It is known that most of the sore throats are caused by viruses. For most of them there are no treatments to cure the disease, there are just a few medications that can be prescribed to fight against the viruses.

If we deal with bacterial sore throats, there can be prescribed antibiotics. Usually, penicillin is prescribed for bacterial sore throats, and can be given as a single shot (injection) or as a series of pills. It must be remembered that it is necessary to take the pills for 10 days, the treatment must not be interrupted. By interrupting the treatment, there appears the chance that remaining bacteria to develop resistance to the drug, and cause a worse infection.

If someone has symptoms of a sore throat, it is recommended rest, following a healthy diet, drinking a lot of fluids, and restricting heavy exercises. There are a lot of drugs that can be administrated. Usually, it is recommended to take aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen. These medications have effect in reducing pain and fever.

It was seen that in many cases, sore throat can be caused by different factors and not by an infection. It may be due to some environmental conditions, for example people who work around chemicals may develop chronic sore throats, and in these cases it may be necessary to change the work conditions.

Studies revealed that 90 to 95 percent of all sore throats are caused by viruses, and as a result, there can appear an inflammation of the throat and sometimes the tonsils.

Sore throat doesn't usually create great problems, and it can be treated at home. Some things to do are taking aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen to release pain, (children must avoid aspirin because of the risk of Reye's syndrome), resting until the fever is gone, eating soft, nutritious foods, quitting smoking, drinking a lot of fluids excepting fruit juices. There is also recommended gargling with warm tea or warm salt water, using a room humidifier to increase the humidity of the room, and avoiding the use of antiseptic lozenges and sprays.

As an alternative treatment, there are a lot of natural products that can be used to treat sore throat. Aromatherapists suggest that it is good to inhale the fragrances of thyme, eucalyptus, lavender, sage, and sandalwood.

Homeopathic practitioners say that you can treat sore throat with very dilute solutions of Belladonna, Phytolacca, Lachesis, yellow jasmine, or mercury.

Herbalists recommend taking osha root, ginger, or slippery elm, and nutritionists say it is recommended that you take vitamins and minerals such as vitamins A or C and the mineral zinc.

It must be remembered that sore throat is usually not a very serious disease, it rarely causes complications, and it can be treated easily.