Raw, red throat

[Ruthla]

I woke up yesterday morning with a raw, red, painful throat. Well, I can't actually see it myself, but it feels like it has in the past when a dr has told me my throat was bright red.

So all day yesterday my throat hurt, and was worse when I talked, swallowed, or yawned. It hurt to swallow cold liquids, and hot liquids were soothing. It was hard to drink enough at all, but I made an effort to keep taking small sips of lukewarm water throughout the day. During the course of the day I took about 5 grams of vitamin C (Trader Joe's ascorbic acid crystals mixed with baking soda in water to make sodium ascorbate.)

Today I'm not feeling much better. A nice warm shower and liberal use of the neti pot gave me temporary relief this morning. So far today I've taken 2 grams of vitamin C and ate one small clove of raw garlic. I have a huge cup of lukewarm water next to me to remind me to drink.

Is there anything else I could or should be doing? I'm hesitant to go to the doctor because I know she'll probably prescribe antibiotics and I only take those when absolutely necessary.

[allnaturalmom]

This is exactly what I have... along with crud and congestion. My throat was so raw and painful the other night that I couldn't swallow and it hurt to freakin' breathe. :

I'm slowly getting better. I'm doing the same things you are. I've also been doing echinacea drops and silver spray directly on the throat. Also the warm salt water gargle - which I hate... makes me gag but is somewhat soothing for a little while afterwards anyway.

I'm so worried that my 4.5 mo will get this. She already has a little bit of a runny nose. Today I'm going out to buy a humidifier/vaporizer.

[Mama Dragon]

You're doing pretty much what you should be. It just can take a few days for your body to get better. I'd say a week out or significant worsening is the only way I'd go to the doctor. I hope you get feeling better soon!

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Good old chidken soup! The chicken bones are full of great minerals. Then you can add lots of garlic, thyme, basil (fresh if possible) and ginger. Great antivirals and antibacterial. If you can get to the health food store, get yourself some echnachia and goldenseal tincture (drop it directly on the back of your throat undiluted in juice). I'd get zinc lozengers (if you are not pregnant!) too if you can take the taste, if not get tablets. Avoid anything sugary, including orange juice. I know it has vit C, but it also contains lots of sugars that reduce the ability of white blood cells to do their job. I hope you feel better soon!

[Ruthla]

I've got some soup simmering on the stove, but it's not ready to eat yet. I put in all the veggie peelings I saved from the week, plus chicken bones from 2 chickens we ate in the past week (along with the onion and ginger I cooked them with.)

I didn't think about adding garlic or ginger to it- there's already some ginger in there though.

[Leilalu]

raw honey My mom used to give us honey for colds. A big heaping spoonful. The good bacteria help coat your throat.

[Gumby]

I was gonna say honey also. With some hot water?

I had this last week. I couldn't even move my tongue to the left side of my mouth without it hurting.

Feel better mama!

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by race_kelly

Avoid anything sugary, including orange juice. I know it has vit C, but it also contains lots of sugars that reduce the ability of white blood cells to do their job.

Originally Posted by Leilalu

raw honey My mom used to give us honey for colds. A big heaping spoonful. The good bacteria help coat your throat.

I don't even keep juice in the house, as I've been on a low-carb diet for several months. Besides, I can't imagine what acidic OJ would do to my throat right now!

I have a question about the honey- isn't it mostly sugar? I know the raw kind (the only kind I keep in the house) has enzymes and stuff- but is the sugar in honey a bad idea if I'm sick?

[Leta]

I find hot tea with raw honey to be very soothing. Be careful, tho'- if it's strep, untreated strep can lead to scarlet fever. If you aren't better by the day after tomorrow, see a doctor. In fact, if you aren't improving by tommorrow, I'd make an appt.

[CarrieMF]

I had/have that too.

It started last Sat. Sun it was the worst combined with zero energy to do anything. Sat I took 4000mg of Vit C & 8 1250mg tablets of garlic. Sun, I took 12000mg of Vit C & 12 1250 mg tablets of garlic, plus had some homemade chicken soup from the freezer & garlic roast chicken, garlic mashed potatoes for supper.

Sun night my throat hurt the worst, Monday morning I woke up & it no longer hurt. It's moved into my nose/lungs but least my throat doesn't hurt.

[wytchywoman]

Do you think you could gargle with salt water? I always do this with a sore throat and it brings a lot of pain relief.

[Ruthla]

OK, I'm feeling a little bit better right now- as long as I don't try to talk. I quickly felt "not better" when DS was home for a short while and needed my attention!

OK, I'm going in for a nap.

[Mirzam]

Here's my remedy for you:

4 oz of good mineral water (warm)
1 - 2 tablespoons of raw unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
2 -3 tablespoons of raw lemon juice
2 -4 tablespoons of raw unheated honey

drink several times a day.

Ruthla, raw unheated honey is fine. It's the heated stuff with the insulin-type substance and the enzymes killed off that is radical sugar. It is best to blend to get the honey dissolved in the mixture.

[studentmama]

Ginger tea works really well. You can also just chew and swallow some ginger(but it is spciy). Another thing that I found works really well i taking grapesfruit seed extract several times a day when I have a sore throat in addition to raw garlic cloves.
Hope you feel better soon!

[Ruthla]

I just had a cup of ginger tea with honey, but unfortunately that was the last bag of ginger tea in the house. We still have peppermint, green tea, decaf black tea and regular black tea in the house. We have apple cider vinegar but no fresh lemons.

I couldn't nap. As icky as I feel sitting up, I felt just as icky lying down and I couldn't fall asleep.

[amberskyfire]

If you want a fast cure, here are some things that work better than anything I've ever tried.

1) If you have some, or can get some, tea with slippery elm in it is very soothing to the throat.

2) Drink hot tea with lemon and honey in it. DO NOT speak. Talking will make your throat worse. You can whisper, even loudly, if you have to but NO talking for at least a day if you can. This should cure it in a matter of hours in most cases.

Sugar in honey is not bad. In fact, the whole sugar feeding bacteria when you are sick is an urban myth. Your body can also really do with the extra energy to help fight off whatever you have, so eat as much sugar or honey as you like.

[Viola]

When my throat hurts and it's a cold or something like that, I find eating raw garlic helps a lot.

When it is something like strep, I have to drink apple cider vinegar to get any relief, if I can't get anti-biotics. Uccomama's remedy sounds better. I also sometimes take a cotton swab doused in tea tree oil and swab the back fo my throat.

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Originally Posted by amberskyfire

If you want a fast cure, here are some things that work better than anything I've ever tried.


Sugar in honey is not bad. In fact, the whole sugar feeding bacteria when you are sick is an urban myth. Your body can also really do with the extra energy to help fight off whatever you have, so eat as much sugar or honey as you like.

Actually, you are correct. Sugar does not feed bacteria. What it does is impair fuction of the white blood cells by taking the place of vitimin
C on for transport sites into the white blood cells. Decreased vitamin C levels due to excessive sugar consumption can cause a significant reduction in the way white blood cells function. It is not in any way, shape, or form a good idea to eat a large amount of sugar or honey or any other natural sources like juice when you have a cold, or when you are sick in general. Your body is very capable of producing energy to fight off infection without large amounts of sugar, and your immune system reacts more efficiently without it.

[Ruthla]

I have lozenges with slippery elm bark in them, but I don't have it in tea form.

I had a couple mugs of chicken broth with some powdered ginger added to it.

[amberskyfire]

Originally Posted by race_kelly

Actually, you are correct. Sugar does not feed bacteria. What it does is impair fuction of the white blood cells by taking the place of vitimin
C on for transport sites into the white blood cells. Decreased vitamin C levels due to excessive sugar consumption can cause a significant reduction in the way white blood cells function. It is not in any way, shape, or form a good idea to eat a large amount of sugar or honey or any other natural sources like juice when you have a cold, or when you are sick in general. Your body is very capable of producing energy to fight off infection without large amounts of sugar, and your immune system reacts more efficiently without it.

Well, I didn't mean you should ENGORGE yourself on sugar

I just mean that you don't have to cut sugar out of your diet when you are sick. Some honey in your tea won't hurt you.