Throat infections

Bacterial and Viral Throat infections

We all know that behind most of the infections there are two possible common causes. Mostly, either the presence of viruses or the attacks of bacteria cause any infection. Infections that are caused by bacteria include throat infections, urinary tract infections and tuberculosis, etc. Some diseases caused by viruses are: the common cold and flu, AIDS and chickenpox, etc.  Bacteria are unicellular organisms that can survive in different types of environments and temperatures depending on their types. Most of them do not cause any harm to our body. In fact, some of them do favors for us like; helping in digesting our food while some bacteria can cause diseases. Viruses are smaller than bacteria and need to live on some other creatures like plants and animals to survive.

Throat infections are painful medical conditions that can be caused by any of the aforementioned culprits, i.e. bacteria or viruses. The viral throat infections are caused by a variety of viruses, like the flu virus or the mononucleosis virus. The bacterial throat infections are caused by a member of streptococcus family; the Group A streptococcus bacterium. The infections caused by streptococcus bacteria are contagious and spread from one person to another rapidly. Both infections can last from three to seven days.

The symptoms associated with throat infections can be mild or severe. It depends on the severity of the infection and also on whether; the infection is bacterial or viral. Some symptoms are common among the infected children and adults like, inflammation in the throat, difficulty in swallowing, cough and sneezing. Infants can also catch throat infections. The symptoms of these infections in babies include swollen throat, low-grade fever, swollen lymph nodes, fussiness, frequent crying, rejection of milk and difficulty in swallowing.

While most of the signs of viral and bacterial infections are common, there are some conditions that differentiate between both types. Symptoms associated solely with the viral infections are: dryness of throat, deeper voice, congestion and sinus pain. Strep throat infection or bacterial throat infection symptoms are more severe than the signs of viral infections. The person infected with strep bacteria has inflamed and extremely sore throat, slight fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, and fatigue. If all the aforementioned conditions are accompanied by dizziness and nausea, it can be a sign of middle ear infection or otitis.

Doctors prescribed antibiotics after carrying out tests for the detection of the cause of infections. The bacterial infections do not remain contagious after twenty four hours of taking the antibiotic medicines. On the other hand, viruses cannot be removed by the courses of antibiotics. They become less intense and then inactive mostly after two to three days. It is better and advisable to take medicines and / or do something as a natural remedy for the treatment of both infections. For example, gargling with a glass of warm water with a pinch of salt helps to ease the pain in both cases. Honey dissolved in warm water with a tablespoon of lemon juice is also beneficial for the infections of throat.

 Throat Infection

What can you do for your strep Throat Infection?

Many of us have experienced the pain, irritation and inflammation in the throat caused by Strep throat infection. It is a very painful condition in which the infected person suffers from fever, headache and body aches, fatigue, severe sore throat and difficulty in swallowing.

 Strep throat infection is a contagious bacterial infection caused by streptococcus bacteria, which tends to spread quickly when the infected person sneezes or coughs and come in contact with others. These bacteria are airborne that is why they can also transfer from one person to another through the air that we inhale.

Apart from catching the infection from another infected person we can get this infection because of our own mistakes. An unhealthy messed up lifestyle is the biggest invitation for these bacteria. A stressed person with a weaker immune system  and who does not take care of eating habits and does not take enough rest is more likely to get a throat infection. Prevention is always better than cure so the very first step that we can take to prevent this infection is: switching from an unhealthy lifestyle to healthy one. Eating healthy, getting enough sleep, avoiding stress and maintaining hygiene is very important to stay healthy and free from any infectious bacteria.

There are many natural anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory herbs and natural pain killers to cure strep throat infection. These herbs and other natural remedies help the infected person make a speedy recovery. Home remedies that are used to cure strep throat infection include garlic, honey, cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon sticks, fenugreek seeds, chamomile tea and black tea, etc. Different types of herbs like sage, slippery elm, marshmallow roots, licorice roots, ginseng, passion flower, honeysuckle flower, echinacea herb, agrimony, etc. provide excellent results when used in the right amounts and according to the recommended method.  Pepper mint, rosemary oil, lavender and thyme are also used to cure sore throat. They help in reducing the throat pain and inflammation.

The best thing to do for your strep throat is to gargle with warm salty water boiled with a  two to three cloves, half an inch of a cinnamon stick and three to four black peppers. This will ease the pain, irritation and inflammation and helps in killing and flushing out the streptococcus bacteria from your throat. You should do this several times a day; especially before going to bed and after waking up in the morning. You should take chamomile tea after every four hours. The tea will help a lot in alleviating the symptoms. It will help your body to relax and reduce your headache. It will also help if your stomach is disturbed because of this infection. 

The infected person often experiences restlessness and difficulty in sleeping because of the painful symptoms associated with this infection. Herbs can help in this regard as many of them act as natural tranquilizers. One should not take stress, take plenty of liquids and give the mind and body enough rest during the days when he suffers from infection.

>>> Throat infection treatment

Identifying the Throat infection symptoms

Throat infections are the infections or inflammations of tonsils, throat or pharynx. They are also known as throat pain, pharyngitis, strep throat or sore throat. Mostly, children and teenagers catch these infections, but adults, in fact, people from any age group even infants, can get these infections. Throat infections are the most common type of medical condition with over six hundred million cases every year. Most people get throat infections during winter while some get them more than once a year during the transition periods, i.e. when the seasons change.

Throat infections have been divided into two types: viral throat infection and bacterial throat infection. Some of the symptoms associated with both types of infections are somewhat the same. Most of the signs these infections show in children are the same in adults. The common signs are pain and discomfort in throat, difficulty in swallowing, coughing and sneezing.

Viral throat infection symptoms are less severe than bacterial infections. These symptoms are: congestion, dryness of throat, sinus pain, difficulty in speaking and the voice becomes deeper. While bacterial throat infection symptoms include slight fever, headache, body pain, swollen lymph nodes of the neck, fatigue, inflamed and painful throat and tonsils.

Bacterial throat infection symptoms are more painful and severe than viral infections. The symptoms also include white and very painful spots on tonsils. These spots produce bad breath and the person experiences bad taste.  In the upper portion of the mouth, near the throat dark red spots appear that cause so much pain and discomfort.

In infants bacterial throat infection is not very common. Mostly, infants get viral throat infections because of the same viruses that cause infections in adults, i.e. the influenza and cold viruses. Infants when infected with viral or bacterial infections become petulant and cry more often. They get swelling in the throat and lymph nodes of the neck. They suffer from low-grade fever too. The most prominent throat infection symptoms in babies are: loss of appetite and rejection of breast and bottle milk.

These infections can last from three to seven days. A bacterial infection being severe needs special attention and should be cured by proper medication. If not treated, a bacterial infection may lead to very serious medical complications. On the other hand, a viral infection does not cause so many problems and fade away within a few days.

Natural remedies help a lot to reduce the throat infection symptoms and make the recovery faster and easier. Different types of herbs are used for the treatment of throat infections like passion flower, honeysuckle flower, sage herb, marshmallow roots, echinacea, licorice roots, slippery elm and agrimony, etc. Honey, black pepper, cayenne pepper and cinnamon, etc. are also used as home remedies for throat infections. It is advisable for adults to use these natural remedies, but for infants use of these remedies should be avoided. For example, honey is excellent to be used for adults, but in children less than one year of age-it can cause botulism in their intestinal tract. Some of the herbs like marshmallow root are also harmful for pregnant and nursing mothers too.

>>> Throat infection cure

Home  Privacy Policy  Disclaimer  Contact Us  Articles