How Is Strep Throat Diagnosed
If you have a sore throat accompanied by fever for more than two days, you should visit a doctor. At your doctors visit, you may be asked questions such as:
- How long have you had your symptoms?
- Have you recently been exposed to strep throat?
- Does anything relieve your symptoms?
- Do you have any other medical conditions?
During the appointment, your doctor will likely examine you by taking your temperature, feeling your neck for swollen lymph nodes, and visually inspecting your throat. Based on this examination, your doctor may run one of two tests to check for sore throat:
- A rapid antigen test or rapid strep test may be administered if strep throat is suspected. During this test, your doctor will swab the back of your throat for a sample. The antigen test can detect strep bacteria within a few minutes, but it is an imperfect test. If the test comes back negative, but your doctor suspects strep, he or she may perform a throat culture.
- Throat cultures are done by taking a swab of the back of the throat and then sending it for culture in a laboratory. This test can take up to two days, whereas the rapid antigen test only takes minutes.
Based on the results of the strep test your doctor may write you a prescription for antibiotics. During this appointment, you should ask any questions you may have, including:
Preventing The Spread Of Strep Throat
Natural Remedies For Strep Throat
Honey
Due to its powerful anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, honey is an effective way to treat pain, inflammation, and infection. Since it quickly fights bacteria, it will relieve your strep throat symptoms in an instant.
Vitamin C- Lemon
Vitamin C has powerful antibacterial properties which successfully treat the infection and relieve the pain in your throat. Since lemons are packed with this vitamin, they are a perfect addition to your tea, together with some honey.
Essential Oils
When it comes to treating strep throat, essential oils can be quite useful. To prepare a home remedy for strep throat, you can use grapefruit, lemon, thyme, lemongrass, cinnamon, or lavender essential oil.
Just add a few drops of the oil you choose in some water and heat. Then, do a steam inhalation using the steam from the solution for about 10-15 minutes. You can repeat this treatment multiple times a day.
Apple Cider Vinegar
One of the most effective natural remedies for fighting infections is apple cider vinegar. This type of vinegar has various uses and benefits, and treating strep throat is one of them. Add three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in 8 ounces of warm water, and stir well. Gargle with this solution and youll soon notice positive results.
Cayenne Pepper
As you can see, there are other effective and much safer ways to treat your strep throat besides antibiotics. Using some of them will help you solve your throat problem in a simple and natural way.
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Potential Solutions For Strep Throat How To Treat Strep Throat Naturally
- Apple Cider Vinegar Perhaps the most effective method for strep throat treatment and known to help the body recover from countless conditions, apple cider vinegar really is an amazing liquid that could rid you of throat problems. Adding on to the many benefits of apple cider vinegar, you can help treat strep simply by gargling with the liquid after it has been diluted in a glass of warm water.
The amount of ACV used may vary from person to person, but using 1-3 teaspoons in 8oz of water may be enough. You could always use a different amount, such as 1/4 cup of ACV in 16oz of water. This solution could work in as little as 30 minutes, but dont be worried if it takes a bit longer. If you enjoy or can handle the taste, try mixing it with some water and sipping it throughout the day. Use raw organic apple cider vinegar with the mother for optimal results.
- Vitamin C Although vitamin C is widely known to cure scurvy, the vitamin can be taken to help combat viruses, stress, and promote health overall. Taking 1,000mg of quality vitamin C 3 times daily can produce amazing results, especially when combined with other solutions for treating strep throat.
If you decide to try these home remedies and nothing seems to be working, please do not hesitate to see your doctor for a antibiotic prescription antibiotics are the first line of treatment for strep, and it works.
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Conventional Strep Throat Treatment
The most common strep throat treatment is antibiotics, such as penicillin or amoxicillin. Research suggests that just mentioning a sore throat to a doctor almost guarantees a prescription for antibiotics, even though viral infections cause 85 to 90 percent of sore throats in adults.
Studies show that antibiotics are only somewhat helpful when used for strep throat. They can improve symptoms at 3 to 4 days and cut the length of the illness by about half a day. Antibiotic treatment doesnt seem to affect time off from school or work.
Over-the-counter pain medications, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen are also used to relieve the pain related to strep throat.
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When Does A Doctor Recommend Taking Antibiotics For A Sore Throat
If you have a bad sore throat and your doctor has made a strep throat diagnosis, they may prescribe antibiotics such as penicillin or amoxicillin to help you get well fast. Taking antibiotics can decrease the duration and severity of your symptoms. It can also prevent the bacterial infection from spreading. Antibiotics are also prescribed to prevent serious but rare problems like rheumatic fever.
Who Can Get It
Strep throat is more common among children aged 5 to 15, but can affect people of all ages. Its rare in children under 3 years of age. Adults who are parents of school-aged children or who are often in contact with children are more at risk for strep throat. Youre also at higher risk for strep throat if you have close contact with a person with strep throat as it’s highly contagious.
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Is This Your Childs Symptom
- Your child was diagnosed with a Strep throat infection
- A doctor has told you your child probably has Strep throat or
- Your child has a positive Strep test
- Your child is taking an antibiotic for Strep throat and you have questions
- You are worried that the fever or sore throat is not getting better fast enough
Strep Throat Natural Treatment At Home Without Antibiotics
Strep throat can be both painful and frustrating, making it hard to swallow or eat anything solid or liquid. Although antibiotics are suggested by physicians, but the best strep throat treatment is using natural remedies. It is suggested to avoid using antibiotics as they are only created to reduce the length of the illness by about half a day and the antibiotic-resistant bacteria is becoming a real threat. Hence more and more people across the world want to treat strep throat without antibiotics.
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How Can I Avoid Getting Strep Throat
To steer clear of strep throat and its unpleasant symptoms, follow a couple of simple yet effective practices in your day-to-day life. First and foremost, wash your hands regularly. It doesnt need to be antibacterial soap, says Moore. Regular soap and water can wash away all the potential germs responsible for spreading strep throat. Moore also encourages people to avoid sharing drinks or foods with one another, even among family members.
If you already have strep throat symptoms or have been diagnosed with strep throat, keep in mind that you are typically most contagious when you have a fever. Once you have started taking antibiotics, the general rule of thumb is 24 hours or two doses of antibiotics for most prescriptions before you are no longer contagious, says Moore. As is the case when trying to escape strep throat, handwashing and avoiding close contact with other people are key to be sure you dont spread your strep infection.
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Those Who Dont Take Antibiotics But Use Natural Remedies
We have recorded a lot of cases with strep throat do not use antibiotics, but natural remedies for combating it. Thats why, if you ask how long does strep throat last without antibiotics?, we will mention the length of time it will take for strep throat to fade away when using natural remedies, not to use antibiotics.
Doctors also confirmed that antibiotics could be one of the best ways to enable the symptoms of strep throat to disappear quicker than others. Nevertheless, due to its particular downside or doubts about whether it has negative impacts on the long-term health or not, natural methods or thought of letting it go away on its own are more preferred .
Lets get back to the main point. You have to make sure that you are not in trouble with any health issues. In that situation, natural remedies could work best for your strep throat.
For those who prefer this treatment without antibiotics, the patients will completely recover within 48 hours. It is true when you get no other serious health problems like fever, to be more specific.
What Are The Risks Of Taking Antibiotics For Sore Throat
Antibiotics may cause side effects, such as diarrhea, vomiting, and skin rashes.
Besides side effects, there are other good reasons not to use antibiotics unless you really need them.
- Antibiotics cost money.
- You will probably have to see the doctor to get a prescription. This costs you time.
- If you take antibiotics when you donât need them, they may not work when you do need them. Each time you take antibiotics, you are more likely to carry some bacteria that were not killed by the medicine. Over time, these bacteria get tougher and can cause longer and more serious infections. To treat them, you may need different, stronger, and more costly antibiotics.
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Key Points To Remember
- People often think antibiotics will cure their sore throat. But most sore throats are caused by a virus, such as a cold. Antibiotics won’t work for sore throats caused by a virus.
- Most of the time, sore throats go away on their own. It may take a few days or up to a week, depending on the cause.
- To relieve the pain from a sore throat, you can take over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin or ibuprofen, or you can try lozenges or nasal sprays. Drink lots of fluids and get plenty of rest.
- Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to shorten the time you are able to spread strep throatwhich is caused by bacteriato others. Antibiotics will help prevent a serious but rare problem called rheumatic fever.
- Taking antibiotics too often or when you don’t need them can be harmful and costly. And the medicine may not work the next time you take it when you really do need it. This is called antibiotic resistance.
How Well Do Antibiotics Work To Treat A Sore Throat
Antibiotics don’t work at all for a sore throat caused by a virus. These kinds of sore throats usually go away on their own in 4 to 5 days.
If you have strep throatwhich is caused by bacteriayour doctor may prescribe an antibiotic, such as penicillin. But strep throat goes away on its own in 3 to 7 days with or without antibiotics.
Antibiotics may not make you well faster. But they may shorten the time you are able to spread strep throat to others by a day or so.
Antibiotics may also lower the risk of a bacterial infection spreading to other parts of your body, such as your ears and sinuses. They can also prevent serious but rare problems such as rheumatic fever in children.
Antibiotics may cause side effects, such as diarrhea, vomiting, and skin rashes.
Besides side effects, there are other good reasons not to use antibiotics unless you really need them.
- Antibiotics cost money.
- You will probably have to see the doctor to get a prescription. This costs you time.
- If you take antibiotics when you don’t need them, they may not work when you do need them. Each time you take antibiotics, you are more likely to carry some bacteria that were not killed by the medicine. Over time, these bacteria get tougher and can cause longer and more serious infections. To treat them, you may need different, stronger, and more costly antibiotics.
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Using Home Remedies For Strep Throat: A Daily Journal
10/6 Sunday afternoon felt something in throat. Still sang well at rehearsal.
10/7 Monday morning something became more prominent and I began the research into what I felt was inevitably the strep bacteria attacking my throat.
10/7 Monday early afternoon visit to doctor for regular checkup and asking about an unrelated pulled muscle. He checked my throat and said nothing. It didnt matter if he had, I would have just went through the motions of accepting an antibiotic prescription, but not taking it I had already made up my mind to do something different.
10/7 Monday afternoon found information on The Healthy Home Economist about beating strep with no meds. Followed up with a phone call to David Aaron Katz. Became convinced that I will muscle through it with home remedies. As per Davids suggestion, I started by sucking/chewing on cloves of garlic 5 of them before the day was out!
10/7 Monday evening attempted to sing. Did not go well, highs were very strained.
10/8 Tuesday morning throat uncomfortableness, but quick mirror check didnt seem to reveal anything overly red. Driving son to school is when I looked in rear view mirror and noticed two white spots. Strep confirmed.
10/8 Tuesday later morning started a cycle of garlic chewing with a mixture of raw honey & cayenne pepper every half hour . First two administers I experienced upset stomach, but became very tired and slept most afternoon.
Well its not back!
Where Do You Go Down With Strep Throat
Strep throat is contagious because a person can be easily infected from one another via coughs and sneezing. The most infected places that can make you get this kind of bacterial infection are usually schools, offices, household contacts, military barracks, and daycare centers.
As we cited above, strep throat is common between children and young adults. However, if youre pregnant and preparing to give birth to a newborn, strep throat will be one of your concern about whether it affects your baby or not. Dont hesitate to find the answer in another article CAN NEWBORNS GET STREP THROAT.
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What Are The Most Common Strep Throat Symptoms
The telltale signs of strep throat are you guessed it a very sore throat that is most often paired with a fever. In general, people with strep dont exhibit generic cold symptoms like coughs, runny noses, nasal congestion, or sneezing, says Moore. If you are experiencing these types of symptoms with the absence of a fever, chances are you have a viral infection, and you dont need to be tested for strep.
While throat pain and fever are the most common and notable symptoms of strep throat, other signs of this bacterial infection may include:
- Body aches
- Nausea or vomiting
- Rash
