I always get an irritating (physically and figuratively) sore throat as the seasons change. While my sore throat is usually related to allergies, many of us get sore throats when we get colds (even if it's still warm out).
Cold season is creeping up on us now that the kids are back to school. So in a tribute to back-to-school (and my allergies), here are some tips on how to soothe a sore throat:
- Take an over-the-counter pain reliever like aspirin, naproxen or ibuprofen.
- Gargle a few times daily with a warm salt water solution, created with one teaspoon of salt in a glass of water.
- Suck on hard candies or throat lozenges throughout the day to keep the throat moist.
- Eat a frozen dessert, such as a popsicle or ice cream, to soothe the throat.
- In the less humid months of winter, keep a humidifier going in the bedroom while you sleep, and in other rooms you frequent during the day.
- Drink plenty of fluids.
To me, the best thing to soothe a sore throat is sage tea!
If you have wild sage in your garden, you just need a bunch of the leaves (about 5 to 10 per cup of tea, or a whole bunch in one teapot), rip them (so all the good stuff of the sage gets into the water), let it stand for about 10 to 15 minutes, then drink. My mother-in-law claims it "disinfects" your throat, and I actually believe her.
And if you don't have wild sage in your garden, you can buy medicinal sage at the chemists. It really helps!