I'll be traveling in a week and I have a terrible sore throat (pre cursor to cold for me sometimes)..any remedies out there to get rid of a sore throat (other than decongestants) and stuffy nose pre-travel in a couple days please? Thanks so much.

If it's not an allergy. Try Echinacea drops in water or juice. Three days in a row then once a week to pick up your immune system. If you are nervous about a trip (don't know if that's the case) your immune system will slow down. Get plenty of rest if at all possible and don't stress. Drink massive amounts of water if you can, medically and take or chew Vitamin C tabs...I take 2000 mg of Vitamin C (I chew them)...what you don't need of it is excreted through urine. Good luck and feel better.

Hi Lisa-I have always used tea,lemon and honey,the honey coats the throat. Last week I heard Barbara Walters (on her show The View),say that the day before she had terible larynxgitis and she was advised to Make a tea by boiling a whole onion,then adding honey!
She made the onion tea on TV and said it was fantastic.
There you go-try it,it may help!

A professional singer of my acquaintance swears by an herbal teas called "Throat Kote" (I'm not certain of the spelling but believe the second word is spelled with a "k"). Large natural food stores and some grocery stores will carry it. I tried it when recovering from laryngitis and found it remarkably effective. I have also found Lemon Zinger tea with honey to work almost as well.

I will never let a sore throat get in my way. Try all the potential solutions you want, then take 2-3 Advil 3-4 times a day and get on with your life. The pain will go away, and eventually the cause will, also.

Perhaps you should get a throat culture PDQ (asssuming you aren't in an HMO or can pay for it out of pocket) to make sure it isn't strep (will take 3 days to culture). If it is, you can reasonably take antibiotics (and go on your trip with them, but keep them in original bottle if you're crossing national borders) -- but don't DON'T take antibiotics "on general principle" because if it isn't a bacterial infection, all the antibiotics will do is upset your stomach and mess with your immune system -- which you don't want while you're traveling.

Otherwise: lots of liquids but keep acidic ones or ones with alcohol to a minimum--they're drying; lots of vit. C (megadosage); no point to decongestant (or antihistamine)unless the sore throat is from a post-nasal drip; rest if/when you can; ibuprofen (advil, motrin) or aspirin or tylenol, depending on what you best tolerate; don't talk at all if you can help it!

Thanks so much to all. will look for throat kote and Lemon Zinger Tea..tried doing the lemon and honey thing..tasted awful of course. LOL I had to gargle, I can't get anything acid in my stomach. Will try to get that culture early tomorrow to r/o strep. Feels VERY dry and burns... I wouldn't let it get in my way in terms of worrying, but I do because with ME, a sore throat is ALWAYS a pre-cursor to a bad cold..that is why I'm concerned. Have been taking two bayer for days now for low back pain (unrelated)...wish me luck...thanks so much again for everyone.

Scared Lisa

Lisa, the tea is called Throat Coat--no k--and is made by Traditional Medicinals. Its active ingredient is slippery elm, and it does have a slightly weird taste that you have to get used to, but it works. I also recommend Cold-Eez lozenges, which come in various flavors and have zinc as an active ingredient. Good luck!

Thank you Caitlin..those Cold Eez also taste like...ugh! LOL Why are things that are good for us taste to bad? lol thanks again. have a great week.

I bought the Throat Coat..thanks so much...will advise

If, as you mention, a sore throat is typically, for you, a precursor for a more serious illness, you should go directly to your physician. Travelling while ill can positively ruin your exursion. Enduring a long flight while "stuffy" is one of life's more distressing experiences. If you want to nip this condition in the bud, make an appointment.

I agree with Richard. I didn't believe it would work but every time in the past two years I've felt a cold coming on, I've taken 20-30 drops of echinacea and not got the cold. Sometimes just one dose has taken care of it. Amazing stuff.

What ever happened to the old remedy of seeking a doctor's advice?

The old remedy of using a doctor's advice doesn't work as much anymore, given all the alternative meds or herbs on the market that give you RAPID relief and cure (echinacea, for one). doctors give you pills and-or tell you you just have to sit it out...I wake up with allergies all the time, i cannot take decongestants due to rapid heartbeat. I am new to herbs, but am looking for a tea that is effective as a decongestant. So far, I've taken 30 drops of Echinacea, two days in a row and I'm better. I have the Throat Coat and will be drinking it, although my throat is better. I WILL take this trip. LOL
thanks............

Howard, chances are the doctor couldn't see Lisa until Dec. 17th and only then because there was a cancellation.

Dedoc, thanks for saying what I was GOING to say....
Let me also say this: if she could even GET an appt for Dec 17, with no insurance, she might only have to pay $4,000,000,000 for him or her to look down her throat...searching for....
and then..he'd give her medication that would cause side effects that would put her in the hospital..soon after, she'd die. Death by medical negligence...yet again.

LOL

Gee, I guess I'm lucky. I have a competent (and successful) doctor whom I trust and who will see me immediately when I'm ailing. And on top of that, he's a nice guy!

P.S.: And if you don't have medical insurance, you should get it instead of spending so much on travel!

A doctor told me to eat yogurt to cure a sore throat. I have never tried it though. Has anyone else heard of this?

A great, and the most natural, way to help a sore throat is to take 8 oz of warm water with 1 teaspoon of salt mixed into it and gargle. Works wonderfully.