Sore Throat
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Sore Throat Remedies?
Sept 2012
This has been ''The Year of the Endless Sore Throat'' in our household. Colds, Bronchitis, Hand-Foot-Mouth, Allergies...ad nauseum. My son is 2+, and finding things that bring him relief have been really difficult. Cold stuff, warm stuff, ibuprofen, tylenol - nothing really seems to help - especially at night (which makes us ALL miserable). All I remember from my childhood is that foul Chloraseptic spray and virgin hot toddies.
Looking for some good ideas since the Fall/Winter cold/flu season is looming! sick of sore throats!
Licorice tea will soothe a sore throat for a short term solution. There is a kid's cold care tea available at Berkeley Bowl & Whole Foods. It has elderberry for boosting the immune system, mint for helping clear a stuffy nose or sooth a headache, and licorice for soothing a sore throat. My advice would be to focus on boosting his immune system over seeking ways to soothe him when he's in pain from getting sick. Especially if your child is in preschool, everything you list is not too uncommon. However, it is possible that his immune system is weakened by food intolerance or allergy (to food or to his environment) that makes him less able to keep healthy. A Naturopathic Doctor is more likely to get to the root of the cause, with help around nutrition, allergies, etc. Your son's pediatrician may also be able to help. In my son's case, he is fine with goat or sheep dairy, but not cow. He does not test allergic to it, but it always makes him congested and he ends up with a miserable cold. It would have been the ''year of the sore throat'' for us, too, if we hadn't identified that trigger. His Pediatrician ordered tests, but wasn't very helpful, whereas the Naturopath was able to guide us with dietary changes that made a difference and great herbal remedies when he would get sick (far less often). Good luck! boosting immune system was the best remedy
My grandmother always told me to gargle with warm salt water....it does work and seems to be somewhat related to the salty foods I crave when I have a sore throat. Also, for a cough, I put a LOT of honey in hot tea. It coats the throat like no other and is the only thing that quiets the cough. Think it would do the same for a sore throat.
Good luck.
gargle-er
Baby with chronic sore throat
Feb 2007
Our 7 month-old son has had a sore throat for almost 4 weeks now. Antibiotics haven't helped; for the past week we've treated it as a possible yeast/fungal infection, but so far he's no better. During the day he does all right, but at night we have had to give him Motrin and/or Tylenol (without it he sleeps for 5-10 minutes at a time; with it, for 1-3 hours). While our doctor is very willing to see him each week, I'm so scared we may be missing something--and I'm also scared of using painkillers for such a long period. Has anyone ever had a similar experience? Does anyone have any advice for us? Even if it's to be more patient, perhaps? It's just been such a long time to keep a sore throat. And we feel so sorry for him. And worried. And powerless. Thank you so much. Sad mom
Consider gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). Common in infants; may be worse at night due to positioning. Stomach acid coming up into the esophagus will irritate the throat. You may want to discuss this possibility with your pediatrician. There are conservative, over the counter, and prescription treatment approaches if it turns out this is the problem. Good luck.
You need to try another doctor soon. Not to scare you, but my baby had a serious condition that the doctor downplayed at every visit and ended up in NICU for several months.Get a second opinon. anon