question: how does gargling salt water relieve a sore throat?
comment: A sore throat is generally the result of inflammation. There are numerous causes. Anti-inflammatory medication is usually a best bet, but if u are avoiding medication for whatever reason, gargling several times a day with warm saltwater can reduce swelling in the throat and loosen mucus, helping to flush out irritants or bacteria.
passages: Normal saline is least irritating to the colon, at the opposite end of the spectrum. Like plain water, it simply functions mechanically to expand the colon, but having a neutral concentration gradient, it neither draws electrolytes from the body, as happens with plain water, nor draws water into the colon, as occurs with phosphates. Thus, a salt water solution can be used when a longer period of retention is desired, such as to soften an impaction.
  
  However, liquid handsoaps and detergents should not be used.
  
  Section::::Medical usage.:Bowel cleansing.:Acute treatments.:Large volume enemas.:Other solutions.
   De Cordi et al. studied thirty patients with lesions of the mouth and oropharynx (caused by various diseases). 83% of patients reported a reduction in pain, 13% remained the same and 3% showed initial improvement but then got worse. 83% showed a distinct improvement in functionality in the ability to take food, 7% remained the same, and 7% got worse, while 3% reported considerable improvement followed by slight worsening. 57% of patients reported an improvement in the grade of oral mucositis, 40% remained the same while 3% got worse.
   Ambroxol also provides pain relief in acute sore throat. Pain in sore throat is the hallmark of acute pharyngitis. Sore throat is usually caused by a viral infection. The infection is self limited and the patient recovers normally after a few days. What is most bothering for the patient is the continuous pain in the throat maximized when the patient is swallowing. The main goal of treatment is thus to reduce pain. The main property of ambroxol for treating sore throat is the local anaesthetic effect, described first in the late 1970s, but explained and confirmed in more recent work.
   BULLET::::- Antibiotics are useful if a bacterial infection is the cause of the sore throat. For viral infections, antibiotics have no effect. In the United States, they are used in 25% of people before a bacterial infection has been detected.
  
  BULLET::::- Oral analgesic solutions, the active ingredient is usually phenol, but also less commonly benzocaine, cetylpyridinium chloride, and/or menthol. Chloraseptic and Cepacol are two examples of brands of these kinds of analgesics.
  
  Section::::Management.:Alternative.
   NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, can be used to help with the pain. Numbing medication, such as topical lidocaine, may also help. Strep throat is typically treated with antibiotics, such as either penicillin or amoxicillin. If steroids are useful in acute pharyngitis, other than possibly in severe cases, is unclear.
   Home care may involve regular use of hot salt water mouthwashes/mouth baths. A randomized clinical trial found green tea mouth rinse effective in controlling pain and trismus in acute cases of pericoronitis.
  
  Following treatment, if there are systemic signs and symptoms, such as facial or neck swelling, cervical lymphadenitis, fever or malaise, a course of oral antibiotics is often prescribed. Common antibiotics used are from the β-lactam antibiotic group, clindamycin and metronidazole.
   More simply still, gargling with warm, salty water may help alleviate the discomfort of tonsillitis, which often accompanies tonsil stones. Vigorous gargling each morning can also keep the tonsil crypts clear of all but the most persistent tonsilloliths.
  
  Section::::Treatment.:Curettage.
  
  Larger tonsil stones may require removal by curettage (scooping) or otherwise, although thorough irrigation will still be required afterwards to effectively wash out smaller pieces. Larger lesions may require local excision, although these treatments may not completely help the bad breath issues that are often associated with this condition.
  
  Section::::Treatment.:Laser.
   Advice stated in the press release from Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control recommended people prevent fresh water from entering the nostrils and avoid putting their heads down into fresh water or stirring mud in the water with feet. When starting to suffer from fever, headache, nausea, or vomiting subsequent to any kind of exposure to fresh water, even in the belief that no fresh water has traveled through the nostrils, people with such conditions should be carried to hospital quickly and make sure doctors are well-informed about the history of exposure to fresh water.
  
  Section::::Treatment.
   Saline is also often used for nasal washes to relieve some of the symptoms of the common cold. The solution exerts a softening and loosening influence on the mucus to make it easier to wash out and clear the nasal passages for both babies and adults. In this case "home-made" saline may be used: this is made by dissolving approximately half a teaspoon of table salt into 240ml (approx. 8 ounces) of clean tap water. In very rare instances, amoeba "Naegleria fowleri" infection can occur if amoeba enters the body through the nose, therefore water used for nasal irrigation should be sterile. Note that clean tap water is not necessarily a sterile liquid.
   A 2007 study was published that tested the effectiveness of Dead Sea mouthwash and moisturizing cream on cancer patients who were experiencing dermatitis and mucositis while receiving a mixture of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The study showed that the patients receiving the Dead Sea products saw an improvement in their condition, although further randomized studies were warranted.
  
  Rhinosinusitis patients receiving Dead Sea saline nasal irrigation exhibited significantly better symptom relief compared to standard hypertonic saline spray.
  
  Section::::Mud pack therapy.
   Around 1747, Russell went to Brighton to exploit his theories on the medical properties of seawater. In 1750, he published a Latin dissertation "De Tabe Glandulari", in which he recommended the use of seawater for the cure of enlarged lymphatic glands. This was translated into English in 1752 as "Glandular Diseases, or a Dissertation on the Use of Sea Water in the Affections of the Glands" by W. Owen in London, and in 1769 it reached a sixth edition. It was the first book to make a connection between drinking and bathing in seawater and improvements in health.
   BULLET::::- Pain medication, such as NSAIDs and acetaminophen (paracetamol), can help reduce the pain associated with a sore throat. Aspirin may be used in adults, but is not recommended in children due to the risk of Reye syndrome.
  
  BULLET::::- Steroids (such as dexamethasone) may be useful for severe pharyngitis. Their general use, however, is poorly supported.
  
  BULLET::::- Viscous lidocaine relieves pain by numbing the mucous membranes.
   In "The Bulletin" (9 Dowry Square, Hot Wells, May 29, 1845) by the Reverend Richard Harris Barham, a medically inspired poem to relieve the anxiety of a very dear friend, and written a month before Barham's death on June 17, 1845, the attending doctor to his patient advises amongst other treatments for a sore throat that is producing barely a sound: "... Please put out your tongue again! / Now the blister! / Ay, the blister! / Let your son, or else his sister, / Warm it well, then clap it here, sir, / All across from ear to ear, sir; / That suffices, / When it rises, / Snip it, sir, and then your throat on / Rub a little oil of Croton: / Never mind a little pain! / Please put out your tongue again! ..." The patient was Barham, who had accidentally swallowed a piece of pear core that got into his windpipe on October 28, 1844. Despite the "professional" advice and the very painful and "highest quality" treatments of the time being given freely to him by Doctors Roberts and Scott, and the eminent surgeon Mr. Coulson, for "violent vomiting", "inflamed throat", and then catching "a cold" in April 1845, Barham died.
   Pain medication such as NSAIDs and paracetamol (acetaminophen) helps in the management of pain associated with strep throat. Viscous lidocaine may also be useful. While steroids may help with the pain, they are not routinely recommended. Aspirin may be used in adults but is not recommended in children due to the risk of Reye syndrome.
  
  Section::::Treatment.:Antibiotics.
   A 2005 study found that gargling three times a day with simple water or with a Povidone-iodine solution was effective in preventing upper respiratory infection and decreasing the severity of symptoms if contracted. Other sources attribute the benefit to a simple placebo effect.
  
  Section::::Ingredients.:Sanguinarine.
   Michael Beach, a recreational waterborne illness specialist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stated in remarks to the Associated Press that wearing of nose-clips to prevent insufflation of contaminated water would be effective protection against contracting PAM, noting that "You'd have to have water going way up in your nose to begin with".
   Various stimuli including asthma, allergies, exercise, stress, and irritants such as smoke, dust, fumes, liquids, and food can trigger laryngospasm. It is common in drowning, both as a direct response to inhalation of water, and as a complication during rescue and resuscitation due to aspiration of vomit.
  
  In some individuals laryngospasm can occur spontaneously or as a result of reflux or impaired swallowing. GERD is a common cause of spontaneous laryngospasm. Treating GERD can lessen the frequency of spasms. The onset of spasms may be caused by a viral infection.
   Rhinosinusitis patients receiving Dead Sea saline nasal irrigation exhibited improved symptom relief compared to standard hypertonic saline spray in one study.
  
  Section::::Putative therapies.:Osteoarthritis.
  
  Dead Sea mud pack therapy has been suggested to temporarily relieve pain in patients with osteoarthritis of the knees. According to researchers of the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, treatment with mineral-rich mud compresses can be used to augment conventional medical therapy.
  
  Section::::Fauna and flora.
   There is an old wives tale that having a hot drink can help with common cold and influenza symptoms, including sore throat, but there is only limited evidence to support this idea. If the sore throat is unrelated to a cold and is caused by for example tonsillitis, a cold drink may be helpful.
  
  There are also other medication like lozenges which can help people to cope with a sore throat.
  
  Without active treatment, symptoms usually last two to seven days.
  
  Section::::Epidemiology.
  
  In the United States there are about 2.4 million emergency department visits with throat-related complaints per year.
   When laryngospasm is coincident with a cold or flu, it may be helpful for some sufferers to take acid reflux medication to limit the irritants in the area. If a cough is present, then treat a wet cough; but limit coughing whenever possible, as it is only likely to trigger a spasm. Drink water or tea to keep the area from drying up. Saline drops also help to keep the area moist. Pseudoephederine may also help to clear any mucus that may cause coughing and thereby triggering more spasms.
  
  Section::::Treatment.
   Pain medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and paracetamol (acetaminophen) help in the management of pain. The use of corticosteroids seems to increase the likelihood of resolution and reduce the level of pain. Antibiotics shorten the duration of pain symptoms by an average of about one day.
   Accidentally consuming small quantities of clean seawater is not harmful, especially if the seawater is taken along with a larger quantity of fresh water. However, drinking seawater to maintain hydration is counterproductive; more water must be excreted to eliminate the salt (via urine) than the amount of water obtained from the seawater itself.
   Section::::Rationale.:Pros and cons.
   "Common skin ailments" – for treating skin disorders such as acne and psoriasis which may be relieved by regularly soaking the affected area in water with added Dead Sea salt. The National Psoriasis Foundation recommends Dead Sea and Dead Sea salts as effective treatments for psoriasis. High concentration of magnesium in Dead Sea salt may be helpful in improving skin hydration and reducing inflammation, although Epsom salt is a much-less-expensive salt that also contains high amounts of magnesium and therefore may be equally as useful for this purpose.
   Section::::History.
  
  The earliest systematic exposition of the different kinds of salts, their uses, and methods of extraction was published in Japan around 3700 BCE. Hippocrates encouraged his fellow healers to make use of salt water to heal various ailments by immersing their patients in sea water. The ancient Greeks continued this, and in 1753 English author and physician Charles Russel published "The Uses of Sea Water".
  
  Section::::Effects.
  