Sore throat myths and facts
Sore throat is often not much of a serious issue, but it does not make it any less grueling to bear. It causes constant pain and discomfort that becomes worse with swallowing. From eating to drinking, everything becomes a chore.
Some people with sore throat also experience trouble speaking. Those with jobs entailing the recurrent use of vocal cords, having a sore throat can be extremely inconvenient.
Since sore throat is not a life-threatening condition in most cases, people then resort to handling it using treatments that have been passed down from the elders or are backed only by anecdotal evidence.
While this practice may be innocuous in some cases, you should always seek the help of a qualified doctor like an ENT Specialist in Karachi when it comes to the matter of your health.
It may be that your sore throat is a sign of some other problem like a bacterial infection, and it then requires treatment and medication for being remedied.
Sore throat myths and facts
Alongside getting medical aid, it also helps in knowing what practices are mythical, and what have basis in medical science so that you can rely on them accordingly.
Cold and flu medication can help with sore throat
Myth
Cold and flu medication can only address the symptoms, but they don’t cure the issue. If you have sore throat during the cold, some factors like postnasal drip can aggravate your symptoms. Taking cold medication can help in preventing circumstances that aggravate your sore throat, but not heal your sore throat.
Gargling with saltwater helps in soothing the sore throat
Myth, sort of.
Many people turn to saltwater gargles to soothe a sore throat. While in it of itself, the salt water will not cure your sore throat. But what happens is that most people tend to breathe through their mouth during such ailments, which dries out the throat, furthering the discomfort.
Saltwater gargles help with the problem of dryness then. Moreover, since mostly the gargles are composite of lukewarm or warm water, so the heat also helps in soothing the throat then.
Eating hold and cold foods can relieve the pain
Fact
Hot beverages help in soothing the pain. Cold drinks and foods can also help in numbing the nerves, that help in abating the pain felt.
Might as well start antibiotics since your sore throat is a sign of bacterial attack.
Myth
A dangerous practice that has consequences for not just your health, but that of others as well is using antibiotics at your own discretion. This increases the risk of antibiotic resistance, which can lead to one taking more advanced doses to achieve the same result.
You, as a lay person, don’t know if the infection is caused by a bacterium or a virus. Antibiotics work against bacterial only and taking them in the face of a viral infection is not just ineffective, but dangerous otherwise as well.
Hence, don’t self-administer any medication but consult a doctor and follow their prescription then.
Sore throat means you must then have tonsillitis
Myth
Not every case of throat problems is to do with tonsils; there is much more going on in your throat. Tonsils are essentially pair of soft tissue mass located at the back of throat. They are a part of the lymphatic system and play a role in immune functionality of the body.
Tonsilitis is the inflammation of these bodies. It is caused due to infection, viral or bacterial. Symptoms of tonsilitis include a sore throat, swelling on account of the inflammation, pain that may also then travel to the ears, fever, bad breath, headache, neck stiffness, vocal issues etc.
Hence, while sore throat may occur in tonsillitis, it is not a singular symptom of the infection. If, however, you observe the other symptoms alongside, you should contact an ENT Specialist in Islamabad for treatment.
