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La Scena Musicale - Vol. 3, No. 4

The Throat Doctor: Treating the Common Cold

by Françoise P. Chagnon / December 1, 1997

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The Throat Doctor: Treating the Common Cold

by Françoise P. Chagnon

Many home remedies can help alleviate the stuffy noses and scratchy throats of the cold season. In the pre-antibiotic era, doctors prescribed throat gargles (1/2 teaspoon each of table salt, baking soda, honey or corn syrup in 8 ounces of warm water) to soothe sore throats and promote mucus production. Lemon juice may be substituted for the salt and baking soda. Gargling works by warming and mechanically cleansing the throat and tonsils. For the dry, irritated nose pharmacists can prepare the "A-G-S" solution: a mixture of 3% alcohol, 6% glycerin, and salt in distilled water. Lie supine on your bed with your head back and put half a dropperful of the solution in each nostril every four hours. Don't use oily nasal drops, since they interfere with normal mucus clearing.

Several throat sprays and lozenges soothe and anesthetize inflamed throat tissue. Avoid using them prior to singing, however, since altered biosensory feedback from the throat during singing can lead to vocal damage, particularly in the novice singer. European products like "Vocalzone" are also popular with singers. Other measures to help cure respiratory ailments: drink at least one litre of water per day, keep humidity above 40%, and get physical and emotional rest. Since mild body temperature elevation may inhibit viral replication, saunas, hot baths, showers, and steam inhalers may help. Some reports suggest that zinc, vitamin C and echinacea may also be therapeutic.

François P. Chagnon is the Director of the Voice Lab at the Montreal General Hospital


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