What is good when your throat hurts

You can soothe a sore throat as follows: 

• Drink liquids, at least 64 ounces (8 cups or 2 liters) per day to stay hydrated, to thin mucus, and to keep your throat moist. It's very important to stay hydrated, even though it hurts. Drink water, tea (herbal or decaf), broth, soup, and non-caffeinated sports drinks e.g. Gatorade. Hot tea with lemon and honey can help.
• Gargle with warm salt-water. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of regular table salt in 8 ounces (240 ml) of warm water, gargle for a few seconds, spit it out, then repeat a few times. Do this three times a day. Wondering if gargling really works? Read this brief New York Times article about a research study on the effectiveness of gargling.
• To relieve pain and reduce inflammation, take ibuprofen (e.g. Motrin, Advil), acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol) or generic versions of these medicines, following package directions.
• Keep your throat moist by using a vaporizer or sucking on throat lozenges, ice or popcicles. Some lozenges also help relieve pain. 
• Refrain from smoking. Smoking makes it hard to eliminate mucus and may predispose you to bronchitis or pneumonia. This would be a good time to consider quitting -- See Tobacco Cessation Help. If you choose not to quit, try not to smoke during your illness.

Call for advice if you have any of these:

• Difficulty swallowing that prevents you from eating or drinking, or if you are drooling and cannot swallow your saliva, you should seek medical care right away
• White or yellow spots in throat
• Pain that is persistent, severe or increasing
• Difficulty breathing
• A new rash or fever
• Signs of dehydration

For U-M students and other UHS patients, call for Nurse Advice by Phone, day or night. Calling may save you a trip. 

UHS can do rapid strep testing. Your throat and tonsils would be swabbed to collect a sample, which would be analyzed for strep (streptococcal) bacteria. Results would be available at your visit.

For currently enrolled U-M students on the Ann Arbor campus, there is no fee for phone advice, clinic visits or most laboratory tests.

For more information: 

• Colds and Flu - Treating with Medication
• I'm Sick! What Should I Do? Suggestions for Colds and Flu
• Protect others by practicing good prevention measures -- See Take Care of Yourself and Your Fellow Wolverines!
• How to Get Health Care at UHS - Appointments are required for clinic visits, and telehealth options are available
• Tips for Academic Success if You are Sick or Injured
• Strep Throat from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

SORE THROAT

A sore throat is often the first sign that you are coming down with a cold or the flu.

A sore throat is an inflammation at the back of throat and surrounding area, known as the pharynx. That inflammation leads to common sore throat symptoms like scratchiness, pain, swelling, and discomfort.

Acting fast when you notice that first telltale tingle or twinge of pain might help keep your sore throat symptoms to a minimum. If your sore throat has quickly taken on a life of its own, don’t worry. There are plenty of over-the-counter medicines for sore throat – some of them already in your kitchen cupboard or medicine cabinet – ready to help ease the pain and scratchiness.

Keep reading for 10 remedies for sore throat ready to ease your pain.

1. Honey

From its warm, amber color to its thick, syrupy consistency, and mild, sweet taste honey is nature’s sore throat remedy. Honey boasts a range of anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties.1

As a precaution, children under 1 year of age should not consume honey due to susceptibility to a toxin it may contain.2

1. Saltwater Gargle

It’s something most of us grew up with and might be the first thing you think of when a sore throat catches hold. Gargling with warm salt water reduces inflammation, promotes healing, and inhibits the growth of bacteria in the mouth. Salt water also helps thin mucus and is a one of the best home remedies for cough and sore throat. Gargle twice a day for sore throat relief.3

1. Baking Soda Gargle

Baking soda has an alkaline effect that neutralizes acids in the mouth. It can help ward off infection, protect against inflammation and lubricate the mouth and throat.4

1. Humidifier

Breathing dry air can feel like sandpaper on a raw, painful sore throat. A room humidifier moisturizes your nose and throat, making it much more comfortable to breathe. Add a few drops of essential oil for a throat-soothing aromatherapy session.

Run the humidifier at night while you sleep to keep the room moisturized while your body rests and works to heal itself.

1. Over-the-Counter Remedies

Vicks family of cold and flu products offers soothing sore throat relief with ingredients that alleviate pain, break up congestion, and quell the coughing that often accompanies sore throat. Many over-the-counter cold and flu medicines treat multiple symptoms. Make sure to identify what other symptoms you may be experiencing along with sore throat, if any, so you can get the relief you need.

The last five points will explore the different Vicks sore throat remedies you can keep in your medicine cabinet to relieve sore throat as soon as the pain starts.

1. Medicated Drops

Vaporize your sore throat pain with VapoCOOL™ SEVERE Drops. These drops soothe your sore throat, relieving your sore throat pain with the oral anesthetic menthol.

1. Sore Throat Sprays

Get rapid, targeted relief of sore throat pain where and when you need it most. Winterfrost-flavored VapoCOOL™ Sore Throat Spray contains pain-blocking benzocaine and cooling, soothing menthol that work quickly to temporarily stop the pain.

1. Lozenges

When you have a sore throat it’s important to keep your throat moistened to protect delicate mucus membranes and prevent your throat from drying out. For fast pain relief make yours medicated with VapoCOOL™ Sore Throat Lozenges.

VapoCOOL™ Sore Throat Lozenges contain benzocaine to numb sore throat pain and the cooling sensation of menthol to ease that painful sensation.

1. Multi-Symptom Relief Liquids and LiquiCaps™

If your sore throat is accompanied by cough, congestion or other cold and flu symptoms, you’ll find multi-symptom relief in DayQuil™ Severe + VapoCOOL™ Cold & Flu and NyQuil™ Severe + VapoCOOL™ Cold & Flu. Both contain acetaminophen to reduce fever and relieve sore throat pain, and muscle aches and pains.5 The decongestant phenylephrine will unstuff your stuffy nose,6 and dextromethorphan will help suppress your cough. DayQuil also provides the expectorant guaifenesin to help break up mucus and relieve chest congestion. NyQuil adds the antihistamine doxylamine succinate to dry your runny nose. They also come in convenient LiquiCap™ form.

1. FluTherapy

For soothing relief from sore throat and other cold and flu symptoms, try FluTherapy SEVERE. The acetaminophen in this medicated hot drink relieves sore throat and muscle aches and pains. FluTherapy Daytime and FluTherapy Nighttime both contain the nasal decongestant phenylephrine to reduce stuffiness by shrinking swollen blood vessels in the nasal passages. FluTherapy Daytime has dextromethorphan to suppress cough symptoms. For added runny nose and watery eye symptom relief at night, FluTherapy Nighttime includes the antihistamine diphenhydramine.

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