Throat Infections

Early spring is a peak time for it, but don't rush to antibiotics - Marvin M. Lipman MD

Throat Infections

image by: Cape Fear Valley Health

HWN Recommends

Tea, Honey And Lemon: Does This Classic Trifecta Actually Help A Sore Throat?


I think I'm coming down with something.

Usually that means I prepare a mug of tea, add a spoonful of honey kept solely for such occasions, and add a dash of lemon juice. This elixir, I've been told, will soothe my sore throat and coax my raspy voice back to normalcy. But does it actually work?

"I have to say, when I have patients that are sick, I often ask them to sip hot tea," says Dr. Edward Damrose, chief of laryngology at Stanford Health Care. "But I'm not sure that it's the tea itself that has the beneficial property, or that the warm water cuts through the phlegm and makes patients feel good."

To figure out whether the classic tea drink alleviates…

read full article

Resources

 Tea, Honey And Lemon: Does This Classic Trifecta Actually Help A Sore Throat?

I think I'm coming down with something. Usually that means I prepare a mug of tea, add a spoonful of honey kept solely for such occasions, and add a dash of lemon juice. This elixir, I've been told, will soothe my sore throat and coax my raspy voice back to normalcy. But does it actually work?

20 Foods That Will Soothe a Sore Throat

With all that winter has to offer, there are a few drawbacks — cold and flu season being one of them. So if you're plagued by a raw, sore throat that makes eating and drinking a pain, try one of these common foods and drinks to help ease the discomfort.

EM:RAP

Podcast from EM:RAP... a world-class faculty from around the globe, presenting a range of EM topics in a tightly edited audio format.

Urgent Care RAP

Rick and Matt tackle the surprisingly complex topic of pharyngitis and take a deep dive on the microbiology and considerations of antibiotic treatment

Family Doctor

Research has shown that it is difficult to confidently tell strep throat from more common viral infections. The presence of a runny nose may be a pointer to a viral infection.A higher fever and predominantly sore throat might make strep infection more likely. Throat swabs can help in diagnosis, although does not 100% confirm that the sore throat is being caused by the strep infection,as a proportion of healthy people(10 to 15 percent) may carry strep in their throats. An antibody tests on the blood ,showing a rise over 2 weeks can confirm strep infection,but this is not practical in the management of most strep sore throats.

NHS

Most sore throats are not serious and pass within three to seven days without the need for medical treatment. Over-the-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, can usually relieve the symptoms of a sore throat without the need to see a GP.

StatPearls

About 50% to 80% of pharyngitis, or sore throat, symptoms are viral in origin and include a variety of viral pathogens. These pathogens are predominantly rhinovirus, influenza, adenovirus, coronavirus, and parainfluenza.

UpToDate

Is it strep or not? — A combination of symptoms (fever, enlarged glands in the neck, white patches on your tonsils, and no cough) can help in determining if you have strep. If you have two or more symptoms, a rapid test or throat culture may be done. People with fewer than two symptoms usually do not need testing or treatment for strep throat, though they may benefit from treatment with modalities for symptom reduction.

Introducing Stitches!

Your Path to Meaningful Connections in the World of Health and Medicine
Connect, Collaborate, and Engage!

Coming Soon - Stitches, the innovative chat app from the creators of HWN. Join meaningful conversations on health and medical topics. Share text, images, and videos seamlessly. Connect directly within HWN's topic pages and articles.


Be the first to know when Stitches starts accepting users


Health Cloud

Stay Connected