Treating a Sore Throat and Runny Nose: Effective Methods and Causes of the Common Cold

Sore throat and runny nose – similar unpleasant symptoms are familiar to everyone since childhood. Most often they are the first manifestations of the common cold. Why do colds usually cause such symptoms and what is the best way to treat a sore throat and runny nose?

Colds belong to the category of acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI, they also include, for example, influenza). Scientists know more than 200 different viruses that cause various SARS. It is because of such a variety of viruses that there is still no single cure for the common cold.

But an antiviral drug with a sufficiently wide spectrum of action has not yet been created. Most likely, the old joke about a cold that goes away in a week without treatment, and in 7 days with treatment, will remain relevant for a long time to come.

The treatment of a cold is primarily aimed at relieving unpleasant symptoms and thereby increasing the comfort of the patient, while the body itself is fighting the virus. A sore throat and a runny nose without fever are signs that are characteristic of a cold (the flu usually begins with a high temperature).

In itself, hypothermia of the body is not capable of causing a cold, but the effect of cold air on the mucous membrane of our nose facilitates the penetration of viruses into the nasopharynx, weakening local defense mechanisms. That is why we often catch colds in the cold season. [1].

The unpleasant symptoms familiar to all of us are mainly caused not by the destructive effects of the viruses themselves, but by the reaction of our immune system.

When it detects the presence of foreign (viral) particles in the nasopharynx, substances (cytokines, bradykinin and prostaglandins) are released there, causing inflammation.

Sore throat and runny nose during colds are associated precisely with the action of bradykinin and prostaglandins – they irritate pain receptors, cause swelling, dilate the vessels of the nose and provoke mucus secretion [2].

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Here are the most effective methods:

• Drops with a vasoconstrictor effect. These drops cause vasoconstriction in the nasal cavity, reducing swelling and reducing mucus secretion. It is highly undesirable to use them for longer than 7 days in a row, as addiction and serious side effects may develop.
• Washing the nose with salt water. Salt water has a disinfecting effect, helps reduce swelling, washes out foreign particles and makes breathing easier. [3].

You can make your own saline solution by mixing half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water. For washing, you can use, for example, a syringe or a syringe without a game. Rinse the nostrils one by one, tilting the head so that the salty water flows out of the other nostril. You can also buy a ready-made solution for washing the nose in a bottle with a special nozzle at the pharmacy.

Salt water rinse. As already mentioned, saline solution helps to reduce swelling, has an antimicrobial effect, thins mucus and clears the throat of potential irritants (bacteria, allergens, etc.) [3]. To properly prepare the rinse solution, mix about half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water (too strong a solution can cause irritation).

You can also add a small amount (a quarter to a half teaspoon) of baking soda. Gargle a sore throat preferably 3-5 times a day for 15-30 seconds at a time. Try not to swallow salt water. By the way, regular gargling with plain water (without salt) is a good prevention of colds. [4].

Herbal remedies. Many medicinal herbs can help with a sore throat – for example, chamomile [5], mint, fenugreek, licorice root, marshmallow. Most of them can be both brewed as a tea and used for rinsing. Please note that even medicinal herbs have some contraindications.

Med. Studies show that two teaspoons of honey a day can help reduce a sore throat during a cold. [6]. Hot tea with honey also helps. Honey is not recommended for children under one year of age due to the risk of complications.

Tablets and lozenges. There are many such drugs for the treatment of sore throat. Most often, they include antimicrobial agents in combination with substances that have a softening effect (menthol, mint, eucalyptus oil, honey, etc.). Some lozenges (but not all) also contain a local anesthetic (most often benzocaine) – it quickly dulls pain [7].

Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. Aspirin, ibuprofen, paracetamol – all of them are able to effectively deal with the symptoms of a cold [8]:

• Aspirin and ibuprofen belong to the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs reduce the production of prostaglandins in the body – substances that cause inflammation.
• Paracetamol differs in that it has almost no anti-inflammatory effect, but it affects the nervous system, giving an additional analgesic effect.

All of these medicines reduce pain (including in the throat) and bring down the high fever. Each of them has its own contraindications and side effects, and all of them (especially paracetamol) are incompatible with alcohol.

1. _{Eccles R. An explanation for the seasonality of acute upper respiratory tract viral infections. Acta Otolaryngol. 2002 Mar;122(2):183-91. doi: 10.1080/00016480252814207. PMID: 11936911.}
2. _{Eccles R. Mechanisms of symptoms of the common cold and influenza. Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2007 Feb;68(2):71-5. doi: 10.12968/hmed.2007.68.2.22824. PMID: 17370703.}
3. _{Ramalingam S, Graham C, Dove J, Morrice L, Sheikh A. A pilot, open labelled, randomised controlled trial of hypertonic saline nasal irrigation and gargling for the common cold. Sci Rep. 2019 Jan 31;9(1):1015. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-37703-3. PMID: 30705369; PMCID: PMC6355924.}
4. _{Satomura K, Kitamura T, Kawamura T, Shimbo T, Watanabe M, Kamei M, Takano Y, Tamakoshi A; Great Cold Investigators-I. Prevention of upper respiratory tract infections by gargling: a randomized trial. Am J Prev Med. 2005 Nov;29(4):302-7. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2005.06.013. PMID: 16242593.}
5. _{Srivastava, J.K., Shankar, E., & Gupta, S. (2010). Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with a bright future (Review). Molecular Medicine Reports, 3, 895-901.}
6. _{Nanda, Manpreet & Mittal, Shiv & Gupta, Vipan. (2017). Role of honey as adjuvant therapy in patients with sore throat. National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy and Pharmacology. 7. 1. 10.5455/njppp.2017.7.1233125122016.}
7. _{Chrubasik S, Beime B, Magora F. Efficacy of a benzocaine lozenge in the treatment of uncomplicated sore throat. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2012 Feb;269(2):571-7. doi: 10.1007/s00405-011-1802-9. Epub 2011 Oct 21. PMID: 22015737.}
8. _{Eccles R. Efficacy and safety of over-the-counter analgesics in the treatment of common cold and flu. J Clin Pharm Ther. 2006 Aug;31(4):309-19. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2710.2006.00754.x. PMID: 16882099.}

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