Remedy for Recalcitrant Sore Throats

If a sore throat persists even when antibiotics are used,counsel the patient to try this remedy. Instruct him orher to combine 1 teaspoon of diphenhydramine liquidwith 1 teaspoon of a magnesium-aluminum-based liquidantacid and to briefly hold the mixture in the mouth andthroat before swallowing. This regimen may be repeatedup to 4 times a day. In larger children and in adults,this therapy produces minimal sedation and reduces thethroat pain to a tolerable level, especially if it is used inconjunction with pharmacologic doses of acetaminophenor ibuprofen.-- William Ameen, MD
   Greensboro, NC