For the duration of the illness, it is recommended to increase sleep to eleven hours a day.

Warm baths or showers are a good option for reducing throat pain due to the inhalation effect of warm steam and softening mucous membranes in humid conditions. Baths are contraindicated only if the disease is accompanied by an increased body temperature.

At the first symptoms of the disease, as a way to relieve a sore throat and speed up recovery, a complex intake of vitamins, especially vitamin C, is recommended. It is known that this substance has antioxidant protection. It is also able to support the immune system during illness and relieve pain in the throat. Other antioxidant foods such as green tea, cranberries, prunes, nuts, and apples are beneficial for sore throats.

Garlic is a natural antibiotic, therefore it is recommended to use it as a supplement to the main diet in the treatment and prevention of diseases. For example, you can make garlic tea to help eliminate the root cause of the illness so that your throat stops hurting. What to do to make such tea? First you need to cut fresh garlic into small pieces, pour over them with water. Heat the mixture in the microwave for a few minutes. Drain the resulting liquid and drink. You can add the resulting solution to tea, sweeten with honey or sugar. Despite the presence of garlic, the drink is not only healthy, but also tasty.

Foods contraindicated for sore throat

There are foods that are indicated for sore throats, such as honey, lemon, foods and drinks high in vitamins.However, a number of foods can be identified that must be removed from the diet during illness so as not to aggravate the condition.

First of all, for pain in the throat, dairy products should be excluded, for example, milk, ice cream, cottage cheese. The fact is that such food is capable of provoking the production of mucus, which will only aggravate the condition and will not allow you to quickly get rid of the pain.
Also, for the duration of the illness, it is necessary to exclude sweet foods from the diet, reduce the use of sugar, cakes, lollipops and chocolates. Such food is very irritating to the throat, slowing down the recovery.
Cold food and overly cold drinks are also not recommended for a sore throat. Despite the reduction in pain after their use, this effect is short-lived and can only aggravate the situation. Therefore, it is best to eat warm food.

Health care

There are situations where independent attempts to relieve pain and quickly heal the throat do not bring the desired effect. If the pain persists within three days, you should seek medical help. At the appointment, the doctor will examine the throat, analyze the accompanying symptoms, make the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

Indeed, often the cause of the sharp appearance of pain is serious infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms. It is necessary to immediately consult a doctor without waiting for the expiration of the three days, if

a sharp pain in the pharynx is not accompanied by other symptoms, that is, the disease proceeds without a runny nose and cough;
the temperature rises above 38 degrees;
an increase in lymph nodes is observed in the cervical region;
pain in the throat is accompanied by a purulent bloom on the tonsils;
the throat is bright red;
there are red spots on the neck.

Your doctor may prescribe medication by prescribing antiseptics, topical pain relievers, antihistamines, and antipyretics.

Additional Tips

For the prevention and quick treatment of severe sore throat, it is necessary to follow the general rules that will speed up the elimination of the disease and will soothe the irritated mucous membrane and remove the pain symptom.

At the first symptoms and sore throat, use lozenges and warm drinks.
Take care of your ligaments, try to talk less, give your throat a rest.
Eat more liquid and warm foods.
Monitor your body temperature, if it rises above 38 degrees, immediately consult a doctor.
Eat more vitamin-rich foods such as fresh orange juice with salt and honey.
Severe pain can be temporarily relieved with paracetamol, for example.
Use warm showers and baths to help relieve pain by opening the airways.
During illness, to avoid complications, exclude smoking and do not drink alcoholic beverages.
Get more rest, in severe cases, stay in bed.

Now you know what to do and how to quickly get rid of sore throat. Follow these simple rules, and you can prevent illness or significantly speed up recovery and relieve pain symptoms.