Burning Sore Throat

A burning sore throat refers to a feeling of discomfort, pain and irritation, experienced in the throat, due to inflammations in the tonsils, larynx and pharynx. A sore throat can make even swallowing of food, quite a task for the person. Sometimes a burning, itchy sore throat is accompanied by symptoms such as coughing, hoarseness in voice, tiredness, fever and swelling in the neck glands. Below are the reasons why people experience this condition, followed by some effective home remedies to treat the same.

Causes of Burning Sore Throat

• A sore throat and cough could be caused by a viral infection, if symptoms such as light fever, difficulty in swallowing, runny nose and headaches are also present.
• A very sore throat, accompanied by high fever, swelling in the neck glands, white-colored coating around the tonsils, is caused by a bacterial throat infection.
• Acid reflux disease, in which the stomach acids leak back into the throat or the esophagus, can produce such a sensation in the throat too, along with indigestion, gas, bloating and headaches.
• A sore throat accompanied by pain can also be caused if the person has strained his vocal cords by talking loudly or by singing continuously.
• Allergies, such as those caused by dust mites, animal hair, pollens, medicines, etc., can cause a sore throat too.
• Sometimes, eating too spicy or too hot food can cause a burning sensation in the throat of a person.
• Some of the rare causes of sore throat are diptheria, a disease caused by "Corynebacterium diphtheriae" bacterium or if a person has cancer and is under chemotherapy.

Home Remedies for Burning Sore Throat

Gargle
An effective remedy for this condition is to gargle with hot water in which a teaspoon of salt has been added. Gargling will soothe the irritation experienced in the throat.

Garlic
Garlic has many anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. So chew on a few cloves of garlic to get rid of sore throat caused due to a viral infection or an allergy. This is one of the most effective remedy for sore throat.

Oral Hygiene
In order to get rid of a sore throat, it is very important to maintain oral hygiene, as bacteria in the mouth can sometimes aggravate the situation. So brush your teeth twice a day and follow it up with a mouth wash. Clean the tongue regularly too. Also, the moment you feel you have contracted an illness, replace your old toothbrush with a new one. Again, change your brush when you get well as bacteria might be still lingering on it.

Hot Beverages
To soothe a burning throat, sip on something hot such as an herbal tea. Herbal teas, such as mint herbal tea and chamomile tea, are especially known to strengthen the immune system, thereby fighting any kind of infection and disease that might weaken the body. An age-old recipe for a tea to cure sore throat is to mix a teaspoon of honey and apple cider vinegar, a pinch of cayenne pepper, juice of half a lemon in a cup of hot water. This tea should be taken twice a day, until the burning sore throat heals. Otherwise, simply drinking hot milk, with a dash of turmeric, can do wonders for a sore throat too.

Healthy Diet
Burning in the esophagus, caused due to acid reflux disease, can be minimized by refraining from spicy and fatty foods, and by avoiding overeating. A well-balanced diet, which is especially rich in vitamin C and zinc, will make the body strong, healthy and well prepared to fight any kind of infection. Some of the foods rich in vitamin C are lemon, broccoli, oranges, tomatoes and potatoes. Foods rich in Zinc are bananas, chicken, blackberries, salmon and avocados.

Zinc Lozenge
Researches have shown that people who suffered from viral sore throats, heal more easily, if they suck on a Zinc Lozenge, a couple of times in a day. However, this remedy should not be continued for long as it can weaken the immunity, thereby increasing a person's risk of getting an infection.

A sore throat, especially the one which is accompanied by high fever, has to be referred to a doctor immediately. Doctors will prescribe certain antibiotics for bacterial throat infection, and antihistamines, if the sore throat is due to an allergy. Taking medicines, following the above mentioned home remedies, refraining from smoking and drinking lots of fluids, will help you to get rid of a sore throat.