Starting to get a sore throat.  How can I stop from getting sick?  This happens to me a couple times a year.....start to get a sore throat, get a sore throat, get sick, finally go to the doctor and get on some meds, slowly get better.

How can I get a jump start on feeling better?  Thanks for any help.  Great timing too....right before Christmas!!

vmax84

take antibiotics now, instead of later

.. ?

yep, used to happen to me to.

Don't know about how to stop yourself from getting sick, but to deal with your throat use the Chloroseptic Lozenges.  They are the only ones I can stand to use.  Sucrets just numbs your tounge.  Can't use the spray, tastes like paste.

Good luck with it.  I'm just coming off an ass kicker bout of the flu.  REALLY sucked.

Cut your uvula off!

I have always gargled with Listerine at the slightest hint of a sore throat.  Usually works in 2 days.  I do it several times a day.  I get that swollen glands, scratchy throat feeling a couple times a year, but rarely get full-on sick.

whiskey.

Lots of whiskey.

Gargle with Hydrogen Peroxide. Seriously. Don't take my word for it, Look it up.

Don't swallow it, and your mouth will feel like it is stuffed with cotton when you are done. But it WORKS.
If you've been sucking snot til your throat inflames, nothing works better, faster.

Listerine kills the germs just as dead, but the 25% alcohol dries your tissues out so bad it hurts just as bad.

You need to find some 30% FOOD GRADE peroxide, not the stuff you buy at wally world. You then need to take a portion & cut it down to 10% using distilled water & put it in a small hand sprayer like you would use to water plants with.

Spray the peroxide into your throat several times a day, a couple sprays at a time. It does taste a bit on the yukky side but it DOES work!!

Last winter I woke up one night with my throat bright red & on fire!! I had a temperature of 103.5 & felt freakin horrid!!!! I started spraying, gargling & swallowing the peroxide several times that day & within 12 hours I was already feeling much better. Within 24 hours I was almost back to normal with no ill effects.

Just be very careful with the 30% food grade peroxide as it's very dangerous & can burn you very badly if you are not careful. But it definately can make you healthy.

Feel free to ask any questions if you have any.

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Don't stand too close to the squirrel Billy, you'll catch its stupid!!

You can use warm salty water to gargle with too, just do it 3 or 4 times a day.  

Screw all that - get what really works.  Go to your doc, (or the internet if you can wait longer) and get some codiene syrup for the throat, or some Tylenol #3 or #4 (both with codiene.  Opiates do wonders.  Codiene is a cough suppressant but an awesome pain reliever if you don't mind prescription drugs.

By the time you are feeling sick, you have already been infected for a week or two and your body shows symptoms as you are coming out of it.  Keep your immune system up by eliminating stress and getting plenty of sleep.  When you wear your body down, that's when you get sick.  Keep your body well regulated and your strength up.  When your throat is soar, make sure your environment is well humidified.  Suck on some lozenges. Take your vitamins. Get a tonsilectomy.  Gargle with warm salt water.  Stop talking. [;D]

Please do not follow the above recommendations, save the salt water solution.  Hydrogen peroxide is only effective against anaerobic bacteria and some viri.  It can be HIGHLY irritating and could cause an infection to gain hold.  Even 10% is dowright DANGEROUS and could pose a gaging hazard.  And forget about the danger of spilling 30% on your skin.  We are talking DEEP skin burns and it smells horrible.  It penetrates tissues and then decomposes to free radical oxygen, a KNOWN mutagen.  Antibiotics are a DEFINITE no-go unless you know what the infective organism(s)is(are).

Its far different than a soft tissue infection because the throat is naturally COVERED with bacteria, even when you are healthy.  Something caused your immune system to become depressed, say injury or virus, and some opportunistic bacteria took hold.

Some studies have shown certain vitamins and minerals to be beneficial in keeping the defenses in top working order.  Others show proper humidity to be helpful.  Dry heat, especially in very cold climates where the outside air is very dry and when warmed, reduction of the relative humidity to less than 10% is common.  This will dry the throat out in a hurry, leading to some opportunistic bacteria to set up shop.

I wouold recommend the moment you feel a sore throat coming on, get yourself to a doctor.  Even a "doc in a box" is far better than a day or two of ignorance. Believe it or not, they will be able to do a culture and sensitivity and have you on the CORRECT antibiotics.  Those bacteria are reprodcing once every 15 minutes or less.  You have several million infective bacteria the moment you notice.  And they are doubling in number every 15 minutes so speed is of the essence.

I am deadly serious.  Every year, streptococcus is becoming more resistant to antibiotics and the nasty srtains can kill a healthy adult.  Don't wait, don't chance it.  And don't self medicate.  I know.  It nearly killed me.

Gargle with salt water, decongestant to try and stop the post nasal drip.  The listerine for a few days is what it will take if it is just an drip irritation and nothing infected.

That's what worked for me this week.

That said, if you don't have the sinus congestion, then maybe you got an infection and should see an MD.  

If you got a cold, the antibiotics and nature take about the same time.  If you got strep or ?? then the antibiotics are necessary.

I figured right this time.  My oldest has a bad cold and my wife came down with bronchitis all withing 3 days before me.  So I was watching.

Gargling with warm saltwater seems to to the trick for irritation.  It's not fun to do if you have it salty enough, or if you swallow some, but it won't irritate like some of the sprays might.  If it doesn't work try chloraseptic spray, it's nasty but it akes the hurt away.  doubt it kills all the right bugs but at least the hurt goes down.

Just got back from the doc's office.  Strep throat.  Got on some of his meds.  Don't know why I make such a big deal about getting sick.  Thanks for the advice (well, most of it, anyway!!).

vmax84

Folks,

Keith_J is right on. Way to go, doc!

Please don't take gun advice from your M.D., and don't ask a bunch of gun nuts for medical advice.  Unless that gun nut happens to be an M.D., then you got both bases covered!  [;)]

Gargling with *this* or *that* just gives you something to do until the body fights off the infection.  I don't know why it's so popular.  

If that's your thing, consider going all the way and using a 7 to 7.5% solution of sodium hypochlorite- works wonders at killing all those deadly germs making you sick.  It removes the tissue as well, *just in case* those bugs want to come back.   [;D]


Illness caused by a virus is not affected by antibiotics.  Rest, fluids, more rest, and time works the best.

If the infectin is bacterial, then the right antibiotics can help, or so I'm told, along with rest, rest, fluids, and more rest.


(Disclaimer:  Please don't do the sodium hypochlorite gargle, that was just a joke...)

Here's the deal. You gotta gargle several times a day to kill the germs. Get to the store and find some Dr. Tichenors. Same as the regular Listerine but stronger. As they say in Boy Scouts -- Be prepared. Take a deep breath beforehand. This stuff is strong and will take your breath away. You have to do it several times a day. If you can't find the Dr. T's, then I would go the hydrogen peroxide route.
Sometimes the sore throat is a result of sinus drainage so you may want to think about taking an antihistamine or decongestant.

I was told (by a Doctor) to gargle the saltwater not to kill germs but to toughen up the throat tissue.  I do not see how killing the germs on the surface of the tissue is going to cure it, the germs are already in your blood and tissue, but then, I'm no doctor.

The reason I was told the saltwater is that it helps clean the crud from your sinuses out, and lessens the topical irritants.  It doesn't kill anything just cleans it up some and it doesn't irritate anything already sensitive.