Top 7 Tips To Treat And Prevent Sore Throat

For the younger set a sore throat often means a day off from school, a television tuned to the Cartoon Network, and an extra bowl of ice cream. It almost makes the suffering seem worthwhile. Grown-ups, of course, don’t have the time for such pampering. We go about our daily business, thinking we can tough out the rawness, burning, and scratchiness that make it painful to talk, much less swallow food. But by day’s end, the sore throat has left us virtually speechless. We do tend to think that sore throat as kid stuff. But the fact is that every year about 40 million adults come down with one. Usually it is a symptom of a viral or bacterial infection. But it can also be instigated by irritants such as stomach acid, tobacco smoke, smog, dry heat, dust, pollen, and other allergens. Overuse is also a factor. Here are some tips that you can consider to adopt to relieve your soreness.

1. Address Any Allergies
Common allergies can cause postnasal drip, which irritates the throat. A throat that is itchy, not just painful, points to an allergic condition. If you have an allergy, an over-the-counter antihistamine may help relieve your symptoms. Antihistamine can have a drying effect, so be sure to increase your fluid intake while you are on the medication. They can also make you drowsy.

2. Line Up A Lozenge
Not all throat lozenges are created equal. The best ones contain glycerine. It keeps the throat tissue well-hydrated. You may find these lozenges at health food stores or specialty drugstores. It is also recommended avoiding lozenges that contain either mint or menthol. Both ingredients tend to be drying and are bad for the larynx.

3. Treat Your Beak
A stuffed-up nose can force you to breathe through your mouth, which irritates your throat. So taking an over-the-counter decongestant may help ease your sore throat as well.

4. Get Steamed
You can also keep your throat tissue moist with the help of steam. It is recommended that you run hot water in your kitchen or bathroom sink, then drape a towel over your head to trap the steam and inhale. Or you could just turn up the hot water in the shower to create a steam bath.

5. Have Some Tea, Honey
Tea with honey is a traditional sore throat remedy. You can boost its therapeutic benefits with this spicy twist. Stir into your tea 1 tablespoon of honey and the juice of half a lemon, then add ground red pepper to taste. The pepper probably has a mild anesthetic effect. It also stimulates the immune system.

6. Turn Down The Volume
If you must talk, then refrain from using your voice in an unnatural way. Do not try to talk over the loud noises. And do not try to project your voice at a pitch that is out of your range.

7. Think Twice About Gargling
Gargling can actually aggravate and prolongs a sore throat. Doing it once or twice with salt water might make you feel better by increasing blood flow to the throat area. But doing it regularly, especially mouthwash, can be very irritating. If you opt for an occasional saltwater rinse, then it is recommended to have a solution of ¼ teaspoon of salt in ½ cup of water. Just be sure to only rinse with, not swallow, the salt water.

Banish Baggy Eyes And Dark Circles

Do you wish to banish baggy eyes and dark circles around them? Think you need an expensive cream? Plastic surgery? Think again.
Our simple home remedy will cost you virtually nothing and you can have great results. You can really banish baggy eyes and dark circles.

How Did You Get Baggy Eyes? Dark Circles?
The bags and dark circles that you see under eyes can be the result of a number of things. First of all it may be (and often is) an inherited tendency. Next there are just people who are born with darker circles around their eye sockets.

Next they may be just part of the natural aging processes. Lack of restful sleep often results in bags and dark circles, and finally it may be due to environmental factors such as allergies, dehydration and crying. The truth is, the causes are not perfectly understood.

What is Technically Happening?
Aging causes our skin to get thinner. There is a break down of the lattice work under the skin formed by collagen fibers. This latticework acts to keep the skin tight and elastic.
Then, the thin skin, when seen in places without layers of fat (such as the skull or hands) gives a darker appearance...

With the skin around the eyes thinning, the blood vessels beneath and our own darker shadows of bone to begin to show through.
This may be worse due to genetic pre-disposition, but things like too much UV light and even smoking and worsen the effect.
Also a general lack of sleep or restful sleep is another culprit for baggy eyes and dark circles. It may have a lot to do with blood supply and oxygen in that area.

So, What Can be Done?
You may not be able to completely eliminate baggy eyes and dark circles, but you certainly can reduce them. Here are some real and effective tips to follow:

Drink plenty of fresh clean water daily and keep yourself hydrated
Take a 3mg tablet of melatonin (if your doctor agrees) each night, and try to get a more restful sleep Stop smoking
Wear refrigerated eye pack just before going to bed

Prepare a strong cup of tea with teabags, and then chill the bags with most of the water dripped out. Apply the teabags to closed eyes for 15 minutes during a nap or at the end of a long day.
Take collagen tablets, but consult your doctor to doses and frequency of such food supplements.
Consult your doctor if none of the above are helpful for you, as the problem may be related to something else that needs attention.

What you should not do is:
Do not use Preparation H. It can be very harmful
Do not buy expensive creams, as they do not work
Do not just cover the problem with makeup, and forget about it. Try to solve it, not hide it.
Do not assume plastic surgery is the only option. Leave the option of the knife as a last resort.

Remember, in many cases, its just your genetic disposition, and then not much of anything can eliminate the baggy eyes and dark circles, but certainly, some of the remedies we suggest can really help.