The human body is said to house at least 500 species of bacteria. While many of these are helpful and completely necessary for people’s lives, there are still heavy amounts of infectious bacteria that can make you sick if their population becomes too numerous for your immune system to keep under control. Infections of the sinuses and throat are the most common among people, so this article provided by our functional medicine Los Angeles experts will be geared toward sharing information about one of the most contagious bacterial infections, strep throat.
What Is the Cause of Strep
The bacteria responsible for strep is in a family called Streptococcus. As you go through your day, you are likely to touch anywhere from 5 to 15 doorknobs on a constant basis. These sites are hotbeds for the spread of disease because nearly everyone must touch them in order to pass through. Coughing and sneezing can send bacteria several feet to come in contact with something you touch, and studies have shown that the bacteria that causes strep can live on a dry surface for anywhere from 3 days to 3 months. That means that all it takes to possibly catch strep is to come in contact with a surface that a sick person has touched anytime in the last few weeks.
Symptoms
According to our functional medicine Burbank professionals, Strep is most commonly known for infecting children, but adults will often catch it. Once you have caught it, the incubation period is around 3 days and will be distinguishable by its primary symptom, the sore throat. One easy way to tell that it’s not a virus is that viruses usually will cause a nasal drip of some kind, while strep will not. Other symptoms include swollen tonsils, white blotches on the throat, high fever, and loss of appetite. You may also experience rashes on the surface of your skin and nausea. If you experience any of these symptoms, it would be advisable to see a doctor who will swab and test you for the presence of strep. Testing takes a short time, and you can find out within a half hour.
Treatment
The general treatment for strep would be antibiotics, and they normally must be taken for at least ten days until the prescription is finished. After a day or two of taking the medication, you will no longer be contagious and can continue your normal schedule if your symptoms are manageable.
Natural Remedies to Relieve Your Discomfort
When you experience the misfortune of contracting a strep throat infection, the resulting pain and discomfort could have you feeling like you want to lock yourself away for weeks. Even though there are numerous over-the-counter medicines that have been created to help people deal with pain and discomfort of different types, many people would like to avoid taking these types of medications and instead spend time looking for more natural alternatives. Fortunately, the old-world methods are documented, and recent trends have made access to this information more available. Functional Medicine Los Angeles, a provider of functional medicine Studio City, introduces some remedies that can help reduce your discomfort from strep throat in more natural ways.
1. Salt Water
This is one of the oldest remedies around. When you Gargle with salt water, the salt helps to break up the mucus in your throat. It also helps to kill any viral or bacterial agents that are present in the throat. This can help relieve a small amount of pain, as well as help your body to heal more quickly.
2. Baking Soda
If you want to beef up the power of the salt water gargling session, you can add some baking soda to the mixture. The combination of salt water and baking soda can also help to kill various fungi and keep yeasts from getting out of control.
3. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar can help your body fight the infection because of its antimicrobial properties. Gargling with Apple Cider Vinegar can also help to break up the mucus in your throat. Mix a small amount of water, about 2 tablespoons, in a small cup. Apple Cider Vinegar is highly acidic, so you should be sure to drink a lot of water in between gargling sessions.
4. Garlic
This herb is still one of the most powerful antibiotics known to man in food form. Garlic has been used in nearly all cultures and is famous for its ability to fight many different types of infections. You can add it to food, or you can even place a sliced clove into a very hot tea.
5. Licorice Root
Although this remedy should be avoided during pregnancy, this root has been associated with soothing sore throats for quite some time. Licorice root has powerful antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and is an excellent anti-inflammatory. It can be added to a tea very easily by simply steeping it like ginger.
Explore more ways to address your Strep throat infection by reaching out to our functional medicine doctors.