Probiotics as Prophylactics to Prevent a Sore Throat From Developing Into a Cold or Flu

As the autumn temperatures drop, sore throats and that achy feeling warn you that if you don't head the viruses off quickly, you're in for a few sick days. Basically, your immune system is warning you of an oncoming cold or flu. What can you do for prevention?

I used to subscribe to various "throat sterilization" tactics to ward off a cold-weather virus. This would involve gargling saltwater, drinking a glass of scotch, or having some variety of hot tea. The success rate varied. I have since learned that alcohol, while pleasant, further weakens my immune system, and gargling saltwater helps a bit when a sore throat gets bad. Spice tea helps, but it doesn't boost my immune system quite enough.

What has been working well these days involves pitting microbe against microbe, or at the very least, giving my immune system a bit of emergency-response training. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. When I feel like I'm catching something, I take a few probiotic prophylactics (keep them in the fridge!), and then wash the capsules down with chai spice tea.

As mentioned in previous posts, probiotic capsules containing billions of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium will temporarily boost the immune system. Ditto for Saccharomyces Boulardii, a friendly yeast that tends to ward off pathogens, then is kind enough not to stick around. Additional supportive microbes can be found in unpasteurized honey, which will soothe a sore throat while inhibiting disease-causing microbes. 

Did you know that the microbes in honey preserve honey by producing, among other things, minute quantities of hydrogen peroxide? Thank you, microbiologist Jason Tetro, for supplying this intriguing fact along with many others in your brilliant book, The Germ Files.

Better living through science! Ciao!