What can I do to make my throat stop feeling constricted?

I am surrounded by second hand smoke. I have no way to avoid it. I have asked my father to stop smoking many times, but he says "It’s my house, don’t like it – move out." I understand it’s his house, so I just try to avoid it. It’s hard to when they (my dad, my aunt, her boyfriend, two of my dad’s friends) all smoke in the kitchen while I have to make dinner for everyone (or "move out"). There are times when it is impossible for me to leave the room because I have been told to do some chore. I have been trying to avoid the smoke and two of the people mentioned above are conscious of smoking near me, but will anyway if they don’t feel like moving (I am grateful they do move some of the time though). I am just here for the summer, and will be leaving Sept 20th to return to college, but until then I cannot move out. I have nowhere else to go. Now my throat feels a bit constricted, so I am looking for home remedies to help it feel better. I am pretty sure the second hand smoke has to do with it. I do not have a humidifier, or air purifier and cannot afford to get one. I do usually sleep with my window open. I am trying to gargle with salt, and have tea. Any other suggestions? (I cannot go to a doctor until I return to school because my Student Health Insurance Plan only lets me use there doctors.

I have a suggestion for you, not sure how much it will help. Ever since grade school I have been a jogger. The running is great exercise for the heart and lungs. By breathing heavy while running it helps use more of your lungs. During normal breathing we only use 1/4 of our lungs.

With any hard exercise or deep breathing you can help exercise your lungs and maybe help clear out some of the congestion that may be collecting in the unused portion of your lungs. If you’re coughing, especially when you are laying down, the lungs are trying to clear itself of the foreign matter. I would think that the heavy breathing can also help your throat.

I would suggest a dust mask when you’re in the kitchen. One of those cloth ones that construction workers use when drywalling. The other family members may ridicule you for it. Doesn’t matter what you look like, it’s your health you’re concerned with. They’ll probably pick on you for awhile, but eventually stop after they get used to it. If you decide to try it, don’t let them embarrass you into taking it off. If they were concerned about you they wouldn’t be so rude with their smoking.

What can I do to make my throat stop feeling constricted?

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