Sore Throat Common Mistakes to Avoid for Faster Relief

A sore throat can be dry, itchy, and quite literally everything unpleasant. It feels like a thousand needles poking you on the insides of your throat. And if it’s your little ones who are down with it, poor angels can’t even speak up to tell you how bad they feel.

But what you can do – for them and for yourself – is make a list of things to watch out for till the situation is in control. Read on.

Steering Clear of Sourness

Well, contrary to what most people would suggest about citrusy fruits, you’re better off staying away from them while you’re down with a sore throat. Tamarind, pickles, and a host of other bright citrus fruit actually make your throat even itchier in effect augmenting the pain. True, the high acidic content actually helps kill the bacteria and viruses, but I you really are keen on some sour treatment, then you’re better off getting it with a mild lemonade – warm water, a squirt of lemon and a pinch of salt.

Mindful Spice Consumption

If you’re battling a cold or a cough, then you’ve got to add some mouthwatering, nose-dripping, and ear-burning spicy food as a cure; the heat actually helps with releasing the nasal congestion. But if you’re adding a sore throat to that list of ailments, you might want to make some alterations to that diet plan as well. red chili powder, green chilies, cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper can cause more harm to an already damaged sore throat so stay clean of them till you don’t recover.

The Milk Dilemma

Now some people would vouch for a glass of milk with some honey as another natural home remedy for a sore throat, but sadly they’re wrong! Thanks to your illness, your glands are already producing an excess amount of mucus that not only coats your throat, but serves as a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. The milk, which is slightly oily, just adds a second layer only making matters worse for you. On the other hand, if you’ve got a really dry sore throat, then yes, a warm glass of milk plus some honey would actually help.

Avoiding Dry Foods

Crackers, cookies, and raw cereals can become quite painful to swallow; avoid them like the plague. But if you really can’t resist the crunchiness, then soak them in fluids to make them mushy and easy to swallow.

Caffeine Caution

A cup of hot chocolate or coffee sounds ultimately soothing both to the sore throat and the senses. But here’s the catch; after a couple of minutes, your throat will itch even more making you feel even worse. Now here’s the science – cocoa and coffee are high in caffeine, which is a diuretic that will dehydrate you. The result, you’ll need to drink even more fluids to replenish those that you lose as a result of the caffeine eventually causing you more pain as you swallow liquid down your throat. Scientific enough? At beast you’re better off opting for chamomile tea as a natural remedy to a sore throat – yea, that definitely doesn’t sound as tempting a cup of caffeine.