Mention strep throat and even the most natural holistic families will run to antibiotics.  Everyone has heard of rheumatic fever and who would want to mess with that?  But, are antibiotics the only choice?  Are there natural remedies for strep throat that work?  The quick answers are NO and ABSOLUTELY!

Do a quick Google search online for strep throat and you will find lots of information scaring you to death about scarlet fever and rheumatic fever.  On the other end of the spectrum, you have people arguing that strep throat is no big deal, the vast majority of people recover with no treatment and that the connection to rheumatic fever is not even a strong one.  My approach is simple, assume the worst to be true and treat strep throat aggressively…BUT do so NATURALLY!  Said differently, you should absolutely treat strep throat and not just ride it out, HOWEVER, antibiotics should be turned to as a last resort.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  There is a time and place for antibiotics.  If the natural remedies are not working and you see that symptoms are not improving or even getting worse, go see a doctor and give the antibiotics some serious thought!

ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE:   The rapid strep test that is done in the doctor’s office can yield false positive and false negative results.  ALWAYS ask for a lab test to confirm a strep infection.  Also note, some individuals are chronic carriers of strep bacteria in their throats that does not cause illness.  So, if sick with the cold and a strep test is taken, it will come back positive even though the active infection is not from strep.

If you are going to try the natural route, you must follow through diligently. If you don’t, you may not see the results you hope for.  My approach to any natural remedy is to pick 3-5+ natural home remedies and apply them at the same time.  I do not care which one works as long as the results are positive.  And, because I strive for food based home remedies over less “natural” options (like ingesting oils), side effect or even overdosing is not a concern.  Worst case scenario, a little time, money, and effort is wasted, but your body gains vitamins, nutrients, and an immune system boost in the process.

Why are antibiotics a bad choice?  Antibiotics in general should only be used as a last resort.  Any time you take antibiotics you DEVASTATE the natural balance of bacteria in your entire body!  It may take YEARS for the right balance to be restored!  Why should you care?  As a repeat from my last post on personal care, we have more bacteria in our body than we do cells!  And ,the bacteria plays a CRITICAL role!  Gut bacteria is invaluable to digestion and to preventing overgrowth of bad bacteria like candida / yeast.  Our bacteria balance also impacts our immune system, our brain function and every single organ in our body!  Nothing is more important for your health and well being than maintaining the right balance of bacteria….NOTHING!!!  So, do not use antibiotics unless you absolutely have to….BUT….do see a doctor and do consider antibiotics if symptoms are not improving or getting worse!

Strep Throat Protocol 

Strep Home Test

Strep is easy to test for at home and the rapid strep test is an important tool to have at home to both monitor progress of the sick individual and family members.  It can save you a doctor’s visit and get you faster results.  If testing a child, ask them to cough slightly as you try to swab the throat, this helps tremendously!

Garlic

Garlic is key!  It is a natural antibiotic and replaces the need for antibiotics, while at the same time providing immune support.  Take a clove of garlic, chop into tiny pieces, let sit 10 minutes, then swallow as you would take a pill with water.  ALWAYS take garlic on a full stomach!  If its hard for you or a child to get the garlic down, consider mixing it with honey or placing it into an empty pill capsule.  If you cannot tolerate raw garlic, consider Bronson’s Garlic Pills.  These were recommended to me by a doctor for an active strep infection.  The dosage she advised was extremely high, 30 capsules, and did not make me comfortable.  So please do your own research!  For children, divide the adult dosage by 150 and multiply by their weight.

You can also mix some pressed raw garlic with olive oil or coconut oil and apply it to your neck, often.

Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper will help kill the strep bacteria in the throat!  Mix cayenne pepper with honey, then with a spoon apply to the back of the throat often (5-20 times a day).  If you do not get any cayenne pepper on the tongue it will not burn.  Keep some yogurt or milk handy to numb the burn just in case for the first few tries.  For kids that will not tolerate this well, place cayenne pepper into empty pill capsule for good measure.

Bio-K

Bio-K offers probiotics in liquid form.  We get ours are Whole Foods.  Sip on the Bio-K throughout the day.  The goal is to cover the back of the throat with the probiotics and to let them fight the strep.  Do not eat / drink anything for 10 minutes after taking a sip.  If you cannot find Bio-K in the store, consider ordering the pills online.  Open a capsule and dilute in water, yogurt, honey or another liquid.  As a last resort, take any probiotics you have on hand (or if ordering anyway, choose Bio-Kult or Klaire Labs) and do the same – hopefully it will help, definitely wont hurt!

Immune Support

As with any illness, strengthen the immune system!  Even if you take antibiotics, they DO NOT kill all of the strep bacteria.  They lower the infection to a manageable level so that your immune system can clean things up.  So, strengthening and supporting the immune system is a must!  Top on my list is vitamin c (capsules, camu camu powder, sodium ascorbate), Thorne D3/K3, cod liver oil (Sonnie’s, Nordic Naturals, Dropi), ginger, turmeric, probiotics (Bio-Kult, Klaire Labs), magnesium, elderberry syrup (buy berries, make your own), etc.

Fever

DO NOT fight the fever with medication!  The fever is your body’s way of fighting the infection.  It activates the immune system, creates a hostile environment for the infection and plays many other key roles in helping you recover.  If you lower the fever with medication your are HURTING your immune response!  You will be sick longer and have a harder time fighting the illness!  If you need some relief, consider mixing 1/2 apple cider vinegar and 1/2 water and rubbing on warm areas and or wet / cold sock treatment.  To properly do wet / cold socks, warm the feet, put on cold wet cotton socks, cover with dry wool socks and get under the covers for at least 4 hours.  So do this at bedtime.

Strep Throat Symptoms

Children

The first symptoms of strep throat in children are belly pain, sore throat and headache.   This is generally followed by fever and pain swallowing.   Red swollen tonsils and/or visible white spots.

Adults 

First symptoms will be sore throat, headache and generally feeling tired, followed by fever and more throat pain / pain when swallowing. Red swollen tonsils and/or visible white spots.

Note:  Strep throat differs from other illnesses in that there is no congestion, sneezing, runny nose, etc.