Posts Tagged ‘Treatment’

Sore Throat Causes And Treatment

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

A sore throat can be caused by either a bacterial infection or by a virus. This is quite an important distinction to make from the point of view of treatment. The infection can be present by itself or it may be part of a wider range of symptoms from a condition such as glandular fever. Strep throat is an infection and inflammation of the throat caused by Group A Streptococci bacteria. There are many strains of these bacteria and some of them have been associated with rheumatic fever, a complication that develops if strep throat is not treated or if it is treated inadequately. Sore throat though occurs most commonly in children than in adults can be a threat to your life sometimes. It can get real bad that it might even block your air passage. Sore throat is the inflammation of the mucous membrane in the pharynx. The inflammation may be due to either bacterial or viral infections. Sore throats are normally caused by either a viral or bacterial infection. The most important difference between a virus and bacteria is that bacteria respond well to antibiotic treatment and viruses do not. A sore throat is commonly spread by: sharing drinks, kissing, coughing, nose blowing, and sneezing. A sore throat can also be caused by bacteria. The two most common bacteria to cause a sore throat are Streptococcus (which causes strep throat) and Arcanobacterium haemolyticum. Arcanobacterium causes sore throats mainly in young adults and is sometimes associated with a fine red rash. Garlic although garlic may not help your social status and can work wonders for your sore throat. Garlic helps to fight throat infections by killing the virus, bacteria or fungus that may be causing the problem. This herb will even avert future infections by increasing and strengthening the immune system. Recommended dosage is 2-5 cloves per day. Take dietary supplements and many doctors recommend the papaya enzymes as a natural remedy as papaya is high in Vitamin C and a powerful antioxidant. They assist in stuffy sinuses, swollen throat and if your swollen tonsil is not clearing even with antibiotics, the papaya tablet can shrink the tonsil. Excessive coughing can also cause a sore throat. Since cough medications are ineffective in battling the cough, reach for honey. Any honey will do, however, researchers studied buckwheat honey and announced that it is more effective in cough control than dextromethorphan, the DM component of over-the-counter cough suppressants. Sea salt and cayenne pepper gargle To cleanse the throat and ease the pain, gargle with a quarter of a teaspoon of salt in one quarter cup of warm water. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to help numb the nerves of the throat. Gargle every hour or as needed. Excellent remedies for a sore throat is gargling with thyme tea which is a powerful antiseptic, disinfectant, antibacterial, anti this and that, or using lemon juice. If you can handle neat lemon juice, so much the better, but a lemon tea or lemonade will work well. It may sting, but it works. You can always add a little honey to it, which will also help the throat.

Cold vs Swine Flu – The Differences And Their Natural Treatment

Thursday, December 24th, 2009

The differences of a cold vs swine flu are in how serious they are. A common cold is normally located at your head level. It doesn’t affect you systemically, so it is just a mild illness. The swine flu, which simply has a different strain of virus to the normal flu, is more serious, as fever always accompanies the flu. If you have a fever, it means the illness is systemic, so is more serious. But having a fever is also the body’s way of preventing a virus from taking hold. As long as you are strong enough to withstand a fever, it should never be brought down by the use of suppressive drugs. A fever also has some form of body ache, which a cold doesn’t. Again, body aches show something systemic. A flu can also have all or some of the normal cold symptoms, such as sneezing, coughing, runny nose, headache, restlessness, stuffed up feeling, sore throat. So the symptoms of a cold vs swine flu, or any flu come to that, is a question of location. Cold symptoms are limited to your head region. Flu symptoms are systemic, with body aches and a fever. And possibly some cold symptoms, as well. Both cold and flu symptoms can last from a day or two to weeks, depending on how healthy you are. What you choose for the solution of either, will determine when you get your next dose. Treating yourself holistically will start to take you towards better overall health. Treating yourself with drugs will make you more sick overall. Apart from eating lots of fresh fruit and veggies, getting out into the sun and exercising, as a preventer for future colds and flus, diving into the wonderful world of homeopathy and home prescribing for yourself, may open new doors for you. A simple kit which focuses on winter aliments is not expensive. It will come with instructions. And you might find a home study course, a book or a magazine helpful, too.