sore throat remedies?

[Mothercooter]

I used to use herbal tea with honey for its medicinal properties for my throat (I am a singer) before atkins. Now I cant even use cough drops to help open up the sinuses. I just use the vicks rub for that now but still have no remedy for sore throat. I do still use the herbal teas though. Celestial seasonings "Sleepy time tea" is my fav nice speariment flavor.

What Do you guys use for sore throats since so many OTC meds have sugar in them like drops and sprays?

Mindy

[Chicklady]

I find gargling with salt water good. As for opening up sinuses, I do my Moms old remedy of a small steam bath(pot of steaming water, head over pot with towl over the head )

[Atkid]

sugarfree cough drops

[jammiemarie24]

I put a tsp of butter in my tea...it really soothes my throat. It sounds gross I know...but try it once, it really is pretty good.

[APanthesilia]

I'm a singer as well and I've got a pretty strange remedy for you...I had hugely blocked up sinuses before a performance once and another singer I knew suggested that I make up a batch of lukewarm salt water (made with canning salt, I don't know why) then take something like a turkey baster and shoot the salt water up my nose, one nostril at a time. I so didn't want to do it but it worked wonders. It doesn't help with the pain of your throat but it does help to unblock the sinuses, do it directly before a performance and you won't feel like you can't hear yourself. I know! It's strange!

[APanthesilia]

Also-- I've never used any cough drops or anything because I am allergic to menthol and I've had some terrible sore throats! I usually drink hot water like there is no tomorrow even when I think I don't want it. I'm sure your tea is good too! You could look for some tea with peppermint or menthol in it? I had a voice teacher once tell me all about how the sprays were bad for singers anyway because you end up not being able to feel your throat and you could damage it, pushing too hard when you should be resting it. I know sometimes voice rest isn't an option, especially for working performers, but maybe try to rest it when you don't positively have to use it! Hope your throat feels better!

[sadie147]

Originally Posted by APanthesilia

I'm a singer as well and I've got a pretty strange remedy for you...I had hugely blocked up sinuses before a performance once and another singer I knew suggested that I make up a batch of lukewarm salt water (made with canning salt, I don't know why) then take something like a turkey baster and shoot the salt water up my nose, one nostril at a time. I so didn't want to do it but it worked wonders. It doesn't help with the pain of your throat but it does help to unblock the sinuses, do it directly before a performance and you won't feel like you can't hear yourself. I know! It's strange!

I saw Dr. Oz on Oprah talking about almost this exact same thing, but using a little pot that looked like a gravy boat, to pour a saline solution into your sinuses to clear them out. Apparently a couple of people in the audience had been using it and said it had changed their lives.

Here is the info they have about it on Wikipedia. I've looked for the Netipots here but have yet been unable to find one.

Sorry this is long..but interesting. from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_irrigation

Nasal irrigation is a personal hygiene practice which involves flooding the nasal cavity with warm saline solution. The goal of nasal irrigation is to clear out excess mucus and particulates and moisturize the nasal cavity. Either a fluid-filled syringe or a neti pot can be used. The practice has been subjected to clinical testing and has been found to be safe and beneficial, with no apparent side effects

Jala Neti


Nasal irrigation is an ancient Ayurvedic technique known as Jala neti, which literally means nasal cleansing in Sanskrit, where the practitioner uses a neti pot to perform the irrigation. The irrigation-specific elements of jala neti are starting to be recognized by Western medicine under the term nasal irrigation to treat a variety of conditions.

Jala neti, though relatively less known in Western culture, is a common practice in parts of India and other areas in South East Asia, performed as routinely as brushing one's teeth using a toothbrush. It is performed daily, usually as the first thing in the morning with other cleansing practices. It may also be performed at the end of the day if one works or lives in a dusty or polluted environment. When dealing with problems of congestion it can be performed up to four times a day.

A typical method utilizes an isotonic saline solution. Recent research[3][4] has indicated that a hypertonic saline solution may be more effective at treating specific symptoms of nasal inflammation.

The saline solution irrigation and nasal flush promotes good nasal health. It can be used by patients with chronic sinusitis including symptoms of facial pain, headache, halitosis, cough, anterior rhinorrhea (watery discharge), and one study has even reported that nasal irrigation was “just as effective at treating these symptoms as the drug therapies.”[5] In other studies, “daily hypertonic saline nasal irrigation improves sinus-related quality of life, decreases symptoms, and decreases medication use in patients with frequent sinusitis,[2]” and irrigation is recommended as an “effective adjunctive treatment of chronic sinonasal symptoms.”[6][7]

Nasal irrigation is reputed to help prevent colds and otherwise promote good nasal health by cleaning out the nasal passages and helps alleviate stuffiness, dryness and the symptoms of allergies[citation needed].

For those who suffer from chronic sinusitis, nasal irrigation is a quick and inexpensive way to promote ciliary function and mucus turnover, decrease edema, and improve drainage through the sinus ostia.

To summarize, nasal irrigation can purportedly:

* Clear out sticky, persistent mucus and help reduce nasal congestion
* Cleanse and rid the sinus cavities of allergens, irritants, and contaminants
* Treat chronic sinusitis
* Treat acute bacterial rhinosinusitis[2]
* Treat allergic rhinitis
* Prevent common colds and flu
* Relieve nasal dryness
* Promote healthy nasal passages
* Treat empty nose syndrome (a crippled nose caused by over-aggressive turbinate resection)
* Improve breathing
* Reduce coughing and other symptoms of post-nasal drip
* Temporarily reduce symptoms of phantosmia
* Generally improve sinus health.

Yogic breathing practices known as pranayama are greatly enhanced by the practice of jala neti since many of them involve deep breathing through the nostrils.

Other benefits practitioners may notice:

* Vision is clearer. Jala neti will clean the tear ducts, enabling better cleaning and moistening of the eyes.
* Improved sense of smell
* Improved sense of taste
* Deeper, more relaxed breathing

Potential problems

* Some people may have hardened blockages. These may be eliminated gradually over several attempts but may be due to a deviated septum in which case a minor surgery may be needed.
* Some mild blockages may also be removed with sutra neti when Jala neti is unsuccessful.
* Burning or irritation of the nasal lining. This can feel similar to irritation one may experience from the chlorine in a swimming pool. This is usually due to water being at the wrong temperature and/or salinity, but can also be due to the salt containing the additive iodine. If the salinity is correct and the water is at body temperature, try using non-iodized salt.
* A person may feel sharp pains due to pressure on the sinuses. They should stop immediately and consult a doctor.
* If a person experiences ear discomfort when performing Jala Neti, they should be sure to blow their nose more gently after the wash. If the problem persists, the openings of their Eustachian tubes may be particularly wide and they may need to discontinue use.
* Cold water may cause discomfort in many people.
* Nasal irrigation should not be performed when a person is having a nosebleed or has recently undergone some form of nasal surgery.

[APanthesilia]

Wow! Thanks Sadie! I never knew why it worked, I just knew that it did!

[rozigrl221]

My boss swears by Pineapple Juice for a sorethroat.

[Miss Phode]

Originally Posted by sadie147

I saw Dr. Oz on Oprah talking about almost this exact same thing, but using a little pot that looked like a gravy boat, to pour a saline solution into your sinuses to clear them out. Apparently a couple of people in the audience had been using it and said it had changed their lives.

Here is the info they have about it on Wikipedia. I've looked for the Netipots here but have yet been unable to find one.

Sorry this is long..but interesting. from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_irrigation

I have one of these. I use it all the time. It's better to use it for maintenence purposes. If you try to use it when you're really congested it doesn't work but I think it works great in keeping the sinuses clear and clean.

On a sidenote, when we were having company one night I asked my husband to pull out the cream and sugar for the coffee, and he almost put the cream in my netipot, which I keep in the kitchen cupboard next to the sink. lol Luckily I noticed it before anyone else did.