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TwitThisFor occasional heartburn, try a saltwater gargle (1⁄4 teaspoon salt in 1 cup warm water). The briny solution helps rinse away and neutralize acids in the throat, relieving the burning sensation and promoting fast healing of irritated mucous membranes.
If you have chronic heartburn, see a doctor. You may have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a potentially dangerous condition in which highly acidic gastric juices seep upward into the esophagus.
Battle Mouth Bugs
Even the healthiest mouth is home to millions of bacteria. These microscopic bad guys excrete chemicals that spur the growth of dental plaque. That's the sticky coating that rots teeth and irritates gums. For some people, brushing and flossing simply aren't good enough to keep these bugs in check. If that seems to be the case for you, ask your doctor about gargling each day with a 50/50 solution of water and 3% hydrogen peroxide. For even greater germ-killing punch, chlorhexidine mouthwash may be a better option. Both hydrogen peroxide and chlorhexidine are sold over the counter in drugstores.
Gargling Basics
Clobber the Cold Virus
Next time you feel the sniffles coming on, you might try gargling with a dash of Tabasco sauce in water. Hot-sauce aficionados swear it's the quickest way to open up clogged airways. Not hot for hot sauce? Use echinacea, the herbal virus-killer. Add 2 teaspoons tincture of echinacea to 1 cup water and gargle three times daily. In addition to easing throat pain, an echinacea gargle will give your immune system the boost it needs to fight the infection.
Lay Into Laryngitis
There's no substitute for simply giving your voice a rest and boosting your intake of fluids. But you may be able to speed the healing process by gargling with myrrh (a few drops of tincture of myrrh in a cup of water). Highly astringent, myrrh is superb at combating inflammation. It's an antiseptic too. Gargle six times a day -- a bit of an effort, true, but well worth it.
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