Having suffered a painful sore throat, on and off for a week I have decided this
week (the second week of recurrent symptoms)that it was time to do something
about it!

The best sources of "evidence-based scientific" info I found on the Net were:

"Top 10 Reasons for Sore, Scratchy Throats":
http://allergies.about.com/cs/symptoms/a/blcome021904.htm

and

"Expert Tips to Ease Sore Throat Pain":
http://allergies.about.com/cs/treatment/a/blcombe021904a.htm

With the aid of a torch and mirror I can see that I do have a really severely
inflamed pharynx (throat) i.e. pharyngitis.

Psychosocial Aspects of Sore Throat
-----------------------------------
Louise Hay (http://www.lovehealth.org/books/louisehay.htm) suggests that sore
throat reflects "holding in angry words - feeling unable to express oneself.

This certainly seems to fit for me and I have noticed in last few days that my
symptoms become intensified in certain situations/with certain people, and
become relieved in more amiable/expressive situations (e.g. walking in the
countryside) and company.

Louise recommends the affirmation:
"I release all restrictions - I am free to by myself!"

This is really helpful to me - I have been in situations where, out of old
fear-driven patterns, I have been "holding back" on expressing what I am really
feeling.

In "The Healing Power of Illness" (http://www.lovehealth.org/books/illness.htm)
Thorwald Dethlefsen links respiratory ailments to "situations that over-stress
us".

A "cold" for example gives us the opportunity to withdraw from people and
situations that have become unbearable. He asserts that our refusal to take time
to confront these "over-stress" challenges results in "somatisation" (physical
symptom expression) as in "Don't come near me - I've got a cold!".

This is a rather mystical, metaphysical-level explanation of our sickness. On a
more mundane level, an epidemiologist would say that stress has impaired our
immune system to the point where we can no longer hold at bay the invasion of a
virus or bacterium that we receive from others.

Dethlefsen interprets a sore throat as signalling "I can't swallow this
situation/person anymore!". I have to say that this explanation, mysterious
though it is, really holds true for my own sore throat!

I wanted to not take any medication - to test out the theories of L. Hay and T.
Dethlefsen, but unfortunately "cracked" yesterday morning and called at my local
pharmacy for some throat lozenges. There I was
told that there was a mini-epidemic of sore throats in this
(Cambridge) area just now, and certainly people I know all over the UK seem to
have had a lot of upper respiratory problems (often very persistent or
recurrent) since Xmas.

Could this be related to the elections we had a couple of weeks ago I wonder?
They have generally been received rather morosely (a government elected that
only one third of the population voted for! - and many of them only voted "yes"
in order to keep out someone who they perceived as being far worse!). Also,
since Xmas there has been a general rise in population misery, reflected in (and
forming a downward spiral with) a downturn of retail sales, rise in indebtedness
and a fall in house prices.

The throat lozenges have been a dismal failure! - just did not seem to provide
any relief at all. In fact they made things worse because swallowing their
induced salivation was excruciatingly painful!

However, in the afternoon I began to "make conscious" some of the feelings i
have holding back in last 2 weeks and in the evening had an opportunity to start
putting into practice Louise Hay's advice - not just reciting the mantra - but
actually risking "speaking up" (with love) what I am really feeling, even if it
is does not seem immediately "nice", "harmonious" or conducive to good relations
- and may even threaten the future of the relationship.

The outcome is good so far! - my sore throat is easier today. I feel encouraged
and empowered to progress this further into some more challenging situations
over the next few days!


Best wishes
Mike