2009/6/2

Home Remedies for Sore Throat

Family doctors will, on average, see four patients with a sore throat each week. This adds up to around 150,000 consultations a year in Britain, for which they prescribe 22.5 million worth of antibiotics. This may be appropriate for a small minority where it is obviously a bacterial infection usually caused by the bug streptococcus. Here the back of the throat is grossly inflamed with signs of pus or an abscess, the throat glands are enlarged and painful, and the temperature is raised.

For most, however, the cause of the sore throat is a virus which does not respond to antibiotics and so will simply get better of its own accord. Here the best treatment is to control the main symptoms of pain and swelling and simple remedies, by avoiding the hazards of inappropriate antibiotics, are clearly useful. The particular efficacy of the 'cold cloth' cure — advocated by several contributors — is of particular interest as most people, including doctors, are unaware of it.

Salt and water gargle: Gargling with salt water, or an antiseptic such as TCP three or four times a day, will sterilise the back of the throat and promote healing of the inflamed tissues. It is perhaps less well appreciated that both soluble aspirin and spirits such as whisky or brandy have a local anaesthetic effect, so regular gargling with these remedies will reduce the pain associated with a sore throat.

Lemon juice and honey: This combination is an excellent remedy for sore throats where the astringent antiseptic properties of the lemon are offset by the soothing (and anti-infective) effects of the honey. They should be mixed together in hot water or tea and sipped throughout the day.

Cold cloth cure; One of my readers from Nottingham was brought up in Lancashire where her father was a chemist. The family lived on the shop premises so there was plenty of medical treatment on hand but nonetheless her mother's favourite remedy was the cold towel treatment. 'A large handkerchief was wrung out in cold water and laid around the neck and covered with a woollen scarf on retiring to bed. As far as I can remember it always worked.’

Mrs Margaret Bellord from Hertfordshire also testifies to this treatment pointing out in particular that the water has to be very cold — and as the cloth warms up,' it was horribly uncomfortable. .. but it worked.'

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