Most people contract throat infections whenever there is a change in weather. Cold, cough, irritation of the throat and flu are all included under this category. The membrane of the throat tends to get swollen and as a consequence the throat turns become red. The swelling spreads to the nose membrane causing a cold and leads to sneezing and a runny nose. The condition generally runs out of steam in three to four days, but some people tend to suffer longer. Even though it is considered to be a small irritant but can make the sufferer’s life very uneasy.

Yoga asana, Sinhasan is helpful for this situation. People who practice Sinhasan are never afflicted by throat ailments. It can be performed either in sitting or standing position. Sit down with your knees bent, keep both hands on the knees and keep the arms straight. Bend your body slightly forward from the waist keeping your backbone straight. Take a few deep breaths and then exhale completely. Pull the stomach in, open the mouth as much as possible, stick the tongue out opening the eyes to the maximum and look straight.  This asana should be performed in the morning on an empty stomach. This asana is beneficial for tonsils and falling of uvula, also.

Patients suffering form the throat afflictions can benefit from gargles. Take a glass of lukewarm water add a pinch of salt to it and gargle a few times with the water.  Hot and cold fomentations also help in reducing the affliction. Take a cotton cloth and soak it in hot water, squeeze out the water and wrap the cloth around your neck. Repeat two to three times. Soak another cotton cloth in cold water and repeat the process with the cloth. The maximum benefit of this method is obtained when done before retiring for the night.

Eating raw carrots is also helpful. If you eat a raw carrot everyday, it will help you to avoid getting a sore throat ever and is due to the carrot being rich in Vitamin A. Cooked greens such as spinach, pig weed; fenugreek leaves and amaranth are also beneficial.

Some common home remedies for throat infections are having hot ‘jalebi’ or ‘gulab jamun’ with milk before retiring for night is of great aid. Tea and buttered toasts are also useful. Only precaution that needs to be taken is to avoid drinking water after consuming any of these. Tea made by boiling with basil leaves is also valuable.

Betel-leaf and its juice are also of great help. Take two spoons of warm betel-leaf juice mixed with 1 tsp of honey for relief from throat irritations. Betel-leaf with lime is also useful in such a condition.