Getting rid of a sore throat can help you get back to your job, responsibilities, and life. Fortunately, some common sore throat cures are a simple as drinking tea and gargling with salt water. But curing the sore throat for good requires that you treat the infection, not just the symptoms. Take a look at the following step by step plan towards how to get rid of a sore throat fast.

Step 1: Soothe the Pain

The first step to getting rid of a sore throat is to feel better and that means helping to relieve the pain and irritation you may be feeling in your throat. First and foremost, don’t be afraid to take a tempered amount of anti-inflammatory or pain medication to help reduce swelling and soreness. Do you have pain in your ear when you swallow? That’s due to the fact that the throat and ear nerves are connected. Taking a pain pill should alleviate discomfort due to this connection. Next, drink hot tea to relax your throat and ice cold water to numb the pain (not consecutively).

Step 2: Kill the Throat Infection

After managing your pain to a tolerable level, the next step is to kill the bacteria in your throat that is causing the raw, painful affliction. One well-established tip is to gargle with salt water twice a day. The saline solution should level out the bacteria in your throat, allowing you some temporary relief. The best way to make a saline solution is to mix about one tablespoon of salt in a mug of warm water. Make sure all the salt is mixed in before gargling. Aside from this remedy, kill the germs directly by dabbing a cotton swab soaked in hydrogen peroxide at the back of your throat. This will kill germs directly, but only do this once a day to prevent damage of your healthy throat tissue.

Step 3: Help Your Immune System

Your body is really the first line of defense you should turn to when trying to cure an infection. So start out by giving your body the tools it needs to get better. Try taking a vitamin supplement, such as Emergen-C or Airborne to boost your immune system fast. Also, make sure to drink plenty of water during any illness. Your body will not be able to flush out harmful toxins due to infection without the daily required amount of liquids it needs. Don’t forget that you can get water through fruit juices as well. Try drinking Gatorade to get both liquids and electrolytes into your body.

Step 4: Get Better Fast

Your sore throat won’t go away if you merely treat the symptoms and don’t bother to cure the infection from the inside out. Whenever you’re ill, make sure to rest both your body and your mind in order to get well as quickly as possible. What should you abstain from doing while ill?

  • Vigorous exercise: Your body should be focused on getting better, not burning calories. Avoid exercise while sick to get well faster.
  • Mind-draining activities: Stretching your tired mind too far during an illness can keep you sick, even if you’re resting physically. Always balance mental activities, such as writing or reading, with rest.
  • Working: Don’t go to work if you’re sick, even if you feel as if you can make it through the day. Not only will you tire and get even sicker, you will risk spreading the illness to your coworkers.
  • Driving: Operating a car or machinery while seriously ill is a risk factor, as your body and mind aren’t at peak alertness.

Getting Rid of Your Sore Throat

Steps to take for how to get rid of a sore throat fast are as simple as getting rid of your pain, killing the bacteria, helping your immune system and resting. So the next time that you get a painful, hurting throat, make sure to follow a helpful guide towards getting better faster.

Posted on: June 11th, 2011 by Jeremy Waller

Filed under: Sickness and Infection

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