How to get rid of your throat hurting

What To Do When Your Throat Hurts

We’ve all had sore throats around this time of year. Your throat feels scratchy and may hurt when you swallow. What can you do to soothe a sore throat? And when is it a sign of a more serious infection?

Most sore throats are caused by viral infections such as the common cold or the flu. These throat problems are generally minor and go away on their own.

To soothe your irritated throat, keep it moist. “Ever notice that a sore throat seems worse in the morning? It’s because your throat gets so dry overnight,” says Dr. Valerie Riddle, an infectious disease expert at NIH. “Having lozenges or hard candies—or anything that stimulates saliva production—will keep your throat moist. It’s also important to drink plenty of fluids.”

For young children who might choke on hard candies or lozenges, try cold liquids and popsicles. Throat pain might also be soothed by throat sprays and over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin, but don’t give aspirin to young children.

Contact a doctor if your sore throat is severe, doesn’t feel better after a few days, or is accompanied by a high fever or swollen glands. These symptoms could be signs of a bacterial infection, such as strep throat. Taking antibioticsPrescription medications used to treat bacterial infections such as strep throat. won’t help at all if your sore throat is caused by viruses, but they’re essential for fighting bacterial infections like strep.

Strep is the most common bacterial throat infection. Although it can occur in adults, strep throat is more common in children between ages 5 and 15. Riddle says strep can be harder to detect in younger children, because it can cause a runny nose and other symptoms that make it seem like a cold. “If your child has severe throat pain, a fever above 100.4 degrees, or swollen glands, you should get medical attention right away,” advises Riddle. Children with strep also may experience nausea, vomiting and stomach pain.

To see whether you have strep throat, the doctor will take a throat swab. If test results confirm strep, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics. After 24 hours of taking them, you should no longer be contagious. You’ll likely begin feeling better within a couple of days, but to fully recover it’s important to finish all of the medicine.

Strep is highly contagious. Treat it quickly to prevent it from spreading to others. Riddle says, “Not only can the infection be transmitted, but there are potential complications from untreated strep throat.” These include ear infections, rheumatic fever and kidney problems.

Another fairly common throat infection is tonsillitis, which occurs when you have sore, swollen tonsilsStructures in the back of your throat that help prevent infection by trapping germs that come in through your nose and mouth.. It’s caused by many of the same viruses and bacteria that cause sore throats. If you have frequent bouts of tonsillitis or strep throat, you may need surgery (called a tonsillectomy) to have your tonsils removed. 

The best way to protect yourself from the germs that cause these infections is to wash your hands often. Try to steer clear of people who have colds or other contagious infections. And avoid smoking and inhaling second-hand smoke, which can irritate your throat.

SORE THROAT

A sore throat is often the first sign that you are coming down with a cold or the flu.

A sore throat is an inflammation at the back of throat and surrounding area, known as the pharynx. That inflammation leads to common sore throat symptoms like scratchiness, pain, swelling, and discomfort.

Acting fast when you notice that first telltale tingle or twinge of pain might help keep your sore throat symptoms to a minimum. If your sore throat has quickly taken on a life of its own, don’t worry. There are plenty of over-the-counter medicines for sore throat – some of them already in your kitchen cupboard or medicine cabinet – ready to help ease the pain and scratchiness.

Keep reading for 10 remedies for sore throat ready to ease your pain.

1. Honey

From its warm, amber color to its thick, syrupy consistency, and mild, sweet taste honey is nature’s sore throat remedy. Honey boasts a range of anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties.1

As a precaution, children under 1 year of age should not consume honey due to susceptibility to a toxin it may contain.2

1. Saltwater Gargle

It’s something most of us grew up with and might be the first thing you think of when a sore throat catches hold. Gargling with warm salt water reduces inflammation, promotes healing, and inhibits the growth of bacteria in the mouth. Salt water also helps thin mucus and is a one of the best home remedies for cough and sore throat. Gargle twice a day for sore throat relief.3

1. Baking Soda Gargle

Baking soda has an alkaline effect that neutralizes acids in the mouth. It can help ward off infection, protect against inflammation and lubricate the mouth and throat.4

1. Humidifier

Breathing dry air can feel like sandpaper on a raw, painful sore throat. A room humidifier moisturizes your nose and throat, making it much more comfortable to breathe. Add a few drops of essential oil for a throat-soothing aromatherapy session.

Run the humidifier at night while you sleep to keep the room moisturized while your body rests and works to heal itself.

1. Over-the-Counter Remedies

Vicks family of cold and flu products offers soothing sore throat relief with ingredients that alleviate pain, break up congestion, and quell the coughing that often accompanies sore throat. Many over-the-counter cold and flu medicines treat multiple symptoms. Make sure to identify what other symptoms you may be experiencing along with sore throat, if any, so you can get the relief you need.

The last five points will explore the different Vicks sore throat remedies you can keep in your medicine cabinet to relieve sore throat as soon as the pain starts.

1. Medicated Drops

Vaporize your sore throat pain with VapoCOOL™ SEVERE Drops. These drops soothe your sore throat, relieving your sore throat pain with the oral anesthetic menthol.

1. Sore Throat Sprays

Get rapid, targeted relief of sore throat pain where and when you need it most. Winterfrost-flavored VapoCOOL™ Sore Throat Spray contains pain-blocking benzocaine and cooling, soothing menthol that work quickly to temporarily stop the pain.

1. Lozenges

When you have a sore throat it’s important to keep your throat moistened to protect delicate mucus membranes and prevent your throat from drying out. For fast pain relief make yours medicated with VapoCOOL™ Sore Throat Lozenges.

VapoCOOL™ Sore Throat Lozenges contain benzocaine to numb sore throat pain and the cooling sensation of menthol to ease that painful sensation.

1. Multi-Symptom Relief Liquids and LiquiCaps™

If your sore throat is accompanied by cough, congestion or other cold and flu symptoms, you’ll find multi-symptom relief in DayQuil™ Severe + VapoCOOL™ Cold & Flu and NyQuil™ Severe + VapoCOOL™ Cold & Flu. Both contain acetaminophen to reduce fever and relieve sore throat pain, and muscle aches and pains.5 The decongestant phenylephrine will unstuff your stuffy nose,6 and dextromethorphan will help suppress your cough. DayQuil also provides the expectorant guaifenesin to help break up mucus and relieve chest congestion. NyQuil adds the antihistamine doxylamine succinate to dry your runny nose. They also come in convenient LiquiCap™ form.

1. FluTherapy

For soothing relief from sore throat and other cold and flu symptoms, try FluTherapy SEVERE. The acetaminophen in this medicated hot drink relieves sore throat and muscle aches and pains. FluTherapy Daytime and FluTherapy Nighttime both contain the nasal decongestant phenylephrine to reduce stuffiness by shrinking swollen blood vessels in the nasal passages. FluTherapy Daytime has dextromethorphan to suppress cough symptoms. For added runny nose and watery eye symptom relief at night, FluTherapy Nighttime includes the antihistamine diphenhydramine.

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