India, Dec. 11 -- Did you ever wake up with the prickly sandpaper feeling in your throat? During the winter season, it is common for your throat to turn into that nagging, uncomfortable mix of scratchiness and pain where even swallowing feels like a challenge. So it is a no-brainer to scramble for a home remedy to fix that persistent irritation and seek relief. At home, many often reach for lukewarm saltwater, gargling it, hoping it does the trick. But the question is: does it actually work, or are you just trusting a remedy that delays the real treatment you may require?

HT Lifestyle spoke to Dr Piyush Goel, senior consultant - pulmonologist at Narayana Hospital, Gurugram, who explained that while gargling with salt water can help, the ...