How to Cure Itchy Throat?
Dr.Kut | Mar 01, 2011 | Comments 0
How To Cure Itchy Throat?
An itchy throat, or strep throat, is a very annoying, bothersome and unpleasant feeling. As the sensation is inside the throat, the only way to soothe the feeling is not rubbing or scratching the neck, but rather by forcefully coughing and clearing whatever is inside it. And when the itchiness is persistent and intense, one would have to cough repeatedly; and this is quite embarrassing especially when inside a classroom or office. Sometimes, the itchiness in the throat even makes breathing difficult. And unless a person does something about it, the annoying, bothersome and unpleasant feeling won’t ever go away. That even exacerbates the itchiness.
Itchy Throat – How does it develop?
To understand how an itchy throat develops, it would be first essential to understand the mechanism in the throat. The throat is made up of walls of mucous membranes that are connected to nerve endings. Such membranes and endings are protected by slimy mucous regularly produced by the glands in the walls of the throat. This slimy mucous helps in the smooth passage of the food and air down to the stomach and lungs, respectively. If, by some reason or other, such glands do not produce enough amount of slimy mucous, the membranes and the nerve endings will get irritated by food, air or anything that goes down in the throat. This condition then results in the itchiness in the throat.
Factors that causes Itchy Throat
The itchy throat strep throat condition could be caused by several factors; and all of these are directly related to the passage in the throat. Here are some of the common causes of the condition: air-borne irritants (e.g. chemicals and polluted air), weather (dry or non-humid air), certain foods (some people have allergies to peanuts, fish, crabs and milk), alcohol, smoking, caffeine, bacterial infections and certain allergies. But whatever the causes are, there are self-helps and over-the-counter remedies that are readily available to soothe the itchy sensation. And if the symptom still persists, it would be best to seek medical help. The following are some of the self-remedies to itchy throat, that are so easy it could be done at home.
Effective Remedies for Itchy Throat
First, drinking lots of water can help in alleviating the itchiness, as it keeps the throat hydrated, which in turn complements the lack of slimy mucous produced. Gargling with lukewarm water mixed with salt can also ease away the pain and discomfort; this should be done twice or thrice everyday. Also, consuming ginger tea , honey and garlic cloves can also cure the itchy throat, as all of them have anti-bacterial properties that can get rid of bacterias in the throat. Anti-strep throat lozenges that are bought at the stores are also similarly recommendable.
Another way to treat the itchy throat condition is by inhaling steam from boiling water mixed with eucalyptus oil (or menthol, camphor oil and mint oil). Aside from soothing away the sensation, doing this also helps in clearing the lungs and lubricating the lungs. For people experiencing itchiness in the throat, it would be advisable to eat citrus fruits (rich in vitamin C) and to not to force the coughs as it can further irritate the throat.
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