Normally at the first sign of a cold or sore throat, we are off to the “doc in the box” for some anti-biotic” prescription.
However, did you know that you can treat common cold symtoms including sore throat with vitamin therapy. In particular, large doses of vitamin C.
In this recent article from the Orthomolecular.org, they give precise recommendations on how to avoid prescriptions and treat yourself with a safe simple vitamin solution:
“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, March 21, 2018SORE THROAT
Effective treatment means more vitamins, fewer drugsby Ralph Campbell, MD
(OMNS Mar 21 2018) Sore throat is a very common ailment with a wide range of severity. Let’s start with the worst first. When we say Strep infection, we usually are speaking of an infection caused by the group A beta hemolytic strain of streptococci or streptococcus pyogenes. Pharyngotonsillitis, or just plain tonsillitis, is usually referred to as being a group A or (GABH) strep infection. This infection typically causes striking signs and symptoms. A young child doesn’t have to tell you they have a sore throat; a parent can see (or sometimes even smell) why. A victim usually is sick: either listless or irritable, has a substantial fever, has swollen, tender lymph nodes in the neck and white streaking (a form of pus) on the tonsils. Often with this infection, the entire ring of lymphoid tissues, from the tonsils to the bumps on the base of the tongue, with the adenoid in between, is inflamed and swollen, as are the local lymph nodes on the outside. This can lead to the spoken voice sounding as if the mouth is full of marbles with a lack of resonance – similar to the effect of stuffing a violin with Kleenex.
The most frequent problems from streptococcus bacteria, if not treated, are purulent (pus producing) complications: Otitis media, sinusitis, peritonsillar abscesses and cervical adenitis. Sequelae include rheumatic fever glomerulonephritis and scarlet fever, with its “sandpaper-like” rash, which may occur independent of a throat infection but should be treated the same way. This is also true with impetigo (a skin infection with itching and scabbing over). Children under 3 are not very susceptible to this type of infection, and adults are less susceptible than school-aged children. The streptococcus bacterium can’t invade intact skin, but chicken pox can pave the way. Other, more severe, infections can result indicating, again, the need to treat those in the susceptible age group. There are several “quick” tests and the old reliable one of swabbing the tonsils and inoculating a blood-agar culture plate. Since a tonsil swab must contain purulent material from the tonsils in order to catch the infection, the test is difficult to perform in young children. So if the child has a sudden onset of fever, pain on swallowing, abdominal discomfort, headache and especially enlarged and tender cervical lymph nodes, he/she might be considered for treatment, forgoing the testing. Even when a child is fortunate enough to have a very mild infection, if it lasts for two or three days he should be checked, because of rare but very serious complications of an untreated Strep A infection.
Rheumatic fever
There may be a slight genetic predisposition to rheumatic fever (RF), but a sub-par immune system is more of a factor in susceptibility. The group A strep bacterium can confuse the immune system by causing some or all of the immune system’s antibodies to attack normal tissues, which some call molecular mimicry and others, auto-immune disease. In the case of RF, it can attack heart valves or heart muscle itself, joints, or even the brain. The signs and symptoms of RF arrive 2-4 weeks after infection.
The most dramatic secondary problem is when arthritis develops. A joint can be so severely affected that it is swollen, hot to the touch and so painful that just the weight of a light blanket is nearly unbearable. The problem can move from one joint to another. Heart valves, or the heart muscle itself, may be hit, producing effects that might be detected fairly soon after RF begins, with the aid of tests such as an EKG (electrocardiogram) or an ECHO cardiogram. Strange symptoms of the nervous system, labeled as Sydenham’s chorea (formerly known as St. Vitus’ dance) can include uncontrollable jerky movements, facial muscle twitching, bursts of crying or inappropriate laughing, difficulty concentrating, or not being able to perform the mechanical part of writing.
We also must remember that this same nasty strep bacterium can cause glomerulonephritis, a very serious kidney disease that can eventually lead to kidney failure. Like RF, it is an autoimmune disease that develops a few weeks after a Group A strep infection in either the throat or from impetigo. One more incentive to nip the infection in the bud.
Testing and treatment for Strep infections
Anytime Strep A infection is identified in this susceptible age group, it should be treated with an appropriate antibiotic. Amazingly, in spite of the development of antibiotic superbugs, penicillin, in one form or the other, is still the drug of choice. When penicillin first came on the scene, incidence of RF dropped dramatically, and has remained so with incidence figures in the U.S. and other developed countries currently as low as 2/100,000. Prevalence in school-age children probably is due to confining them in close quarters, similar to the problem in military bases in which diseases like meningitis spread rapidly. A recent surge in strep infections and associated complications is believed to be due to more people being medically underserved in poorer communities. A group A strep infection is normally first confirmed either with a blood test or by swabbing an infected tonsil and inoculating a blood-agar plate with the swab. Since it is difficult to get a swab replete with exudate from the tonsils of a very young child, the doctor might very well abandon the swab test for the blood test. Having a test for confirmation is most desirable, but if a test is “iffy,” the doctor might go on clinical experience when there are clear signs and symptoms of strep disease. If the patient is allergic to penicillin, then another effective antibiotic is chosen.
For acute arthritis, aspirin for many decades has proven effective for reducing the inflammation and associated pain. With the later development of other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen (Alleve), aspirin has generally been replaced. If these drugs do not provide sufficient relief, a corticosteroid might be prescribed, but this treatment has been given mixed reviews in which some feel it doesn’t do much more than the simpler treatment and is fraught with more severe side effects. Long term use of NSAIDs can cause kidney damage that must be considered when they are prescribed.
Other sore throats
The virus that causes the common cold and many other viruses bring about much milder involvement of lymphoid tissue than Strep A infections. Tonsils and that bumpy area of lymphoid tissue at the base of the tongue are often involved. One can detect that the tissue at the base of the tongue is involved when there is a feeling that food particles are stuck there and need to be brushed off. Lymph nodes other than those next to the “Adam’s apple” may be palpable, such as posterior cervical (a string of them on the back of the big neck muscle) and, with an infant with roseola infantum, nodes in the back of the neck where the neck muscle joins the skull (the occipital ridge). Having swollen nodes in strange places often indicates a viral infection. Many virus infections cause post-nasal drip that results in the throat needing frequent clearing – an annoyance but hardly worthy of the word “sore.””
We all want to avoid side effects from drugs and unfortunately the only way to guarantee that you or your loved one doesn’t experience side effects is to opt for the natural approach.
In the rest of the article, you can find the specific vitamin therapy using high dose vitamin C as the main vitamin treatment the next time you feel a cold, flu or sore throat symptoms. Mega dose vitamin C is has no known toxic effects, so there is very little harm in trying this approach. Get the regimen and details at the link below:
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