dear asking for a friend, whenever i get a cold, or an allergy attack, the first thing i feel is a sore throat. is honey and hot water really the best to ease the pain?
signed,
looking for natural relief
dear looking for natural relief,
a sore throat can be scratchy and painful, and hurt even more when you swallow. that’s typically because you’re reacting to an intruding virus like the common cold or flu, or an allergen like dust or pollen. your body releases histamines to fight off the invader, which also increases the amount of mucus in your throat, nose and mouth.
often it’s the postnasal drip where excess mucus from your nose drips down the back of your throat and causes irritation,
according to the cleveland clinic. you can also experience fatigue, fever, headache and swollen lymph nodes.
while antibiotics don’t work on viruses, heading to the pharmacy to get some over-the-counter antihistamine medication can help dry that postnasal drip. other remedies for immediate relief of sore throat include sucking on ice chips, popsicles or lozenges. drinking hot water and lemon is also popular to stay hydrated, thin the mucus and keep your throat moist.
research indicates there may be some truth to feeling better after sipping on a hot liquid. one often-cited study out of cardiff university in wales showed that while a hot fruit drink didn’t improve an objective measure of nasal airflow in people battling a common cold, it did improve the subjective reporting of nasal airflow. hot drinks also provided “immediate and sustained relief” from symptoms like sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, coughing and chilliness. the study,
published in rhinology, also found the same beverage served at room temperature wasn’t as effective.
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