Sore throat can occur in both warm and cold months, although the usual time for the "cold season" is the fall-winter period. Prevention of colds is not always 100% effective, and when a sore throat occurs, you have to think: how to cope with it? An important point in this is the early relief of symptoms. Every person with a sore throat seeks to immediately feel an improvement in their condition - and it is most convenient to treat them at home. Is it possible to get well with home remedies? How to quickly heal a throat at home and what is needed for this?
Treatment features
Complaints about a sore throat are typical for various diseases - first of all, it is sore throat (tonsillitis) and pharyngitis. Often it is an acute form, since the need to quickly heal the throat at home arises when symptoms suddenly appear. Patients suffering from chronic tonsillitis and other forms of pathologies in which the affected area includes the throat, as a rule, are aware of the diagnosis and appropriate therapy.
How to get rid of a sore throat? In order to treat the throat at home with a satisfactory result, an integrated approach is required. Medicines, both home and pharmacy, are just part of the therapy regimen. A rapid improvement in the condition cannot be achieved if the patient rests little, shortens the duration of sleep, smokes a lot, and does not follow the drinking regimen. It is non-drug measures that are the basis of treatment, which the patient can start at home on their own.
What should you pay attention to? First of all, these are indicators of the microclimate in the room where the patient is. Inhalation of dry, too hot air does not improve the condition at all. The mucous membrane dries up, the manifestations of the inflammatory process are aggravated. Therefore, it should not be hot in the patient's room - if he feels that he is freezing, it is better to dress warmly. Of course, it shouldn't be cold either. The recommended temperature range is 19–20 ° C, humidity is 50–70%.
It is also necessary to understand that the inflamed mucous membrane continues to come into contact with irritating factors. There are many of them: cold or, conversely, hot air, cigarette smoke, drinks and food of the wrong temperature. Therefore, it is important to limit contact with these irritants as much as possible, otherwise it will be very difficult to treat a sore throat. How to proceed in this case? The necessary activities can be presented in the list:
- Avoid sudden changes in air temperature (inhaling first warm, then very cold air and vice versa).
- Control the temperature of drinks and food (they should not be scalding hot or too cold).
- Monitor the composition of food (exclude the addition of spicy seasonings, give up spicy types of vegetables, spicy snacks).
It is advisable to quit smoking, including passive smoking.
Inhalation of tobacco smoke is an additional irritant factor for the inflamed mucous membrane. For a person who feels that they are starting to get sick, it is better to at least reduce the number of cigarettes if there is no way to stop smoking altogether. You should also avoid drinking alcohol.
Rinsing: pros and cons
When the question arises of what to do at home if your throat hurts, gargling is one of the most popular ways to speed up your recovery. However, this method of treatment has not only adherents, but also opponents. Sometimes you can hear that the use of solutions is absolutely useless, they do not work. Children are not very fond of rinsing, since the procedure has to be repeated many times, and the product used as a medicine has a specific taste.
In fact, gargling is one of the most beneficial throat treatments if done correctly and when indicated. During the procedure, there is a mechanical removal of accumulations of pus (with purulent inflammation), and with it the pathogen, as well as cleansing and moisturizing the mucous membrane. The drug used in this case may include components that have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects.
Unfortunately, no single treatment can treat sore throat at home in 1 day. But with a regular repetition of rinsing, noticeable relief occurs already on the next day after the start of treatment - of course, if the patient is not in a serious condition and complications do not develop.
Do not use "aggressive" solutions for rinsing.
Treating at home is not always safe. Despite the advantages of the rinsing procedure, it also has disadvantages. The mucous membrane is covered with mucus, which performs, in particular, a protective function. It contains various active components (interferon, immunoglobulins), as well as immunocompetent cells (lymphocytes). If, in the absence of pus, the so-called
"Aggressive" solutions for rinsing, it brings no benefit, but harm - the mucous membrane dries up, it becomes much easier for pathogenic agents to multiply, which contributes to an increase in the area of inflammation.
"Aggressive" drugs include:
- Furacilin solution.
- A solution of salt and / or soda at a high concentration of the basic substance.
- Concentrated potassium permanganate solution.
The mouthwash should be gentle, not provoke an allergic reaction and irritation of the mucous membrane. Hypertonic saline solutions and Furacilin are needed only for purulent inflammation, which is confirmed by the doctor.
How to use the rinse
If you are treating a sore throat at home, it is best to rinse by the sink. The patient is given a separate dish for the procedure, which is thoroughly washed. You need to take a sufficient amount of medicine in your mouth and throw your head back. At the same time, you should not make sudden movements. To thoroughly cleanse the mucous membrane, you can pronounce the sounds "y", "y". After a short retention (up to 30 seconds) in the throat, the solution is spit out, a new portion is collected until the entire volume of the glass is used.
The requirements for the rinsing procedure are as follows:
- repetition at least 8-10 times a day;
- refusal to swallow the medicine;
- execution after eating;
- abstaining from food for at least 20 minutes after the end of the procedure;
- solution temperature control (correspondence to body temperature).
Every time you need to prepare a fresh solution.
Whichever means the patient uses - pharmacy or home - it is best to make a rinse solution just before the procedure. If you cool and warm it, you can nullify all previous efforts.
During the procedure, you must follow the precautions:
- Check the temperature of the solution (it is better to pour a little into a separate bowl for this).
- Do not force gargle in patients who, due to age or health condition, cannot control the movement of fluid in the throat. The main rule is to withstand the solution in the throat without swallowing
his. If the patient does not succeed in this, he may choke, which not only causes discomfort, but also dangerous. - Monitor the concentration of the solution, the use of components suitable for the shelf life and quality composition.
- Monitor the patient's condition - allergy symptoms can appear suddenly, so it is important to stop the procedure on time and start providing assistance.
his. If the patient does not succeed in this, he may choke, which not only causes discomfort, but also dangerous.It is worth remembering that rinsing, despite its effectiveness, is only one of the methods of therapy. It is not able to cure completely, but it is useful in complex treatment. The procedure is not suitable for young children who cannot perform it efficiently.
Gargle recipes
To prepare a home remedy for sore throat, patients use different recipes. The most popular ingredients are honey, various medicinal herbs, vegetable juice. They are available, have, if not pleasant, then tolerable taste, help to eliminate inflammation.
Beets and vinegar
You will need a grater with fine holes, cheesecloth, raw beets, a tablespoon of ordinary vinegar. The washed and peeled vegetable must be grated and squeezed out of juice (1 glass). Mix the components. If desired and in the absence of allergies, you can also add a teaspoon of honey. Rinse at least 5 times a day - constantly with freshly prepared products.
Honey, ginger and lemon
Ginger is used in powder form. A glass of hot water is taken (of sufficient temperature to dissolve the components, but at the same time to exclude a burn of the mucous membrane), 1 teaspoon of honey and the same amount of ginger powder are added to it. Juice is squeezed out of half a lemon, which is added to the resulting medicine.
Salt, soda, iodine
This is one of the simplest and at the same time effective rinses. A person who had to get sick needs to quickly begin procedures with this solution - of course, if there are no contraindications. A glass of clean boiled water is required at a temperature comfortable for the throat, a teaspoon of soda, the same amount of salt, a few drops of iodine.
Iodine is added very carefully - it is enough if the drops are small, up to 2-3.
Lemon juice
How can lemon juice be used to treat throat? The preparation is very simple. A teaspoon of juice is squeezed out of a lemon slice, which is added to a glass of prepared water. The procedure can be repeated every two hours (excluding sleep time).
Camomile tea
Pharmacy chamomile, as well as grown or harvested independently, is used in the form of dry raw materials. The ratio is a tablespoon to a glass of hot water. You need to brew the infusion in a glass or enamel clean dish, wrapped in a towel. After 30 minutes of infusion, the medicine is ready, however, the heating temperature should be controlled.
Gargle with calendula
It is most convenient to use calendula, which is sold in the form of a ready-made tincture at a pharmacy. A teaspoon is enough for a glass of warm water. It should be borne in mind that the composition of the drug contains alcohol. How to treat a throat if you have dried plant flowers at hand? They are poured in 200 ml of boiling water in the amount of a teaspoon and insisted for 30 minutes. Rinsing is carried out with a strained tincture.
Other recipes
How to treat a throat in adults at home? It is not necessary to be limited only to the rinses. You can apply:
- aloe juice;
- garlic;
- honey;
- vegetable oil.
How to heal your throat with aloe at home? A plant that is at least 2 years old is required. The fresh leaf is washed, the juice is squeezed out. Take 1 time per day in the morning on an empty stomach. Aloe can provoke an allergic reaction, so complaints of itching of the mucous membranes, the appearance of lacrimation and a runny nose cannot be ignored. This recipe is mainly suitable for the treatment of a chronic inflammatory process (chronic tonsillitis), the medicine must be repeated within 10 days.
Home remedies for sore throat often include garlic. Chewing a small peeled lobule is practiced for several minutes.
It is recommended to dissolve honey within a few minutes (1 teaspoon), if it is not added to the rinse solutions. The vegetable oil is retained in the mouth for 10 to 15 minutes on an empty stomach after sleep. In no case should you swallow it. This rinsing is believed to help fight infection.
Homemade recipes are not intended to immediately relieve intense pain. How to treat a throat at home quickly - how to get rid of pain at home? For this purpose, you can use pharmacy drugs (lozenges, sprays), which include a local anesthetic (for example, Lidocaine). They are usually offered as over-the-counter medications. In this case, the dosage should be carefully monitored.
Knowing how to treat a sore throat at home, and not in a hospital setting, you need to sensibly assess the patient's condition. With severe pain, which is not relieved even by drugs with local anesthetics, a very high temperature, self-treatment is not always enough. Do not forget that home methods are good as an adjunct to the therapy prescribed by your doctor. They may have side effects and may not be suitable for the patient in the same way as pharmaceutical preparations.
