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A sore throat is a painful, dry, or scratchy feeling in the throat. There is pain and inflammation i.e. redness and swelling at the back of throat.
This pain can be severe and may also worsen while swallowing. Because of this pain, people with sore throat refuse to eat or drink anything.
Nerves from back of the throat and nerves of the ears are very close to each other, and so sometimes the pain can also be felt in ears.
What are the causes of sore throat?
Sore throat is commonly caused due to viral infection. It can affect the tonsils, pharynx, or both. When the tonsils are inflamed, it is called as tonsillitis. When the pharynx is inflamed, it is called as pharyngitis.
Infection of both, the tonsils and the pharynx is called as the tonsillopharyngitis.
This viral infection is usually caused by the same virus that causes common cold.
You must have also noticed that when you are about to get cold, you get a mild sore throat first.
Sore throat can also be caused due to:
- Bacterial infection
- Smoking
- Irritants
- Allergies
- Gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Strain on your muscles- due to shouting or talking loudly
- HIV
- Tumors
What are the symptoms of sore throat?
- Pain or scratching sensation in throat
- Pain may worsen with swallowing
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Hoarseness of voice
In severe cases, it may cause:
- Difficulty in breathing
- Fever
Despite the fact that anyone can get sore throat, one of the factors that can make you more susceptible to infections is a weakened immunity.
You are more prone to infections if your resistance power is low. Resistance power is the ability of the body to fight against infections. Some causes of low immunity or low resistance power are:
- Faulty food habits
- Fatigue (weakness)
- Stress
- Cold weather (Winter)- cause dryness in nose
Lack of exercise in winter and decreased fluid intake add on to the problem.
How you can prevent sore throat?
The easiest way to prevent sore throat is to avoid the germs that cause it, by practicing good hygiene and cleaning practices.
- Practice good hygiene- wash your hands before touching food, after sneezing or coughing and after using the toilet
- Cover your mouth with a tissue while coughing or sneezing. Procure a kn95 mask for sale if possible.
- Use alcohol based sanitizers for cleaning your hands if water is not available
- Avoid close contact with sick people
- Do not share your vessels, food, and drinking glasses
What is the treatment of sore throat?
Medications for treating sore throat include –
- Pain relievers
- Antibiotics
Treatment also includes:
- Gargles
- Throat lozenges
- Immune boosting supplements for recurrent cold and flu.
One can also try herbal treatments for immune system. You can boost immune system with help of herbal supplements.
Extrammune, one such herbal supplement, formulated by Charak Pharma, boosts immune system.
It prevents from the seasonal outbreaks of cold and flu. It also reduces the severity of the pathogen causing disease and improves the immune system of the body.
Along with an herbal immunity booster, one can use herbal gargle solution. Graggle is an herbal, non-alcoholic, chemical-free gargle for fast and complete relief from sore throat.
Graggle eliminates germs, relieves pain, and soothes throat. It also gives relief in sore throat, pain, tonsillitis and mouth sores.
