I Told You I Was Sick

Strep throat is a highly contagious disease that is caused by the bacteria known as streptococcal. Some people mistakenly believe that a sore throat means you are dealing with strep throat. However, there are several infections out there not caused by the strep bacteria that can cause a painful sore throat.

Signs of Strep Throat

If you have strep throat you will experience other symptoms along with a sore throat like sneezing, runny nose, stuffy nose, pain when you try to swallow something, fever, discoloring in the back of your throat, tonsils that have been swollen, and coughing.

This infection can easily spread from one individual to the next through breathing in the air that an infected person has sneezed or coughed. Even though any person can catch strep throat, kids between the ages of five and fourteen are the most vulnerable.

Sufferers will normally start experiencing symptoms a few days after coming in contact with the strep throat disease. If your infection isn’t severe it will usually disappear within five days without any kind of treatment. However, your doctor will probably still give you some antibiotics to take home to help you heal faster.

If you leave your strep throat untreated even after your symptoms leave you will still be contagious. Moreover, if you don’t treat your infection properly further problems like ear infections, abscess on the tonsils, and immune system failure can occur.

Prevention

The best way to prevent yourself from catching strep throat is to follow a healthy diet so your immune system can fight off any unwanted bacteria easier. Getting enough sleep, exercising, and decreasing your stress level will also improve your body’s strength to fight off strep throat.

Another great strategy to reduce your chances of catching strep throat is to create moisture in the air to assist with keeping your muccous membranes moist and less vulnerable to bacteria like streptococcus. The best way to accomplish this is to humidify your home with a humidifier.

Another preventative step you can take is to quit smoking. Even second hand smoke can cause the tissues inside your throat to become irritated and cause an infection.

Home Remedies

Using a home remedy to treat strep throat is the popular choice since antibiotics prescribed by doctors can have long-term side effects. If you use the right home remedy you can get rid of your strep throat symptoms quickly and easily.

Baking Soda Mouthwash

One of the best home remedies for strep throat is to make a baking soda mouthwash. To create this mixture you’ll need to combine 1 tablespoon of baking soda to a 1/2 glass of water. You can also add some hydrogen peroxide 3% to the mixture to make it more effective.

You can either slowly sip the baking soda solution or use as a mouthwash. For this home treatment to be effective you need the right frequency of rinsing your mouth with the solution and sipping it. For a child you should try half a teaspoon every five minutes, and for adult try 1 teaspoon every five minutes until you notice the pain of the strep throat fading away.

Apple Cider Vinegar Mouthwash

Another effective mouthwash you can make to fight off strep throat is apple cider vinegar diluted with some warm water. Head to your local grocery store and pick up a cheap brand of apple cider vinegar.

Now pour out about 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and dilute it with about 16 oz of warm water and begin gargling it like you would mouthwash. When gargling make sure you get all around your mouth especially the back of your throat.

After doing this home remedy you will immediately get relief from any pain you have in your throat. The amount of apple cider vinegar you use will depend entirely on the person. If you can stand a higher concentration of vinegar it will treat your problem more effectively.

Cayenne Pepper

One of the best home remedies for strep throat involves mixing a small amount of water with some cayenne pepper. Cayenne pepper is widely used around the world for different food cuisines, but has great success with treating strep throat. To use cayenne pepper you’ll need to soak a cotton ball in the water and pepper solution and then dab it on the back of your throat.

With these home remedies and preventative measures you should have no problem dealing with strep throat symptoms. Strep throat will usually go away on it’s own within a matter of days but you can use these home remedies to get relief during this time.

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Guest post by: John is an avid health writer who focuses on home remedies for yeast infections. He can be reached by clicking this link.