Swallowing your pride can be pretty painful. But when just plain swallowing hurts, you have a real problem. After all, it's hard to go even 15 seconds without swallowing at least once. And the more you try not to, the more you find yourself doing it. Combine a sore throat with a rasping cough and you know the real meaning of torture.
Sore throats are often the early warning signs of colds or the flu.
But they can exist independently as the result of some other viral or bacterial infection. Sometimes they're just minor irritations caused by winter's low humidity or too much cheering at a football game. Whatever the cause, here's how doctors say to make the most of a sore situation. If your sore throat is caused by a viral infection, antibiotics won't help it. But medicated lozenges containing phenol may do some good.