THE THROAT

Soreness, dryness, coughing-throat stuff can be the worst. Here's how to tell when something's up in there and feel better fast.

- KEVIN DUPZYK

WHAT HAPPENS IN THERE, ANYWAY?

THE THROAT-TECHNICALLY the pharynx-is the piping that starts behind your nose and runs behind your mouth, down to where your esophagus and trachea split. It moves food to your stomach and transports clean air to your lungs. The throat "absorbs a lot of damage" that would otherwise hurt your lungs, says Phillip C. Song, M.D., the director of the division of laryngology at Mass Eye and Ear. Plus, it sits at the top of the esophagus, which leads to the cauldron of acid that is your stomach. No wonder it gets sore so often.

WHY YOUR THROAT GETS SORE

YOUR THROAT IS coated with a layer of mucus, explains Douglas J. Van Daele, M.D., at the University of Iowa's Carver College of Medicine. When it dries out or thickens, or its composition changes, a sore throat happens. OTCS can handle a lot, but see a doc if you have a fever, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or soreness lasting a couple weeks.

1. VIRAL INFECTION

UP TO FOUR IN FIVE sore throats are caused by viruses, like those behind colds, Covid, and the flu, which screw with mucus production.

HOW YOU'LL KNOW: The sore throat comes with other symptoms you'd expect from those viruses.

TREATMENT: Hydrate, take your preferred OTC meds, and wait out the virus. (And prevent the next one with up-to-date vaxes.) If you're really run down, test for the flu or Covid to see if you need meds. And by the way, strep throat is an infection, too, but it's a bacterial one. It'll require antibiotics.

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