Treating sore throat without antibiotics

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Dr. CCII Nguyen Van Thai - Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Vinmec Danang International General Hospital. Thai doctor has more than 17 years of treatment experience, especially in the field of Head and Neck Surgery.
Sore throat is quite common and easy to encounter in the time of season change for anyone. For the initial symptoms of mild disease, patients often choose non-antibiotic methods such as: using honey tea, salt water, ginger...

1. Sore throat

Pharyngitis is a common infection that causes a sore throat. The patient will experience discomfort when his or her throat is sore or burning, especially when swallowing. Usually the disease will go away on its own after a week without leaving any damage or sequelae.
Sore throat is a common symptom of sore throat. A sore throat will make you uncomfortable because your throat will be sore or hot, making it difficult to eat.
However, a sore throat is also a common symptom of some other illness or occurs due to other health conditions, for example, flu, fever, laryngitis, ...

2. Manifestations of pharyngitis

Pharyngitis is a very common respiratory disease in the pharynx. When suffering from pharyngitis, patients will often see the following basic symptoms:
Feeling of discomfort in the throat, itchy and dry throat, swelling, entanglement, cough. Patients with difficulty swallowing, not eating well, even drinking water or swallowing saliva all have sore throat. Discharge in the throat area. The discharge is initially clear and small, then the longer it is left, the more thick and dark the secretion will be. Patients with pharyngitis also often have hoarseness or even loss of voice, or clear their throat or cough to clear this secretion. Sensitive throat, patients easily lead to nausea. Sore throat is often accompanied by a mild fever and headache. When the disease is left for a long time, it also causes tinnitus, earache, and symptoms similar to flu, so it is easy to confuse the patient. The pharynx can be seen with congested, dark red mucous membrane of the pharynx, the posterior pharyngeal wall has many small pimples, around the prominent blood vessels, the surface of the pharynx may sometimes have mucus or pus secretions.

3. What is the cause of sore throat?

The disease can occur in any weather due to many factors, but usually, the cold season is the time when pharyngitis has the highest rate of formation.
3.1. Influenced by weather, environmental factors, or complications from other illnesses Allergies Allergies to spices, fungi, dust, and pollen can cause a sore throat.
Air The hot and stuffy air in the room can make your throat feel uncomfortable and itchy, especially in the morning when you wake up. Breathing this air frequently through your mouth when you have a stuffy nose can also cause a sore throat.
Irritants Air pollution can irritate the throat in the long run. Indoor air pollution from tobacco or chemicals can also cause sore throats. Smoking, drinking alcohol, and eating spicy foods can also hurt your throat.
Muscle tension in your throat The muscles in your throat can become tense because you are always shouting, such as at sporting events, talking loudly, or talking for a long time without rest.
The muscles in your throat may be tense, because you are always shouting, such as at sporting events, talking loudly, or talking for a long time without rest.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a disease characterized by a burning sensation in the chest caused by stomach acid backing up into the esophagus. The esophagus is part of the digestive tract that connects the mouth and stomach, so acid reflux can cause discomfort in the throat.
HIV infection Sore throat and other flu symptoms sometimes occur earlier in people with HIV. A person with HIV can develop chronic or recurrent sore throat due to the infection. This throat infection is more common in people with weakened immune systems.

Throat infection This is more common in people with weakened immune systems.
Tumor Tumors of the throat, tongue and larynx can cause pharyngitis. Other signs or symptoms may include hoarseness, trouble swallowing, shortness of breath, a lump in your neck, and blood in your saliva.
3.2. Viruses and bacteria Causes of sore throat, especially viruses and bacteria, are caused by:
Cold virus Cold virus Mononucleosis virus Measles Smallpox Respiratory tract infection or inflammation (usually occurs in children) Bacteria can The most common causes of sore throat are streptococcus pyogenes and group A streptococcus.

4. When you have a sore throat, what should you do?

When suffering from pharyngitis, the patient can recognize by the initial symptoms and self-regulate the diet, the disease will be relieved. You can apply methods to treat sore throat without antibiotics, because overuse of antibiotics will make the body resistant to antibiotics.
4.1. Treating sore throat without antibiotics? Gargle with warm salt water Gargling with warm salt water will help you quickly "dispel" the sore throat. When you have a sore throat at least every hour, gargle once with 1 teaspoon of salt (about 5 grams of salt) mixed with 237 ml of filtered water.
Drink tea and honey Tea and honey are considered miraculous "herbs" to help you quickly cure a sore throat. Simply put 1 teaspoon of honey in a cup of tea and add half a squeeze of lemon.
Drink hot drinks Using hot drinks is also an effective treatment for sore throat. Hot water can help relieve cold symptoms. Useful hot drinks such as water, tea, coffee, hot lemonade.
Mango peel and filtered water You should mix 10ml of mango peel juice with 125ml of boiled and cooled filtered water and use it to gargle daily.
White vinegar, water and salt Mix a cup of warm water with 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, use this solution to take small sips.
Cinnamon powder, pepper and honey Using a teaspoon of cinnamon powder boiled with 1 cup of water, with a little more pepper and 2 tablespoons of honey will help you quickly overcome the situation.
Turmeric is also used to treat cough. Take half a cup of hot water, add a pinch of salt, and then add half a teaspoon of turmeric powder. Stir well and drink once a day, about 3 days. This is very effective to protect the throat from infection.
Ginger Cure sore throat can not ignore the effect of ginger. Take one teaspoon of ginger juice and one teaspoon of honey and mix together. Eat a mixture of ginger and honey then drink a cup of hot milk to relieve cough and throat problems.

A hot bath can ease a sore throat by inhaling lots of steam during a hot bath or tilting your head over a basin of steaming water and opening your mouth to inhale the moisture rising from the basin. Do this for about 5 minutes each time, maybe once an hour until the sore throat feeling subsides.
4.2. Treatment of pharyngitis with antibiotics If the disease is severe, antibiotics should be used. It is best to take antibiotics as prescribed by your doctor.
Antibiotics are often prescribed to treat a sore throat caused by a bacterial infection. Each antibiotic prescribed by your doctor should be used as scheduled, even though your sore throat symptoms have improved. This helps prevent the bacteria from spreading to other parts of the body.
If infection occurs in a child with streptococcal pharyngitis, the child is at increased risk for rheumatic fever and nephritis.

5. When should a sore throat see a doctor?

Pharyngitis is quite common and easy to encounter during the season change, patients often choose non-antibiotic methods for the initial symptoms of mild disease. However, when you see signs of a serious illness that is out of control, you should see a doctor, specifically:
Sore throat and hoarseness lasting for many days with no signs of improvement Sore throat makes you feel very painful and difficulty breathing Blood in saliva, sputum High fever over 39 degrees C.

6. Care and prevention of the body after a sore throat

6.1. Take care of the body after treatment of the disease Gargle with warm salt water Drink plenty of warm water, avoid cold, iced water Stop drinking alcohol or alcohol Do not smoke, stay away from polluted or smoky environments medicine Wash your hands often before eating and after coming into contact with patients with sore throat. When sick, absolutely do not share food or other household items to avoid spreading the disease to others. 6.2. Prevent recurrent sore throat Wash hands after using the toilet or touching objects in public places Avoid sharing food, water and personal items Avoid smoking and secondhand smoke: Tobacco will be the culprit give you a sore throat and it just makes it worse. Therefore, when you have a sore throat, it is even more important to stay away from cigarette smoke. Avoid allergenic sources. Sore throat is a common disease, everyone can get it at least once in their life. You can apply non-antibiotic sore throat treatments right from the start. If the disease has severe symptoms, to avoid possible complications, you should see a doctor for examination and advice.
Otolaryngology - Vinmec International General Hospital specializes in examination and treatment of common ENT diseases such as: sore throat, tinnitus, non-allergic rhinitis, throat cancer; tumors of the head, face and neck, congenital malformations of the ear, nose and throat area by common surgical methods.

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