UV light to cure sore throat?

I gargle with peroxide if I feel that tingle of a sore throat starting. Works every time, as long as I do it soon enough.

tastes really terrible. like, dry heave terrible.

I just spent the weekend w/ a friend and his family. they were all hacking terribly and were just about over a bad lung sickness. After the first night (drinking and smoking) I woke up with the start of a sore throat. I gargled with peroxide and drank a half gallon of orange juice. Right as rain.

There are several types of UV light. UVA, UVB, UVC.

LEDs can only generate 365nm-400nm wavelength light which makes stuff glow and look cool. But isn’t harmful. It falls into the UVA category.

Flourescent tube lights are 185 and 240ish nm wavelength which are both UVC category. These are the ones used as germicidal.

As wiki states:
UVC rays are the highest energy, most dangerous type of ultraviolet light.

On 13 April 2011 the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization classified all categories and wavelengths of ultraviolet radiation as a Group 1 carcinogen. This is the highest level designation for carcinogens and means “There is enough evidence to conclude that it can cause cancer in humans”.

UVB (and UVC) light can cause direct DNA damage. As noted above UVB radiation excites DNA molecules in skin cells, causing aberrant covalent bonds to form between adjacent Pyrimidine bases, producing a dimer. When DNA polymerase comes along to replicate this strand of DNA, it reads a “CC” dimer as “AA” and not the original “CC”. This causes the DNA replication mechanism to add a “TT” on the growing strand. This mutation can result in cancerous growths, and is known as a “classical C-T mutation”. The mutations caused by the direct DNA damage carry a UV signature mutation that is commonly seen in skin cancers. The mutagenicity of UV radiation can be easily observed in bacterial cultures. This cancer connection is one reason for concern about ozone depletion and the ozone hole.

edit: i just read that uvaid website. WHAT A RIPOFF!! The UVA emitted by that dinky 20 milliwatt LED (which is only 10% efficient or less for UV) won’t do anything whatsoever.
Its not even the right wavelength for killing germs. Geez.

^ This
Which is also the mechanism in which UV renders bacteria harmless, DNA damage leaving various cellular functions broken ultimately prohibiting growth, reproduction.

O.O

Years ago, when I was a student I worked in a record shop, all the cash was checked with uv light to detect forgeries….OMG Im going to die of cancer!!!

I don’t wear sunblock! Maybe I should? I’ve never needed to (my foundation and moisturisers have SPF though).

Isn’t the SPF in foundation & stuff usually pretty low tho?
If your out in the sun much or just want to prevent skin damage go for it.
Hows the UV levels in the uk?

Oh hey, chance for another toy! UV monitor! I guess one could just check the weather tho. :weary:

Over fifty years of Florida sun .

My dermatologist has the biggest smile every time I walk into his office . ( I'm probably paying for his new boat )

I have to go every six months to get something biopsied , frozen , or cut out .

Wear sunscreen .

Now that is some good advice.

Even up here in NY where we get snow or freezing rain 6-7 months a year, I always put on sunscreen in the “summer”.

But, I am not too sure about using UV light to cure sore throats. With all of the constant worldwide medical research, it would be by now a common office visit procedure to kill all surface bacteria with a UV light.

I have never heard of this.

Whenever I get that little tickle I take a couple of shots of peppermint schnapps.
That or some 160ish proof that’s been soaking in some cinnamon sticks and apples for a while.

Normally kicks it out. Heck wife even started doing it.
Not always the best way to go since its alcohol. I just do it
when I don’t have to drive.

I have also done the Peroxide before.
Be sure not to swallow! Not all of it. I normally do just a tad to get the throat coated a smidge.
But I hiccupped and down it all went lol
Barfing up foam is not fun!!! :~

ultraviolet c

There is a very similar old russian remedy, for when you're just coming down with a cold/flu.

A cup of hot vodka, mixed with cayenne pepper. Horrible to drink, but it does work.

Driving definitely not advisable after...

Yes, 15 SPF is quite low. :~ No idea about UV levels, probably high even though it’s usually grey here, and raining. >.<

I have 30 SPF sunblock when it is really sunny but it makes my skin crawl. Yuck.

LOL! I think you are gonna make it. A LOT of things “can” cause cancer in humans in big enough quantities. The money checking UV is all UVA at 360 to 400 nanometers (if LED most likely closer to 400nm). The milliwatts of power output is nothing compared to going outside which is 32 watts per square meter. 95% of suns UV is UVA type due to blockage of the lower wavelengths.

Just try not to stare into the germicidal UV flourescent or mercury vapor tubes. :slight_smile:

the only things I would recommend for sore throats (we are talking sore throats here, aren’t we? No MRSA or any other evil things like it?) would be this:

…and this:

chewed raw, chewed thoroughly, three times a day. Ginger and onions act like antibiotics. Garlic does, too; at a price - especially in case you have a wife/husband, or girlfriend/boyfriend.

With all due respect, your comment above involuntarily raised a smile of cynism on my face - and again, most certainly, I do not want to ridicule you or your valuable post.

Still… assuming it was that easy to cure a sore throat, doctors really wouldn’t be doing this - honestly (sadly, even), they are just doing what the pharmaceutical industry tells them to prescribe; and those blokes are interested in economic expansion, only. The medical care trade has long walked off its path of altruistic help and aid; and the Hippocratic Oath has become meaningless to a lot of physicians.

No problem. You use the UV light if you want. I’ll gargle with salt and water. To each his own. If there was money to be made on a medical breakthrough like this, then they would be doing it. All over the world. That is information you can take to the bank! :wink:

Warm salt water really helps! Stérimar is also good for your nose but a bit pricy. I think it’s worth it though.