A Cure For Strep Throat Without Antibiotics

First of all, I'm not against antibiotics.  But I do want to use them as sparingly as possible because when I do take them, I want them to work.  I think everyone should have that mindset.  Super bugs are no laughing matter and the way to prevent them are to use antibiotics in a judicious and wise manner.  When an antibiotic prescription is filled, it needs to be taken until it is finished!

This past week I was in a battle with strep throat.  I know I had it.  We had a student at the school who was so sick--coughing, sneezing and sore throat. He is in a group home and in state custody and although I hate to say it, as such, sometimes isn't as well cared-for as he should be.   So although he should have been recovering at home, they sent him to school contagious.  Also, one of the teachers that I associate with on a daily basis came down with strep throat earlier that week, missing school for 3 days.  

So, you know that knife pain that won't be relieved, no matter how many sore throat lozenges you consume?  That was me. We were also worried that my husband might contract it and that would be horrible, as he is recovering from reconstructive surgery on his face from the bike accident he had two weeks ago. So, not wanting to come down with it, my husband found a really interesting blog post
(find it linked on Motivating Monday) that talked about an actual confirmed case of strep throat and the concoction the patient drank to ultimately prevail over the horrid beast trying to consume her.  All without the use of antibiotics.  

Mind you, this is the first thing I tried.  If it hadn't worked in a day or so, I would have been at the doctor's office standing in line for my prescription of antibiotics.  Strep throat is not something to play around with.  My mother died way too early because as a child she contracted rheumatic fever, a complication of strep throat. It ravaged the valves of her heart.  When it was found that her heart was working at only 40% capacity, she had already been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She died of heart failure.

Here's what I did:
I boiled 4 bags of green tea for 20 minutes (I'm thinking any strong herbal tea would also work), making 2 cups.
Then I Added and mixed in:

• 1 TBSP Honey
• 1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon

I gargled as much as I could stand for as long as I could, getting it as far back of my throat as possible, once every half hour over 5 hours.  I swallowed some, if I could.  I repeated it over the next 2 days. 

Each day I felt a little bit better.  The pain in my throat diminished.  In it's place a cold started to form, with lots of phlegm in my throat.  In addition, I had laryngitis in the mornings to the point I couldn't speak above a whisper.  It has been 8 days now and I feel almost back to normal.  I think this concoction is a definite keeper!