Usually, this would never be worthy of much of a discussion, but since we are still in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, there probably isn’t a better time. Depending on where you are from, you might get told to drink honey water, pop a lozenge into your mouth or just gargle with salt water. Here in Japan, the first thing many people reach for is a Povidone-iodine gargle medicine. There are a couple of brands in the market and one of them is called Isojin.
So what does it do? Well, it’s supposed to kill bacteria and viruses. The bigger bottles come with a clear plastic cup which you can use instead of using one of your own cups. You squeeze some into the plastic cup, then dilute it with water before gargling. Most people do this in the morning when they wake up and before they go to sleep at night. If they are outside, they usually have packets of candies that help soothe the throat; aka Nodoame(のど飴).
Apart from that, people wear masks. In the day time when they are out and about, and at night as well when they sleep, to keep their throats moist. I am all for the gargle medicine and throat soothing candies, but haven’t actually tried sleeping with a mask on before. Wonder if I would find it on the floor in the morning.
Star
Related posts:
Types of Health Insurance
How to see a doctor in Japan