Sore Throat Cure & Remedy - Winter care for your throat
Winter is the time for the parties, weddings and festivals - all
occassions, which require a lot of speaking.
In cities, wnter brings with it smog - the mixture of fog and suspended
particulate matter that settles over the city in a dense haze. The
resultant upper respiratory problems have people coming down with
coughs, sore throats, a hoarse heavy voice and a bocked runny nose.
If you have to make presentations at conferences, attend social
dos or sing/perform at various events, here are a few simple tips
to soothe your throat and conserve your voice.
1. Drink atleast three glasses of water in a day, if possible luke-warm.
Water lubricates the lining membrances of your throat and vocal
folds (cords).
2. Cold weather may tempt you to soothe your throat with steaming
hot coffee and tea. The caffeine in coffee and to a lesser extent
in tea dehyrates the throat. A drink of lemon and honey, vegetable
soup or herbal tea is a better option before or while using your
voice.
3. If you have pain in the throat, avoid the use of local anesthetic
lozenges. Pain is a signal from your body that you are straining
your voice or you have a throat infection and you need to slow down.
Covering up throat pain will not improve your perfomance and may
even result in serious damage to your local folds.
4. Gargles may provide temporary relief but if done forcefully
and noisily, can aggravate the throat pain and even worsen the voice.
Instead, inhale the steam.
5. Steer clear of iced drinks, colas, alcohol and smoking.
6. If you have an irritating dry allergic cough, which is common
in winter, get it treated immediately as persistent coughing can
harm the voice. Usually an anti-allergic /cold medication is sufficient.
These medicines dry the throat, so drink extra water.
7. Do not self medicate with antibiotics. Most sore throats settle
down with simple measures. Ginger, turmeric, basil, black pepper
and liqourice help soothe the throat. If the symptoms persist or
worsen, seek professional help.
8. Don't gorge on spicy, oily and rich foods. A lot of throat and
voice problems are related to acidity and indigestion.
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