Getting a sore throat (sometimes called strep throat) can be a real pain in the…well, throat. They are commonly caused by nasty little bacteria or viruses but usually clear up in 2 to 7 days depending. However there are some steps you can take to sooth your throat and make sure it clears up quicker. The first steps are for the duration to remove dairy foods and fatty meat. The saturated fats in these products will aggrevate your sore throat, producing thick mucus that sticks to the back of your throat providing the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.
Be sure to stay away from foods rich in simple sugars to, this includes fizzy drinks, candy, cake, fruit juice etc. Simple sugars like this provide a perfect food source for the sore throat bacteria. Would you believe many sore throat losenges contain high sugar levels!? It’s true whilst they may have antiseptic ingrediants to sooth, the sugar will make your sore throat worse, perhaps that’s what they want so you keep buying their product!! Also high sugar intake reduces the ability of white blood cells to kill bacteria.
The exception to this is the use of honey. Taking honey has both antibacterial and anesthetic effects on the throat – compounds in honey seem to limit bacterial growth, and reduces inflammation and promote tissue growth ie. ideal for a sore throat. Personally I like to boil some water, mix in a teaspoon or two of honey and add a few lemon slices. The lemon also acts against the bacteria who don’t like the acidity the lemon. I drink this mixture all through the day to keep flushing my throat clean.
Apple cider vinegar is also a very good weapon against the bacteria. When I get a sore throat I take 3 lots of the vinegar day. I use a little shot glass and half fill it then drink it in small moutfulls, gargling with it and then swalling. The vinegar kills a lot of the bacteria on contact because of it’s acidity. I take a shot just after breakfast, just after lunch and last thing before bed.
Often this is enough to stop a sore throat dead in it’s tracks, if not it will definately help it from becoming any worse. Make sure to rinse your mouth (not your throat) with water as the acid in the vinegar can damage teeth enamel.
Next you need to make sure to keep fully hydrated, so drink plenty of water through the day. Enchinea tea is a great drink to have. Echinacea is a herv thought to boost the immune system by increase the amount of white blood cells, which kill off harmfull bacteria. You should also cut out caffeine based drinks for a while such as tea, coffee and cola, these will dehydrate you.
Finally eat plenty of raw garlic. Garlic is natures antibiotic. It is best to crush the garlic before chopping it, this is supposed to release more of the good stuff in it. I like to do this with a couple of cloves and throw it into some cooked soup.
Of course prevention is better than a cure. So with that in mind eating healthily (plenty of fresh fruit and veg) and exercising regularly which will boost your immune system will certainly reduce chances of sore throats setting in. I also find that I get sore throat when I move from a place that is really cold to really warm or vice versa.
For this reason I keep my heating on regularly when the weather is cold, as opposed to blasting it till it’s overly warm then turning it off, which some people do. A nice background heat is much more preferable.
If your sore throat hasn’t improved after a week I recommend that you see a doctor ASAP.