Main causes of sore throat

A person suffering from sore throat

Let me tell you from my personal experience, a sore throat is one of the most annoying things you can suffer from, but it's not a sign of anything serious.

Drinking plenty of fluids can help, especially if it's a dry throat, but you won't be able to use throat sweets or swigs of hot toddy to soothe it.

Some people may find that their sore throats are caused by allergies, while others can suffer from bad breath.

Sometimes, there isn't anything you can do for your sore throat.

Sometimes a sore throat just seems to linger for no apparent reason, and that's okay.

Sore throats caused by cold weather

The symptoms of a sore throat in cold weather depend on what time of year it is. If the weather is changing seasonally, the sore throat may be caused by something known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD means that your body has less serotonin in it, causing you to feel more stressed. This stress can cause more inflammation in the body, causing a sore throat to flare up.

The other causes of sore throats are flu and strep throat.

Flu season

Many people come down with flu during flu season. In general, it's a sign that you have a severe, ongoing sickness.

You can see a doctor right away if your doctor suspects that you may have influenza, which can cause a sore throat. You'll need a prescription from your doctor to buy Tamiflu. Tamiflu is a medicine that slows the spread of the flu and can decrease symptoms from around three days to about two days.

If your doctor decides that you're not feeling better in three to five days and is a high-risk case, he'll need to test you for the flu virus to make sure you have the flu.

Strep throat season

If you're out of the house has on a winter's day and catch a cold, your throat will likely feel scratchy. Often, the cause is strep throat.

Strep throat is a bacterial infection that causes swelling of the throat and tonsils, so it feels like you have a large swollen pea in your throat.

As with flu, if your doctor suspects that you have strep throat, he'll take a swab to confirm. If you are diagnosed with strep throat, you'll usually take an antibiotic to prevent future strep throat infections.

If you have a sore throat with fever and chills, visit your doctor for strep throat.