St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-06-10

Home Health
II Club
7 By DAVID q. FEEDER. Ph. D.. ND
La Porte, Ind.
SQRE THROAT,

some of them very slight and others O.
grave Importance. A common cold i:
tie chief source of most throat trou
bles, and all the causes which result
in catching cold" may result in sore
throat. These troubles usually prevail
in cold and damp weather, when the
chilling of the surface of the body
drives the blood inward upon the in
ternal structures, along with the ex
creta which should naturally be thrown
Off through the skin.
Some persons cannot have their feet
become the least cold or damp with
out getting sore throat. Immediate
ly raw feeling is experienced IN the
throat, and unless the feet are warmed
very quickly case of sore throat will
develop. No matter what is the direct
| character of the disturbance in the
throat, whether it is germ OF some
thing else, it is certain that by taking
! proper precautions and keeping the
| system in good condition sore throat
| may always be avoided.
| Avoid chilling the surface and get
| ting the feet wet; keep the bowels
open, eat nothing that interferes with
the digestion, and take plenty of out
| door exercise, and sore throat will sell
dom occur. While essentially all sore
sore threats are alike, still there are
many varieties known under different
names For convenience these will be
mentioned with their various charac-
teristics.
First, there is a form of sore throat
| that consists of the structures becom-
! ing relaxed tc such an extent that the
| little palate falls low down in the
| throat and touches the root of the ton
que This may be readily seen by
pressing upon the tongue with the fiat
end of spoon. Sometimes the palate
will be away down in the throat, or it
may be found resting upon TIE tongue.
This causes irritation and constant
tickling in the throat. and feeling
as though there was a foreign sub
stance present; miserable little hack
ing cough is usually provoked, and the
voice is often somewhat changed. Usu-
ally these disagreeable symptoms last
but short time, but occasionally they
may continue for a week or more, and
if neglected the irritation may involve
the greater structures, and result seri-
ously. Again, the tickling cough may
continue 50 long that coughing will
prove exhausting.
There is no necessity for falling of
the palate to continue more than a
very short time. The quickest way to
overcome the trouble is to put the feet
in hot water and then place about the
neck cloth Wrung out of cold water
and cover all with dry cloth. This
should be continued until, relief comes,
changing the cold clothes every few
minutes. Some persons advantageous
ly touch the soft palate with powdered
wild cherry bark Or powdered witch
hazel. There is no objection to doing
this. But it does not remove the cause
of the troublet while the other meth
cd, Of cold congresses about the neck,
will act more quickly and completely
cure the difficulty.
Sometimes a sort throat will start in
with chilliness headache, flushed face
and some general fever In the throat
itself there may be feelings of rawness
and soreness, and perhaps actual pain,
swallowing is unpleasant and all the
symptoms grow worse at night The
trouble may extend downward in the
windpipe, and involve the vocal cords,
causing hoarseness and even difficulty
in breathing. In some cases a white
yellow secretion appears in little
patches over the throat and tonsils,
which is by many mistaken for diph-
iberia. But these little patches lie
upon the surface, and are easily re-
moved, in which particular they differ
from diphtheria.
To cure such sore throat, the cold, !
wet congresses above mentioned are
usually sufficient. But if there is a |
general fever following chltiiness, then
the hot blanket rubbing should be en-
ployed, wrapping the whole body in a |
frequently pouring over it additional
hot water, while rubbing the body
thoroughly with it. This should also
be done, when there is hoarseness
and cough accompanying the sore
throat.
1t is far more common to meet tie
chronic sore throat than to meet the
acute forms Such troubles exist in a
variety of degrees and forms, and are
dependent upon variety of causes.
AS in acute sore throat the vocal or
gans are liable to be involved at the
same time, and thus to cause marked
change in the voice and prove a great
In simple cases, the back
Of the throat is somewhat dull-red in
patches, and here and there the little
veins may be seen to be swollen. in
terspersed with pale portions of the
It is usual to find the
throat swollen and the membranes
thickened and rough-looking. Often
they are red and dry, and look drawn
and shining. In some cases there
will be sticky secretion in the throat
which may become yellow or even dry
into crusts. Such secretions show the
of effete materials present
which should have passed Off through
other channels. The sensations ex-
perienced with these chronic throat
difficulties an, very annoying and some
lines continue persistently, usually
growing worse in cold weather. Spit
ing and hawking and coughing are
provoked by an almost constant tick