There are many tried and true methods for how to get rid of the sore throat, they are inexpensive and effective, and they will bring great pain relief.

if you’ve suffered from a sore throat or are currently suffering from a sore throat, then you know not only how painful it is but what a giant inconvenience it is. Every single time you open your mouth to talk, every single time you put one bite of food in your mouth and try to chew and swallow it, every single time you merely turn your head or just swallow — you are reminded that your throat is inflamed and painful.

Now, if your sore throat has lasted longer than five or six days, then you might have a more serious health issue, such as strep throat. If your sore throat is protracted and also resistant to the more mild remedies listed below, then you absolutely need to see a medical professional. Your doctor will be able to prescribe medication which will get rid of the root cause of your sore throat if it is something serious, such as tonsillitis. You would never know what you actually had though, unless you went and saw the doctor.

If your sore throat is of the run-of-the-mill variety though, caused perhaps by a cold or flu, then definitely put the following tips to work for you. They will save you untold amounts of sore throat pain and help you get rid of your sore throat and keep it away.

How to Get Rid of a Sore Throat – Home Remedies

Drink Plenty of Fluids

There really is something to the old adage “drink lots of fluids” when you have a flu or cold. Staying well hydrated serves several purposes when you are ill. First, it helps flush toxins from your system. This can help you more quickly get over the illness which is the root cause of your sore throat. Second, it can help actually physically flush irritants from your throat. If your sore throat is caused by allergies, for instance, this can be especially helpful. Lastly, drinking lots of water helps control post nasal drip, which could very well be the cause of your sore throat. For these reasons, drinking lots of fluids is an inexpensive and easy way to start getting rid of a sore throat.

Set Up a Humidifier in the Room

Sometimes a sore throat can be caused by your throat being dry and irritated. You know that feeling. That raw, rough, dry and scratchy sensation that often accompanies a really bad sore throat. This is caused by a lack of moisture in the air. Through a process similar to osmosis, moisture is pulled from the tissue in your throat into the air if your throat is more moisture dense than the air is. For this reason, having a humidifier in the room, which increases the moisture content in the air, cuts off the cause of some sore throats.

Gargle With Warm Salt Water

Some sore throats are caused by an issue that’s at the opposite end of the spectrum, meaning, there is too much moisture in the tissue that lines your throat. This condition is known as edema. When you make a saltwater solution, typically 1 teaspoon of salt for every 8 ounces of water, and gargle with it for approximately 1 minute 3 to 4 times per day you can help relieve the edema. A side benefit is that the warm salt water will also act as a temporary pain reliever. However, over exposure to salt can be harmful to the mucus lining in your throat, which can actually make a sore throat worse. This is one of those situations where people get in trouble by thinking if a little is good a lot must be better. Stick to 3 to 4 times per day.

How to Get Rid of a Sore Throat – Medicine

If home remedies don’t work, then you might need to run down to the drugstore and picked up some medicine. The good thing is, sore throats are so common that there is a lot of medicine to choose from. The following are just a few of the categories of medicine that can bring you significant sore throat relief.

Acetaminophen

Acetaminophen is better known by its brand name, Tylenol. Tylenol is the safest of the over-the-counter medicines to take if you have a fever, which often accompanies sore throats. It is also among the gentlest. However, for some people that is a drawback, because it is not as strong as other pain relievers. However, I would suggest starting out with acetaminophen and moving on stronger solutions if the acetaminophen is ineffective. This is because it has the least side effects.

Ibuprofen

Next is ibuprofen. You seem to ibuprofen on the shelves under the brand names Advil and Motrin. Ibuprofen is also very gentle on your system, and can be very effective in relieving the pain of a sore throat. longboard deck . Side effects are somewhat rare, but in some studies ibuprofen has been tied to the development of ulcers, so you definitely want to be careful how much ibuprofen you ingest over the long term. However, it is an effective sore throat pain reliever.

DayQuil/NyQuil and Tylenol Cold and Flu

The next category of medication that can help with how to get rid of a sore throat are dedicated cold and flu medications. Now, while these are not specifically formulated for sore throats alone, they are quite effective in dealing with many of the pain symptoms that go along with having a cold or the flu. Therefore, if you have not just a sore throat, but also the achey joints and muscles that often go along with a sore throat or a cold or the flu, then this category of over-the-counter medication may be just what you need to get rid of your sore throat.

Cough Drops/Lozenges

The last category of over-the-counter medications were going to discuss for getting rid of your sore throat are cough drops and lozenges. These are particularly effective if your sore throat pain is limited just to your throat area. Meaning, you don’t have all the other flulike symptoms that many times go along with a sore throat, but you’d just have the sore throat alone. If all you are dealing with it is loan sore throat symptoms, then many times these can be dealt with by making use of cough drops and sore throat lozenges. These will coat your sore throat, and many of them also include a built-in pain reliever. Just read the packages on the outside of the bags, and each one will tell you what specific types of sore throat pain is aimed at relieving.

How to Get Rid of a Sore Throat – Natural Cures

Now if the home remedies have failed you and you’re not keen on loading your body up with a lot of over-the-counter medication, then you might want to try some of the natural or homeopathic cures that are available for sore throats.

Honey

Probably the most common of all of the natural remedies for sore throats out there is honey. Honey can be mixed with tea or ingested on its own. It has excellent throat coating properties. It is not a long-term solution to be sure, but for the few minutes that your throat is coded with the layer of honey, it will certainly be a huge relief from the sore throat pain and symptoms. Honey is sold in any grocery store, but if you really want to go organic, you can get all kinds of different organic and natural honeys at health food stores or specialty grocery stores.

Eucalyptus Oil

Eucalyptus oil has antimicrobial properties which give it the distinction of being used in many many home remedies, addressing many many different problems. You can use eucalyptus oil in several ways. You can incorporate it with your humidifier, you can put it into an aromatherapy nebulizer or atomizer, or you can simply put a few drops in a dish and let the aroma from the oil fill the room. Alternatively, you can even rub a few drops into your chest. Eucalyptus oil is not the cheapest thing ever, but don’t despair. After you have used what you need to help get rid of your sore throat, save the bottle, as it is used in many home remedies and you will certainly be able to put the rest of the bottle to good use.

How to Get Rid of a Sore Throat – Hot Drinks

When you have a sore throat, there is nothing that feels better on it than a nice warm drink sliding down that raw, tender tissue and bringing soothing relief. Hot drinks, even if it’s just hot unflavored water, have pain relief and soothing qualities they really cannot be replicated when trying to get rid of a sore throat.

Tea

Tea is the classic sore throat beverage. So much so that it actually might be considered trite. However, things become cliché because they work. There are even specialty teas which are made for sore throat relief, such as Throat Coat tea. Herbal teas do a great job with getting rid of the sore throat, particularly Echinacea. Mint or chamomile tea are also favorites. However, in a pinch even good old Lipton will do the trick. Getting rid of a sore throat by drinking a nice cup of hot tea is many people’s first line of defense.

Coffee

While it may seem counterintuitive, coffee can also have many of the same sore throat relief properties that tea possesses. Because coffee is a diuretic, you definitely don’t want to overdo it by drinking cup after cup. However, especially to get rid of a mild sore throat, a cup or two of hot coffee can be quite effective.