SORE THROAT

                       

Sore throat is really a regular thing, especially if you stay in a crowded place or travel by public transports. It comes, stays for 3 days, and goes away on its own!
 But it is not so pleasing to pull yourself to work with something stuck at the back of your throat or to sleep well when you keep on coughing the whole night. Sometimes it gets worse, you cannot even gulp your own saliva.
Nowadays, people have gotten aware of various medical terms like tonsillitis and pharyngitis and laryngitis and what not! Differentiating between these three most common types of sore throat is a 1 minute game! And, trust me, once you identify which type it is, the cure becomes easier!
People often avoid going to a doctor for a sore throat and bear all the pain and discomfort for one whole week when all you got to do is STAND IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR WITH A TORCH AND SAY "AAAAHHH" with a wide open mouth! This will tell you if you need to gargle or give a complete voice rest.
How? I'll tell you.
Let us understand this one at a time.

TONSILLITIS, is when your tonsils get infected. Now how do you come to know that? As I said earlier, "AAAAAHHH".
Normally, your tonsils are not visible, but in case it is infected, it increases in size and peeps out of its pocket like in the picture. You got to look at the right place. These tonsils are not very conspicuous, you will have to practice a little to actually determine if they are red and swollen.

If  your tonsils are all fiery red and entirely out of its pocket near the midline, it is most certain that you have tonsillitis and gargling will now be effective,
But your job doesn't end here! You have to see if it is getting better with the warm salt water gargles, that you should be doing for as many times as you can. If the throat doesn't get better within 3-4 days, or gets worse instead, you might need a course of antibiotics. The probability of the infection being viral ends when the pain and swelling doesn't go away inspite of 3-4 days of gargling and other care (given below). Take a look at this.

 Always remember, VIRAL INFECTIONS are self healing. You just need to keep yourself hydrated and take some painkillers if the pain is unbearable. The body fights the viruses off in less than a week.
BEFORE YOU GO TO A DOCTOR FOR SORE THROAT, WAIT FOR AT LEAST 3 DAYS. WAIT FOR YOUR BODY TO DEAL WITH INFECTION FIRST. 
If the symptoms don't go away then it is probably a bacterial infection and you need antibiotics.

Up next is PHARYNGITIS, it is the infection of the part that you see behind the hanging uvula when you open your mouth. It may or may not accompany tonsillitis. These are most commonly caused due to viruses and need only the supportive care. ( Antibiotics are only for bacterial infections)

SYMPTOMS :

1. Irritation of the throat.
2. difficulty in swallowing
3. pain in the throat
4. fever with/without chills
5. cough
6. sneezing with runny nose
7. headaches

SELF HELP:

Both tonsillitis and pharyngitis need to be treated supportively for the first 3 days with :

1. Warm salt water gargles (4-5 times a day)
2. Drinking plenty of water ( works wonders in a viral infection)
3. Lozenges like vicks.
4. Drinking warm fluids, beverages ( soups, tea, coffee)
5. Using a humidifier.
6. If the pain is unbearable, an ibuprofen tablet or a paracetamol can be taken for relief.
7. REST.
   

WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR?

1. If you have sore throat for more than a week inspite all the above measures.
2. If you have fever greater than 101degree F.
3. If you see white patches on your tonsils.
4. If your tonsils are getting larger and larger that they are touching one another and you cannot swallow your own saliva.

MYTH-O-LITH

Laryngitis cannot be cured using gargling. It requires VOICE REST.
Till now you'll must be clear about identifying tonsillitis and pharyngitis and where to look for those.
Laryngitis has a distinctive feature, your voice changes or goes away! Most of the times this change of voice is PAINLESS.

Another fact most people are not aware of is the connection of pharyngitis and heart valve damage. Yes. you can damage your heart valves if you don't treat an episode of bacterial pharyngitis with a complete course of antibiotics.
Google "RHEUMATIC HEART DISEASE" if you are more curious about the mechanism. It is quite fascinating.

POST-SCRIPTING : IDENTIFYING is the key factor in treating sore throat effectively and completely. You need to know where to look for your tonsils! Diagnosing yourself is fun. Just don't ignore sore throat lasting for more than a week. 

MUCH POWER TO YOU! #DocYou! 

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