Sore Throat Home Remedies - How to Get Rid of Sore Throat

Sore Throat also known Pharyngitis. Sore throat is discomfort, pain, or scratchiness in the throat. Viruses (like those that cause colds) can lead to a sore throat. Bacteria can also cause a sore throat. One viral infection takes much longer than a week to be cured: infectious mononucleosis, or "mono." This virus lodges in the lymph system, causing massive enlargement of the tonsils, with white patches on their surface and swollen glands in the neck, armpits, and groin. "Mono," a severe illness in teenagers but less severe in children, can he transmitted by saliva. So it has been nicknamed the "kissing disease," but it can also be transmitted from mouth-to-hand to hand-to-mouth or by sharing of towels and eating utensils. Acid (gastroesophageal) reflux disease (GERD). This occurs when stomach acid backs up into your food pipe (esophagus). Normally, a circular band of muscle (lower esophageal sphincter) blocks acid from coming up into the esophagus. Cat and dog danders and house dust are common causes of sore throats for people with allergies to them. Pollutants and chemicals in the air can irritate the nose and throat, but the most common air pollutant is tobacco smoke. Other irritants include smokeless tobacco, alcoholic beverages, and spicy foods. Tumors of the throat, tongue, and larynx (voice box) are usually (but not always) associated with long-time use of tobacco and alcohol. Sore throat and difficulty swallowing, sometimes with pain radiating to the ear, may be symptoms of such a tumor. HIV-positive people with low CD4 counts sometimes develop a chronic sore throat. This isn't due to HIV itself but to a secondary infection such as oral thrush or cytomegalovirus, a common viral infection that can be extremely serious in immunocompromised people.

Mononucleosis is another viral illness associated with a severe sore throat. Although signs and symptoms of the disease typically last about 10 days, it can take weeks to recover your strength after a bout of mono. Strep throat is an infection caused by a particular strain of streptococcus bacteria. This infection can also damage the heart valves (rheumatic fever) and kidneys (nephritis), cause scarlet fever, tonsillitis, pneumonia, sinusitis, and ear infections. Tonsillitis is an infection of the lumpy tissues on each side of the back of the throat. In the first two to three years of childhood, these tissues "catch" infections, sampling the child's environment to help develop his immunities (antibodies). Infections in the nose and sinuses also can cause sore throats, because mucus from the nose drains down into the throat and carries the infection with it. Bacterial infections that can cause a severe sore throat include strep throat, tonsillitis and diphtheria a serious respiratory illness that causes breathing difficulties and painful swallowing. Diphtheria is rare in industrialized nations but remains a threat in developing countries. The best ways to avoid catching or passing the viruses and bacteria that can lead to a sore throat are to wash your hands regularly, avoid touching your eyes or mouth, and cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. Corticosteroids can be helpful in the treatment of a few select types of sore throats. Avoiding close contact with ill people can help you from getting a throat infection.

Home Remedies for Sore Throat

• Gargle with warm salt water (¼ teaspoon salt to ½ cup water) several times a day.
• Drink a glass of hot water with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and some honey . You'll feel better instantly. You can also drink a chamomile tea with lemon and honey added.
• Cut a lemon into 2 pieces. Take one piece and put some salt and black pepper on it, press with a knife so that salt-pepper penetrate into the lime. Put the lemon on heat to make it warm. Slowly lick this lemon squeezing it until no juice remains. Do it 2-3 times a day.
• Chives and scallions are helpful for a soar throat when simmered in water for 5 minutes. Drink as a tea.
  Figs, beets are beneficial in sore throat.
• Mix a cup of warm water, 2 tsp. honey and the juice of one lemon (or several teaspoons) and sip
• Mixing white vinegar, water, salt and crushed vitamin C together, gargle
• Others swear by gargling with chili pepper (yes, chili pepper!) Capsaicin, the ingredient in chili pepper that makes them hot, also numbs the throat. Mix ½ tsp. dried chili or cayenne pepper in a few ounces of water and gargle.
• Orange juice and other acidic juices may irritate a sore throat, so be careful.
• Marshmallow, has been used for centuries as a sore throat remedy. It is usually made by adding one tablespoon of the dried root to a cup (8 oz.) of boiling water, steeping it covered for at least 10 minutes, and then straining. Herbalists usually suggest drinking up to three cups a day.