How can you get rid of a sore throat?
80549
If you have yellow areas on your tonsils and you don't mind taking antibiotics, go to your doctor.  It's an infection. \n\nIf, like me, you can't or don't want to take antibiotics, consume 1000-4000mg a day of Vitamin C, depending REALLY how much it hurts.  In fact, take vitamin C even if you DONT have yellow tonsils, or ANY tonsils :)  Also, take 2 Tylenol every 4 hours, it SERIOUSLY helps with the pain of a sore throat.\n\nOr you can gargle with a few drops of Tea-tree oil in warm water major anti-bacterial) or gargle with soluble asprin or acetaminophen for the pain.\n\nIf you are stressed or especially tired then this can cause a sore throat too, especially at night.
73355
take a pain reliever such as advil or tylenol to get rid of the pain. then try gargling with warm salt water to help cleanse the throat. also, be sure to stay hydrated as well by drinking plenty of water.
237753
Salt water gargle is about the best you can do for a sore throat.
511363
*  Increase your liquid intake. (Warm tea with honey is a favorite home remedy).\n    * Use a steamer or humidifier in your bedroom.\n    * Gargle with warm salt water several times daily:  ¼ tsp. salt to 1/2 cup water.\n    * Take mild pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®, Datril®, Tempra®), ibuprofen (Advil®), etc.\n    * Take non-prescription throat lozenges.
77816
Answer:\nFrequently clean your hands..and doornobs.. it sounds silly but I read an article which leads me to believe "clean your hands":\n\nSore throats are so common they're one of the main reasons Americans see a doctor, accounting for more than 18 million office visits a year. But all those visits may not be necessary. The great majority of sore throats are caused by a virus and usually go away on their own in about a week. Only about 10 percent are bacterial infections that may require medical care.\n\nMost sore throat germs are transmitted through direct contact. Someone who is sick touches a doorknob, phone or other object. You handle the same object, picking up the germs, which are eventually transferred from your hands to your mouth or nose.\n......\nself-care measures such as resting and drinking plenty of fluids. Until you're feeling better, salt-water gargles, throat lozenges or hot water with honey and lemon can help make having a sore throat easier to swallow.
51913
Drink lots of cool/cold fluids and use a humidifier, especially during sleep.  Use throat lozenges and gargle with a salt water solution....if the sore throat persists, see a doctor.  Anitbiotics and in some cases steroids may be needed.  Most sore throats respond to antibiotics, however there is a disease called epiglottitis that will need immediate intervention with steroids.
24242
Strep throat will go away in 3 to 7 days with or without treatment. However, strep throat is still treated with antibiotics even if they do not speed recovery. Antibiotics kill the strep bacteria, shorten the time you are contagious, and reduce the risk of complications, such as the infection spreading to other parts of your body. Drink plenty of fluids and increase humidity (moisture in the air) in your home to help keep your throat moist. Herbal teas formulated for colds may help relieve symptoms. \nTake nonprescription medications to relieve a painful sore throat and reduce fever.
285213
Try Zicam.  It's a zinc based remedy that's supposed to reduce the length and duration of sore throats and colds.  You can also suck on zinc lozenges, but I find that they taste bad.  I prefer the Zicam nasal swabs... that way I don't have to taste the zinc.\n\nI've personally used it and can say that Zicam works, at least for me.  My sore throats are gone in half the time and the symptoms are dramatically reduced.  Use it at the first sign of a sore throat or cold (although, you can begin using it at any stage of a cold to reduce the symptoms from that point).
972089
Never ice cream. I learned a while ago from my mom that sugar can actually aggravate a sore throat/growing cold. Sugar's the worst thing you can ingest when you're getting sick.\n\nI just had the beginnings of a sore throat several days ago. I took two pills which are a mixture of herbs called Echinacea and golden-seal root. It worked PERFECTLY. It's the best thing you can take to knock out that blooming cold. It will be gone the next day. Just head over to your local health-food store and pick up a bottle and it will work wonders.\n\nAlso, hot chicken soup (Jewish pennicilin) is excellent for a sore throat.
541957
Make sure that the Sore throat is not caused by some other source than your usaul cough and flu.\n\n\n\nfor example make sure it is not a STD of some sort.\nYour Doctor is best to ask of course.
263841
Most lozenges have sugar which sooth but don't kill germs.\n\nQ: What exactly is the mechanism/physiology of relief that gargling with warm salt water has on a sore throat?\n\n \n\nA: This is an educated guess.\n\nSore throats are sore due to inflammation. Usually, the inflammation is due to a viral or bacterial infection (the common cold, and strep throat, are examples of each). However, sore throat may also be related to allergies or physical injury to the throat. In each case, an inflammatory response has been triggered. Pain, swelling and an itchy or irritated sensation are the common symptoms of this inflammatory response.\n\nThe medical term for swelling is edema. As part of the inflammatory response, there is an increase in the water content of the involved tissues. With respect to sore throat, a sense of fullness and difficulty swallowing are both related to edema of the tissue lining the throat (mucosa).\n\nWater tends to follow salt. Anyone who has ever salted a snail knows what happens to the snail. Here’s a less disgusting analogy: have you ever salted slices of raw eggplant? The salt draws moisture from the eggplant; after a few minutes, you can see beads of fluid on the surface of the eggplant.\n\nEveryone has a different recipe for a salt water gargle, but all recipes tend to be fairly salty. If the gargle has a higher salt concentration than your intrinsic salt concentration, it will tend to draw out some of the edema fluid from the mucosa of the throat. This will make SOME of your "sore throat" symptoms better. The relief is very real, but also tends to be short-lived, since the gargle has done nothing to remove the cause of the sore throat.\n\nIn some cases, gargling with salt water also has a cleansing action. If you are suffering from postnasal drainage due to a bacterial sinus infection or allergies, the mucus which drains from your nasal cavity is full of chemicals that tend to promote an inflammatory response. As this stuff drains down the back of your throat, it leaves a trail of inflamed tissues in its wake. Frequent gargling with salt water will help minimize this problem.\n\nAs with everything else in medicine, you can certainly overdo this one! Make the gargle salty enough, and you will dessicate the mucosa of the throat. This could lead to even greater irritation than what you started with!
446793
Dilute lemon juice with some warm water and add honey. Drink about 2 ounces 3 X day. \n\nWarm salt water gargle for sore throat.\n\nCold saline solution to the nose via a dropper.\n\nIt should go away in 2-3 days. If it does not, see a doctor.
437278
Honey with whiskey.  It's an old rememdy but it works.\n\nIf that won't work with you due to age or morals, try lots of peppermint tea.  Keep your throat covered at night, and make sure that it's comfortably warm in your bedroom.\n\nIf you're still having problems, or if it leads into an infection go to your doctor and ask for an antibiotic like Keflex or Zithromax.\n\nAlso, keep yourself super hydrated.  \n\nVitamin C is good for the immune system, but I know that when I've had colds a raw throat isn't good with orange juice, or any other fruits with "stearic acid" -- which is what Vitamin C is -- in it.\n\nTry Vitamin E.  It really will help.
194791
For me, it's lots of sleep as well as water, decaffeinated green tea, and a little raw garlic every day (you can use the garlic pills if you don't like the taste of garlic).\n\nFor a sore throat, zinc tablets help me immensely.\n\nAlso, avoiding alcohol and caffeine, as they dehydrate you.\n\nHope you feel better soon!
108050
the CURE depends on the cause - virus, bacteria, vocal abuse...  you'd have to see a physician for a diagnosis and appropriate recommendation for treatment/prescription.\n\nRelief of the soreness can be obtained through over-the-counter pain medications, like Tylenol or Advil, as well as by lozenges or sprays that contain analgesics (they usually taste bad, though!). Salt water gargles are also nasty to taste, but help kill germs and speed recovery time.
1032520
Aw... I'm so sorry. I hope you'll feel better soon.\n\nDo you have a comfortable pillow when you sleep at night? Do you have restless night's sleep or just sleep in one position at night? Sometimes as simple as a pillow can do that to anyone. If you'd like whenever you wake up in the morning, you can do a little exercise that requires two things from you:\n- For you to sit up in bed with your feet on the floor and have about 5 minutes for this.\n- Then, do "neck-exercises" meaning gently turn your head in different directions to relax the sore muscles.\n\nDuring the day time, if your neck starts to ache just do a little bit of the same exercises and it'll go away. At times the difficulty to swallow can also result in the in-comming cold and soar throat. Drink hot tea with lemon or an herbal tea--usually either one does wonders on sore muscles. A little bit of stretching in the morning helps to relieve the tension through out the body, just make sure not to over-do it. Take your time with every exercise and you'll see, you might even feel a lot better than ever before :)\n\nBest of luck and take care :)
507873
Rinse and gargle with salt and water. About 1 cup of water with 1 or 2 teaspoons of salt. Do it 3 times a day or more. Good Luck!