Dr. Oz and a Sore Throat: Signs of Infection, Irritation, or Overuse
Dr. Oz talked about sore throats and the reasons why people get them on today’s show. New parents often have no idea what they are dealing with when it comes to newborns or young children. When you travel, it is quite possible to be exposed to substances which can also cause a sore throat; but are not going to require a trip to a physician. It depends upon the severity of the sore throat.
When the throat is irritated and becomes inflamed, the way it feels is attributed to being ‘sore’. The average person does not have any equipment to take a good look, so they have to make a visit to the doctor to find out why their throats are sore. Most of the time it is due to a virus or bacterial infection, but there are often other pathogenic micro-organisms that are responsible for a sore throat.
Yeast or candida albicans is common in infants and young children and those with compromised immune systems. This type of infection is typically known as Thrush. It coats the tongue and can cause a sore throat.
But then again, a sore throat is not always a sign of an infectious agent. First, you need to rule out overuse. Many people who sing a lot, speak a lot, use their vocalizations in an emergency, scream in anger, or ingest something like a poison could all be the causes for soreness.
When there’s redness, it’s most likely caused by micro-organisms which initiate a response by your body to deal with the exposure to an irritant. Redness is a sign to a doctor that the process has begun and requires intervention. Still…a culture often needs to be done to be certain what you are dealing with…exactly.
When you find pus, there’s a good chance that it’s bacterial. Strep Throat is frequent in children, especially those people who are constantly exposed in a public setting like a daycare center, classroom, or work environment.
When it is inflamed, it could be from any pathogen that is irritating the tissue. Inflammation will often turn into infection if nothing is done immediately, leaving the invasive organism to do more damage.
When there is pain, it could be from a viral invasion that causes discomfort for several days. Sometimes the severity and the duration will give you clues about whether it is due to a virus or a bacteria. Bacterial infections can last more than a week. If you try to treat a sore throat at home and it doesn’t get better within a few days, go to the doctor’s office and get it checked out. If you are running a fever, it is another indicator that you have an infection that needs to be treated.
There are Essential Oils that help to prevent and can often be used to treat sore throats without further medical intervention or anti-biotics. But you have to ensure that you have pharmaceutical grade EOs, because fragrance oils will not work for one’s health. The Essential Oils of Clove, Thyme, Lemon, Peppermint, Tea Tree, Rosemary, Oregano, Rosewood, and several others are generally the oils that are effective for dealing with pathogens and infections. Aromatherapists are trained to know which oils are appropriate for each presentation whether it’s only inflammation or if it progresses into infection.
If you overuse your voice for some reason, then some aloe vera and soothing foods like chicken soup, miso soup, vegetable soup, kudzu pudding, or fresh organic juices will suffice to make your throat feel better. The Essential Oils of Lavender and Myrrh are often used to soothe tissue.
You can learn how to use Essential Oils and other natural products to soothe a sore throat from those who have had experience or training in this area of expertise. If your throat continues to be sore and hurts even worse; then go to your doctor and get a culture to determine if a pathogen is at work causing the soreness and pain. GSE can be diluted with purified water and gargled to reduce the overgrowth of candida and address other pathogens. MSM will often stop or reduce the pain and discomfort until you can do more to eliminate the actual cause. The important thing to remember is to not let it go unchecked or untreated, because it usually gets worse until you do something to take care of the actual cause.
