Gargle with salt water - tips

Video: Can Gargling Salt Water Cure a Sore Throat?

Content

Steps
Advice
Warning
What you need

Sore throats can be painful, irritating and sometimes itchy. An itchy sensation in your throat can make it difficult to swallow. A sore throat is a common and can be a sign of a viral or bacterial infection (sore throat). In addition, a sore throat can also be a symptom of allergies, dehydration, muscle tension (caused by screaming, talking, singing), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), HIV infection or tumors. . Most sore throats are caused by a virus (common cold, flu, mononucleosis, measles, chickenpox, and bronchitis) or bacteria (streptococcal pharyngitis). out. Fortunately, a salt water gargle is a simple and effective remedy for sore throats of many reasons.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Gargle with salt water

Add 1 teaspoon of table salt or sea salt to 8 ounces of water. Salt water helps reduce throat swelling by draining the water out of the throat tissues. Salt also acts as an antibacterial, so it is often used to prevent food spoilage by preventing bacteria from growing.
Gargle salt water for 30 seconds. First, take a deep breath and then take 60-90 ml of salt water (do not swallow). Tilt your head back (about 30 °), close your throat and rinse your mouth for 30 seconds, then spit it out.
- For young children, they should rinse their mouth with warm water first. The age limit when applying this method is 3-4 years old, which means children have the ability to rinse their mouth without swallowing salt water. In order for your child to rinse for 30 seconds, you can sing a song that he or she loves during that time.
Rinse mouth until all 8 ounces of salt water is gone. Depending on the amount of saltwater rinse each time, you may need to rinse your mouth about 3-4 times to finish the 240 ml. Take a deep breath and rinse your mouth for 30 seconds at a time.
Try a different mixture if you can't gargle salt water. Some people have trouble rinsing their mouths with salt water because they cannot stand the salty taste of their throat. In that case, you can rinse your mouth with other mixtures or add essential oils to the salt water to reduce the salty taste. For example:
- Add apple cider vinegar. The acids in apple cider vinegar are similar to salt water by killing bacteria. You can add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the salt water to increase the antibacterial effect and remove the salt taste. However, some people may not like the taste of vinegar.
- Add 1-2 drops of garlic oil. Garlic essential oil has antibacterial and antiviral properties.
- Add 1-2 drops of burdock essential oil. Traditional Chinese medicine often uses burdock to treat a sore throat. However, scientific research on burdock's uses is still limited.
- Use mint. You can add 1-2 drops of peppermint essential oil, which is used to relieve a sore throat.
- Add 1-2 drops of litmus oil. This herb contains mucus - a gel-like substance that can help protect the throat and relieve sore throats.
Rinse mouth again if necessary. You can rinse your mouth with all the mixes once per hour (or more) if needed. The most important thing is not to swallow salt water because it can cause dehydration, similar to dehydration in the tissues of the throat. advertisement

Method 2 of 3: Use home care treatments to treat a sore throat

Drink a lot of water. Drinking water prevents dehydration and moisturizes your throat to relieve discomfort. Most people like to drink cool boiled water, but you can drink cold or warm water if it is more comfortable.
- Drink at least 8 glasses of water, each 8 ounces each day, and more if you have a fever.
Humidify the surrounding air. Keeping the air moist will help prevent the throat from getting too dry. You can use a humidifier (if you have one) or place a bowl of water in the living room and bedroom (if you don't have one).
Get enough sleep. Whether or not the body is fighting off a viral infection or infection, getting enough sleep will boost the immune system. You should get 8 hours of sleep a day, especially if you are sick.
Eat soft, spicy foods. Drink plenty of broths and broths. In ancient times, people used to use chicken soup when treating a cold. Research shows that chicken soup slows down the movement of specific types of immune cells, which in turn helps them work more effectively. Chicken soup also helps increase the movement of the tiny hairs in the nose to reduce infection. Other soft, flavor-free foods include:
- Apple sauce
- Rice
- Scrambled eggs
- Cooked pasta
- Oatmeal
- Smoothie
- Cooked beans
Take a small bite and chew the food well. The smaller the food, the more moist it will cause less throat irritation. Cut the food into small pieces and chew it well so that the saliva moistens the food before swallowing. advertisement

Method 3 of 3: See a doctor

Know when to see your doctor. A sore throat can be a symptom of another illness, such as a viral infection or a bacterial infection. Seek medical attention right away if your sore throat persists for more than a week (or more than 3 days if you have rinsed your salt water regularly) or if you have the following symptoms. Other symptoms include:
- Difficulty swallowing
- Shortness of breath
- Difficult to open mouth
- Athritis
- Ear hurt
- Rash
- Fever above 38 ° C
- Blood in saliva or sputum
- There is a lump or lump in the neck
- Khan hours lasted for more than 2 weeks
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that young children see a doctor if their sore throat persists overnight and does not improve with replenishment of water or a sore throat is accompanied by difficulty swallowing, shortness of breath, and persistent drooling. often.
Sign up for diagnostic tests. To diagnose the cause of your sore throat, your doctor will perform a few tests, including a physical exam, in which the doctor will light your throat to examine your throat.
- Additional testing includes a cotton swab test to determine if the cause is a bacterial infection and what bacteria. If the result is negative, a sore throat could be caused by a viral infection, especially if there are symptoms of a cough. Your doctor may also order an allergy test and a blood count test (CBC) to assess current immune response.
Take antibiotics to treat bacterial infections. If the implantation test shows that the sore throat is caused by an infection, the doctor will prescribe an antibiotic to fight the infection. In that case, you need to take the full dose of the antibiotic, even if you get better. Otherwise, certain types of bacteria (antibiotic-resistant bacteria) can survive and increase the amount of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, increasing the risk of complications and re-infection.
- If you are prescribed an antibiotic, eat yogurt with raw yeast to replace the normal gut bacteria that have been destroyed by the antibiotic. Yogurt containing raw yeast must be eaten, as unlike pasteurized or processed yogurt, this yogurt contains beneficial bacteria. Yogurt with live yeast is also recommended to prevent diarrhea (caused by the use of antibiotics) and to help maintain the gut flora to keep the body (and immune system) healthy.
- Be careful of unusual diarrhea when taking antibiotics.Unusual diarrhea can be a sign of an illness or another infection.
Rest if your sore throat is caused by a viral infection. If the diagnosis of a sore throat is viral (such as the common cold or the flu), your doctor will recommend resting, drinking plenty of fluids and eating a healthy diet. They will help strengthen the immune system so that the body can fight off disease.
- Some studies show that increasing vitamin C supplements can help boost your immune system and fight viral infections.
advertisement