Nose Problems: Clearing Up Phlegm In The Throat
Constant phlegm in the throat often called post-nasal drip has many possible causes, including pollution, dust, or an anatomical obstruction. The nose produces a quart of mucus daily, and you will notice a change when theres more of it or if its thicker. An increase in mucus production is usually due to an infection or an obstruction, which the body wants to flush out. If mucus is too thick, a medication like Mucinex can make the mucus thinner so that its more easily swallowed.
Could I Have A Sinus Infection And Strep Throat
Did you know that It is possible to have a sinus infection and strep throat at the same time? When your bodys immune system is low, you are more susceptible to illnesses and have a harder time fighting them off. So, what starts as a mild cold can end up a severe sinus infection and strep throat.
A sinus infection occurs when your sinuses become swollen and inflamed. It is common to develop a sinus infection after a cold because a cold can cause sinuses to swell, preventing the discharge of mucus. According to WebMD, When the sinuses become blocked and filled with fluid, bacteria can grow there and cause infection. This infection is sinusitis.
Stomachache, fatigue, and vomiting
A physician can usually determine if you have strep throat in a matter of minutes with a rapid strep test. Once it is confirmed that you have strep throat, he or she will normally prescribe antibiotics. If you have a sinus infection and strep throat, the antibiotics that are prescribed for one illness will usually take care of the other illness as well.
Whether you have strep throat, a sinus infection, a cold, or the flu, FastMed Urgent Care is available to see you every day of the year. With locations throughout North Carolina and Arizona, finding the care you need is simple. Contact your local FastMed today.
Sore Throats And Ear Infections
Infection and inflammation of the throat or tonsils it is one of the most common medical conditions experienced by people. These are generally thought of as cold weather maladies that commonly affect people during winter. In addition, although the winter season is thought of as the cold and flu season, people can suffer sore throats and ear infections at any time throughout the year. A person of any age group can suffer from sore throats and earaches. That being said, children, and older people are most often vulnerable to it due to their susceptibility to viruses like the flu virus, mononucleosis virus, and adenovirus. Common symptoms include discomfort in the throat, including dryness and throat hoarseness. Difficulty in swallowing may also be the result of a swollen throat or another form of viral throat infection.
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Olive Oil For Pain Behind The Ear
You can use olive oil as a natural medicine to soften ear wax and help treat a mild infection of the outer ear. Warm olive oil helps to loosen and dissolve ear wax to naturally unblock your ears.
How to use olive oil for earache:
You can also use food grade 3% hydrogen peroxide to help clear a mild outer ear infection that is causing you pain.
Inattention And Speech Delays
Children with ear infections sometimes appear inattentive at home or school, Grossan says. The fluid blocking the middle ear causes hearing loss, so it seems as though the child isnt paying attention or is simply ignoring teachers and parents. Hearing loss can also interfere with a young childs speech and language development, Caruana says. A typical 2-year-old should speak in two-word phrases and be able to follow a two-step command, according to the Nemours Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to childrens health. A 3-year-old should be able to say three-word sentences and have a vocabulary of 200 words or so. So if your child is not on track, talk to your pediatrician about whether ear infections are interfering with their speech development.
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How Is Scalp Pain Treated
Change your shampoo, rinse your hair more carefully, and brush your hair gently. Ibuprofen or similar over-the-counter medication may help relieve inflammation or headaches that cause sensitivity.
Certain essential oils, such as lavender or rosemary, can help heal sores that may be causing scalp pain. However, applying undiluted essential oil to your scalp may make your symptoms worse. Youll need to dilute it first.
To dilute the oil, mix 4 to 6 drops of essential per each ounce of a carrier oil. Sweet almond oil works well for the hair.
Before applying to your scalp, test the mixture on a small patch of skin, say, on your forearm. Wait 24 hours to determine whether your skin is going to have a reaction. If it doesnt, it should be okay to use the mixture on your head.
Gently massage the mixture into your hair and scalp. Leave it in for 15 to 20 minutes, and then wash it out. You may need to apply a gentle shampoo up to three times and rinse well.
Depending on your symptoms, you may need to seek medical attention. If first-line treatments arent relieving your irritation, your doctor may prescribe stronger medication or special shampoo. If special care is needed, you doctor may refer you to a dermatologist.
How Is Otitis Media With Effusion Treated
If your child is older than 6 months of age and only has mild symptoms, the best treatment is to let the fluid go away on its own. You can give your child an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as acetaminophen, if he or she is uncomfortable. A warm, moist cloth placed over the ear may also help.
Usually the fluid goes away in 2 to 3 months, and hearing returns to normal. Your doctor may want to check your child again at this time to see if fluid is still present.
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Cold Or Warm Compress
You can use a cold compress or a heating pad to help get relief from any type of pain behind the ear or neck pain.
For example, doctors on the website Drugs.com say that a cold or warm compress may help to get rid of pain from an ear infection. You could try alternating between both to help get rid of mastoid bone pain due to an earache.16
How to use heat for ear and neck pain:
How to use ice for pain behind ear and neck:
Foreign Object In Ear
Getting something stuck in your ear that shouldnt be there can cause varying degrees of pain behind the ear. The foreign object could even cause an ear infection to develop which can then cause ear and neck pain.
Dr. Kenneth Buccino on eMedicineHealth says that pieces of food, beads, insects and even an accumulation of earwax can cause discomfort in the ear. Pain in the ear is usually the most common symptom. However, coughing, bleeding, or nausea can also accompany ear pain in the affected ear.12
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What To Do When You Have An Earache And Sore Throat
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An earache and a sore throat can mean a number of thingsbut the combination of both may send you to the doctor.
Because an earache can indicate that you are dealing with strep throat or an ear infection, its important that you take the two seriously.
To help determine if you have strep throat, its imperative that you see a doctor. He or she can also help treat the illness with antibiotics before complications arise.
Heres everything you need to know about an earache accompanied by a sore throat so you can get back on the road to recovery quickly.
When To See Your Doctor
If your symptoms dont clear up in a few days and youve been treating them at home, you need to go see your doctor. There are so many issues that could be causing a sore throat and ear pain its better to get a checkup to make sure youre not having those symptoms because of a much more serious issue.
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A Simple Test Gives Fast Results
Only a rapid strep test or throat culture can determine if group A strep is the cause. A doctor cannot tell if someone has strep throat just by looking at his or her throat.
A rapid strep test involves swabbing the throat and running a test on the swab. The test quickly shows if group A strep is causing the illness. If the test is positive, doctors can prescribe antibiotics. If the test is negative, but a doctor still suspects strep throat, then the doctor can take a throat culture swab. A throat culture takes time to see if group A strep bacteria grow from the swab. While it takes more time, a throat culture sometimes finds infections that the rapid strep test misses. Culture is important to use in children and teens since they can get rheumatic fever from an untreated strep throat infection. For adults, it is usually not necessary to do a throat culture following a negative rapid strep test. Adults are generally not at risk of getting rheumatic fever following a strep throat infection.
Someone with strep throat should start feeling better in just a day or two after starting antibiotics. Call the doctor if you or your child are not feeling better after taking antibiotics for 48 hours.
Ear Pain And High Pressure In The Ears As Symptoms Of Covid
Ear pain or pressure sensation are not included among the symptoms of COVID-19 by either the World Health Organization or the Federal Office of Public Health. Not even doctors routinely check for the presence of ear disorders in the examination of subjects suspected of being infected with Coronavirus. In any case, earache and pressure in the ear are certainly plausible symptoms of Coronavirus disease, although not as common as fever, dry cough or loss of smell and taste.
In general, coronavirus disease has symptoms at least in part similar to those of the flu. The actual flu can lead to disorders such as ear pressure, for example caused by otitis media. However, a link with secondary inflammations caused by COVID-19 is equally conceivable, including inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, pharynx and Eustachian tube, which connects the middle ear to the nasopharynx, with consequent ear problems.
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Why Do I Have Scalp Pain Causes
The causes of scalp pain may range from skin conditions and infections to nerve and blood cells disorders, physical irritation and more. Medical experts, therefore, find the pain or tenderness a health condition that can be much thought-provoking to diagnose.
According to Headacheexpert.co.uk, scalp pain is felt at the surface of the skin covering the skull and tends to be sharp, stabbing or prickly, with a tingling sensation rather than the deep throbbing pain of a headache. Common causes including the following factor or conditions:
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Dangers Of Having Strep Throat Left Untreated
Strep throat will not go away all by itself. If you leave it untreated, you might find yourself dealing with reoccurring strep throat for months on end.
The most common antibiotic for strep throat is amoxicillin. Antibiotics help to decrease how long youre infected, ease the symptoms, and also prevent the bacteria from spreading to others or worsening into something else.
If you fail to treat strep throat, you might end up suffering from:
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How To Know If You Have A Nose Or Throat Infection
Nose and throat infections are other possible causes of ear pain when swallowing.
When germs are picked up by the nose and mouth, it causes the adenoids to grow.
As the adenoids continue to grow, they eventually block the tubes within the ear, resulting in ear pain.
Children are more likely to suffer from ear pain due to a nose or throat infection since adenoids are largest when youre young.
If youre dealing with a nose or throat infection, you may experience a dry, scratchy throat, redness at the back of the mouth, swollen glands, throat pain, a cough and bad breath.
Complications Of Outer Ear Infection
Most outer ear infections clear up quickly with the right treatment. But sometimes an outer ear infection is harder to get rid of, and may continue to cause symptoms for three months or longer. This is called a long-term infection. In time, this can cause your ear canal to become narrowed or blocked, and lead to hearing loss.
Its possible for the infection to spread deeper into your skin or form a large collection of pus . You may need antibiotic tablets to treat this.
Rarely, an outer ear infection can start to affect the skin and cartilage around your ear, and nearby bones. This is called necrotising or malignant otitis externa. It happens when your outer ear infection spreads from your ear to nearby tissues. This can lead to serious infections of your skin, bones, and the membrane surrounding your brain . Most people who develop malignant otitis externa have an underlying problem with their immune system. For instance, they may have a weakened immune system due to HIV/AIDS, diabetes, chemotherapy or taking medicines that suppress the immune system.
If you have malignant otitis, your ear is likely to be very painful. You may also have a high temperature, headache, ear discharge and dizziness. You may notice some loss of movement of the muscles in your face.
If you have these symptoms, its important to seek medical help straight away. Malignant otitis can be life-threatening if it isnt treated.
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When To See A Doctor
You may be able to relieve the pain of a sore throat or sharp ear pain with over-the-counter medications and home remedies but how do you know when you should see a doctor? The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest to seek medical help if the sore throat or earache persists for more than two days. Other conditions to be mindful of include:
- stiff neck
- pus in back of throat
- contact with a strep throat patient
A sore throat and earache are two of the most common symptoms people experience in several disorders and health conditions. If treated early, the pain may be lessened or relieved at home with minimal exposure to Western medications. Several natural remedies have been proven successful for centuries to cure an aching ear and throat.
That said, there are some conditions you will have to seek medical advice for in order to prevent further complications. Be mindful of your symptoms and remember to take plenty of rest for any pain-causing condition.
Pediatrician Located In Argyle Tx
Theres rarely anything worse than seeing your child in pain. Common childhood conditions, like ear infections and strep throat, can cause persistent discomfort and pain, but Carrie Jones, MD, can help. At Argyle Pediatrics in Argyle, Texas, Dr. Jones offers on-site testing and treatment options to clear infections in the ears and throat so your child can feel better. Learn more about treatment options for ear infections and strep throat by calling the office today or using the online booking feature.
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Throat Symptoms: Try These Dry Throat Remedies
Lifestyle choices are often to blame for a dry throat, Jones says too much caffeine or alcohol, not enough water, and smoking cigarettes . Changing these habits may help, as can sucking on sugarless candy. While some factors, including age, cant be changed as we age, our mucous glands dry up others can be soothed. For example, a dry throat could be a sign that youre getting a cold, Jones says, so cold medications may help.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Sore Throat
Whenever a sore throat is severe, lasts longer than the usual five- to ten-day duration of a cold or flu, and is not associated with an avoidable allergy or irritation, you should seek medical attention. The following signs and symptoms should alert you to see your physician:
- Severe and prolonged sore throat
- Difficulty breathing
- Swelling of the face or neck
- Joint pain
- Blood in saliva or phlegm
- Frequently recurring sore throat
- Hoarseness lasting over two weeks
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