Gargling

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Gargling

Gargling is the act in which one bubbles a liquid in his or her mouth. It usually requires that the person tilts his or her head back, allowing a mouthful of liquid to sit in the upper throat. The head can be tilted either by extending the neck or back, depending on what is comfortable for the gargler. Air is then expelled from the lung

Lung

The lung is the essential respiration organ in air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located in the chest on either side of the heart....
s, causing the liquid to bubble and undulate throughout the throat and mouth

Mouth

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Lung

Mouth

The mouth, buccal cavity, or oral cavity is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and begins digestion by mechanically breaking up the solid food particles into smaller pieces and mixing them with saliva....
region.

As gargling can be done repetitively with the same liquid for greater periods than a person's lung capacity allows, one temporarily tilts the head forward to be able to breathe in again easily, as the liquid travels to the front of the mouth. Breathing in can be done through the mouth for people who are sick; this requires a lesser amount of liquid so that it does not spill out when the mouth is opened for inhaling.

It is a common method of cleansing the throat

Throat

In anatomy, the throat is the anterior part of the neck, in front of the vertebrae. It consists of the pharynx and larynx. An important feature of the throat is the epiglottis, a flap which separates the esophagus from the vertebrate trachea and prevents inhalation of food or drink....
, when gargling warm water and salt, if one has a sore throat

Sore Throat

Sore Throat were a United Kingdom crust punk / grindcore band, formed in Yorkshire in 1987. They are known for being one of the earliest exponents of the grindcore subgenre known as "noisecore", as well launching the careers of several prominent members of the British heavy metal music community....
due to upper-respiratory virus

Virus

A virus is a Optical microscope#Limitations of light microscopes infectious agent that is unable to grow or reproduce outside a host cell . Viruses infect all cellular life....
, infection

Infection

An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. In an infection, the infecting organism seeks to utilize the host resources to multiply ....
or other cause.

Gargling done for medicinal purposes (or for cleaning your throat) may be done with various substances. One commonly used way is with herbal tea or tea

Tea

Tea refers to the agricultural products of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the Camellia sinensis plant, prepared and cured by various methods....
. There are also many specific medicines designed to be used, either readily available at a supermarket

Supermarket

A supermarket is a self-service Retailing#Retail types offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments....
or drug store or requiring a prescription

Medical prescription

A prescription is a health-care program implemented by a physician or other medical practitioner in the form of instructions that govern the plan of care for an individual patient....
from a licensed medical doctor

Physician

A physician, medical practitioner, doctor of medicine, or medical doctor practices medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease and injury....
. Home remedies for gargling include a hypertonic

Tonicity

Tonicity measures the ability of a solution to exert an osmotic pressure upon the membrane. Osmolality and osmolarity measure concentration of the solutes independently on their ability to cross the membrane....
saline solution of table salt (ratio of solid to liquid varies) and various types of vinegar

Vinegar

Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid . It also may come in a diluted form....
. Gargling with a solution of table salt is known to provide relief for a sore throat because as a natural dehydrator, salt draws water from the inflammations in the throat by osmosis

Osmosis

Osmosis is the diffusion of a solvent through a Semipermeable membrane, from a solution of low solute concentration to a solution with high solute concentration , up a solute concentration gradient....
.

Antiseptic

Antiseptic

Antiseptics are antimicrobials that are applied to living biological tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putrefaction....
mouthwash

Mouthwash

Mouthwash or mouth rinse is a product used for oral hygiene. Antiseptic and anti-plaque mouth rinse claims to kill the plaque causing Dental caries, gingivitis, and bad breath....
can be also gargled to remove bacteria from the throat.

According to modern western etiquette

Etiquette

Etiquette is a code that influences expectations for social behavior according to contemporary Convention Norm s within a society, social class, or Group ....
, gargling is a fairly impolite activity during a social occasion or mealtime. It is typically performed in a bathroom

Bathroom

A bathroom is a room that may have different functions depending on the cultural context. In the most literal sense, the word bathroom means "a room with a bath"....
at a sink so the refused liquid may be disposed of properly.