Advice On Stuffy Nose And Sore Throat: Why Don?t Any Medicines Seem To Work When I Get A Stuffy Nose And Sore Throat?

Medication is a very specific type of treatment and would generally cure most ailments. However, when a certain medication is taken to frequently, the body tends to create an immunity against the drug and not respond as it did previously. For example, if a person were to have a high intake of aspirin, after a considerable amount of usage of the pills, the body will cease to react as conventionally as it did previously. Another theory could be that the sore throat and stuffy nose are actually symptoms of another underlying disease. In this case treating the stuffy nose and sore throat would be pointless as the actual illness will continue to create the symptoms until it has been alleviated. Most commonly a person develops these two symptoms at the onset of a common cold or flu. The common cold produces a nasal congestion, a scratchy throat as well as sneezing at times. Alternatively the sore throat and stuffy nose could also be allergies affecting a person depending on locations of most susceptibility. To elaborate, if you face the issue early in the morning and it clears up during the day, it could be an allergy to dust mites or dust in your bedroom, while if you experience it more frequently outdoors, it could be an allergy to pollen or grass.

To avoid these conditions, you could stay away from people that have the flu as it is a highly contagious illness. Eat a well balanced diet and get enough rest as this prepares the body to tackle illness with greater ease. To alleviate the blocked nose, you could inhale some steam as this will help loosen any solidified mucous in the nasal passage. You could also add some oils of medicinal benefit to have a greater impact.

Some home remedies that will help dispose of the stuffy nose and sore throat are:

• Cut a lemon into 2 pieces. On one piece apply some salt and black pepper and using a knife make sure that the salt and pepper combination penetrate into the lemon. Warm the lemon by placing it over some heat and lick the lemon slowly while squeezing. Continue this until all the juice has exited the lemon. Follow this routine 2 or 3 times daily.

• garlic helps tremendously in preventing cold and flu. It also has the added advantage of helping with circulation stimulation as well as digestion. Eat a few pods of garlic everyday, but do not exceed 5 pods, as this may lead to heartburn and excessive flatulence.

answered by G M

From a naturopathic physician's standpoint, the reason the medicines are not working is that you are attempting to treat the symptoms and not the cause of your stuffy nose and sore throat.There are many potential causes for a stuffy nose and sore throat.If you are worse in the morning, when you wake up, it may mean you have environmental allergens in your bedroom (animals, dust, dust mites, etc.). If you get worse when you go outside, it may mean you have allergies to pollen, grasses and weeds. You may also have food sensitivities (such as dairy) which clog your sinuses and cause post nasal drip at night-you might then wake up with a sore throat because of your draining sinuses. You may also have an immune weakness which may benefit from a variety of immune supportive therapies.So, part of your solution is to begin asking the right questions and finding a trained health care practitioner to help you do this.You deserve to have a joyful life without a stuffed up nose and sore throat!

answered by Dr K B N

Actually medications do not cure cold symptoms at all, they are merely to help ride it out, they normally take 7-10 days to pass. Many times when you are not feeling any relief at all you are immune to the medicine you are taking and that is why you are not feeling as if you they are not helping.

Here are some cold home remedies for you:

• For dry and stuffy nose, try normal saline or salt water nasal drops made by adding 1/4 teaspoon of table salt to about 4 ml lukewarm water.
• Garlic juice made by adding few drops of garlic oil to a teaspoonful of onion juice and diluting it in a cup of water is helpful for common cold.
• Rub the chest with vicks vapour rub.
• The Indian style - Take a face cloth and soak it in very cold water and squeeze out the water and fold into three layers and put this on the forhead.
• Finely grate an apple and spread it 1/2 inch thick on a piece of double-layered cheesecloth about 6 inches in length. Apply this over the forehead. Make a similar poultice for the throat area or chest if necessary. Leave on for one hour.
• Take half a teaspoon of ginger juice with half a teaspoon of honey, three times a day. In winter, warm the mixture by mixing a teaspoon of warm water in it.
• Mix half a cup of warm water with one teaspoon of lemon juice and one teaspoon of honey.
• Make a cup of linden flower tea, tea with mint leaves and lemon, oregano leaves, lemon and honey and some skinned apple to improve the taste.
• Take equal amounts of cardamom, ginger powder, black pepper and cinnamon (1 teaspoon each). Make a fine powder.
• Wrap yourself warmly when you get out, and with a hot soup such as Hot and Sour, Vegetable Soup or good ol' Chicken Soup

• Increase your liquid intake and make sure your house is humidified properly.
• Gargle with warm salt water (¼ teaspoon salt to ½ cup water) several times a day.
• Drink a glass of hot water with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and some honey. You'll feel better instantly. You can also drink a chamomile tea with lemon and honey added.
• Cut a lemon into 2 pieces. Take one piece and put some salt and black pepper on it, press with a knife so that salt-pepper penetrate into the lemon. Put the lemon on heat to make it warm. Slowly lick this lemon squeezing it until no juice remains. Do it 2-3 times a day.
• Chives and scallions are helpful for a soar throat when simmered in water for 5 minutes. Drink as a tea.
• Figs, beets are beneficial in sore throat.

answered by C