How to rid of sore throat fast

When your throat hurts it’s because it has been irritated, which can happen for many reasons. Among the most common are post-nasal drip, chronic allergies, pollution or cold/flu. The discomfort is usually mild and self-limited; however, sometimes a sore throat gets so bad that you need more than a Popsicle!

My focus today is just to relieve the symptom of a non-serious sore throat. See your doctor if yours is accompanied by other symptoms because it is an early symptom of the omicron variant.

Here are five incredibly fast-acting ways to soothe your sore throat:

Salt-water gargle: Gargling with saltwater is a well-known remedy to help with throat pain. Saltwater helps by reducing inflammation and pain in the area. It can drive out some pathogens in the tissue simply by making your throat less hospitable to them! Here’s a recipe that’s even better than salt water:

8 oz. cool water

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt (or real salt if you have it)

Combine about 5 drops of essential oils into the salt water using any of these: Eucalyptus, peppermint, thyme, On Guard, Thieves or even lemon.

Stir together and gargle with this every three to four hours. 

Lozenges: The lozenge you choose is entirely up to you, but most of them contain menthol, benzocaine, dyclonine, honey or eucalyptus, and more. Each ingredient does something slightly different, but they’re all similar in that they act to anesthetize your throat for a few minutes so you swallow better and find more comfort. Lozenges are not generally curative; they’re mainly for symptomatic relief, although eucalyptus does have some “kill” action.

A big spoon of honey: For adults, a spoonful of honey is soothing to a scratchy, sore throat especially if it is accompanied by a cough. Raw honey contains natural antibacterial agents such as bee pollen and bee propolis. Do not give honey to babies younger than 1 or 2 years old.

Sip herbal teas: You can have it iced or warm. The temperature of the tea is completely your preference. Even when my throat is sore, I still prefer warm herbal tea over iced tea. There are commercial tea bags made specifically for sore throats, or make your own spearmint and slippery elm bark tea. Add some dried orange peel for vitamin C.

Ibuprofen or acetaminophen: These analgesics listed here are great antipyretics, which is why they’re useful for both fever and pain. These reduce swelling, which affords you temporary relief so you can take in nourishment and food.

In closing, if you develop a high fever, chills or see a buildup of pus near your tonsils, or any other symptoms that are indicative of infection, please see your practitioner and get proper antiviral or antibiotic treatment.

If you would like to read a longer version of this article, please sign up for my newsletter at suzycohen.com and I’ll email it to you. 

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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