Sore Throat

Sore throat refers to the inflammation of the pharynx, or back of the throat. It occurs frequently when a person has a cold or an attack of influenza. This inflammation may also involve the tonsils and adenoids if these have not already been removed. An irritating condition of the throat may range from the harmless to the potentially serious.

Symptoms

In case of acute sore throat, the patient complains burning and dryness in the throat followed by chills, fever and some hoarseness or laryngitis. The lymph glands along the sides of the neck may become swollen and tender. The back of the throat may become very red and even covered with a greyish-white membrane. The patient may find difficulty in swallowing, especially during the acute stage. There may also be postnasal discharge if the irritation has spread to the nasal passages. The patient with sore throat, caused by ‘ Streptococcal’ germs suffers from high fever and sharp pain with swelling.

Causes

Sore throat is mainly caused by bacteria or a viral infection. Many different kind of ailments can give rise to this condition. The most common of these ailments are common cold and influenza. Other diseases which can cause sore throat are tonsillitis, mumps, sinusitis, measles, and diphtheria. Even leukemia on rare occasions may lead to sore throat. Other causes of this disease are excessive smoking and talking, frequent use of voice as in certain professions like singing, acting and teaching.

Treatment

The patient suffering from sore throat should fast on orange juice and water for three to five days, depending on the severity of the condition. He should take orange juice diluted with warm water every two or three hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during this period. The bowels should be cleansed daily with warm water enema. This should be done twice daily in more serious cases.

A wet pack should be applied to the throat at two-hourly intervals during the day, and also one at night. The procedure is to wring out some linen material in cold water, wrap two or three times round the effected part, and cover with some flanner. The throat may be gargled several times with warm water mixed with a little salt. A hot Epsom-salt bath , taken daily during this period, will be highly beneficial.

When the more severe symptoms subside,the patient may adopt an all-fruit diet for three or four further days, taking three meals a day of juicy fruits such as orange, apple, pineapple and papaya at five-hourly intervals. Thereafter he may gradually adopt a well-balanced diet, with emphasis on seeds, nuts and grains, raw vegetables and fresh fruits. The daily dry friction and deep breathing and other exercises should form part of the daily health regimen.