The cold, pollution and the many circulating viruses cause frequent pathologies of the upper respiratory tract of children and young people, putting a strain on mothers and fathers struggling with problems that make managing working days and school attendance challenging. Sore throat in particular is one of the most frequent and annoying ailments, often accompanied by fever, cough and cold; classic symptoms that can characterize the flu and the so-called flu-like syndromes. In fact , the term “sore throat” is used in general terms to indicate two different pathologies, pharyngitis and laryngitis, which are distinguished from each other based on the anatomical part most affected by the inflammation. A treatment based on homeopathic medicines in these cases can prove to be a valid help and a therapeutic choice to be taken into consideration, as an alternative or alongside traditional medicines. Some advantages make homeopathy an advisable solution to give relief to our little patients and to promote a recovery that is as fast and lasting as possible. In fact, homeopathic medicines promote rapid recovery, are practical to take and have no side effects; they are therefore a valid therapeutic choice to alleviate the ailments of children in case of sore throat.
Sore throat: pharyngitis or laryngitis?
When in common jargon we speak of “sore throat” we actually refer to pharyngitis or laryngitis, very common diseases during the winter season and in the transition from winter to spring. They are due to inflammation which in the case of pharyngitis, affects the pharynx and palatine tonsils , in the case of laryngitis, affects the larynx and vocal cords .
As regards the symptoms , widespread pain generally appears in the case of pharyngitis , especially when swallowing, often accompanied by fever and swelling of the cervical lymph nodes. Laryngitis, on the other hand , is characterized by the presence of symptoms such as dry or barking cough and hoarseness , which indicates fatigue and inflammation of the vocal cords.
In most cases, pharyngitis and laryngitis have a viral origin, so the use of antibiotic therapy is not necessary. It must be remembered that in some cases the infection may however be of bacterial origin, so in doubtful cases it will be the pediatrician who will suggest the execution of a throat swab to check for the presence of a group A beta-haemolytic streptococcus. If the throat swab is positive, antibiotic therapy will be prescribed to prevent the onset of possible local or rheumatic complications.
Once the bacterial nature of the infection has been excluded, the use of homeopathic medicines can constitute a valid and advisable therapeutic choice.
These products have some significant advantages that make them particularly suitable for very young children: thanks to the high dilutions, they are characterized by the almost total absence of toxicity and are free from risk of possible side effects and harmful interactions with other drugs.
Which homeopathic medicines to use
In case of pharyngitis:
- Belladonna 9 CH , in case of burning and widespread pain in the throat (5 granules 3 times a day).
- Phytolacca decandra 7 CH , in case of red and painful tonsils (5 granules 3 times a day).
- Mercurius solubilis 30 CH , if the sore throat is accompanied by fever, chills and enlarged tonsils with white follicles (5 granules 3 times a day).
In the case of laryngitis, and always in general terms, the therapy provides in addition to the humidification of the environment in which the child is staying and the execution of fumigations:
- Aconitum napellus 7 CH , useful for the onset of the first symptoms (5 granules 4 times a day).
- Arum triphyllum 7 CH , if the throat is dry, burns and is very red (5 granules 4 times a day).
