Tonsillitis is also known as (Scientific Binomial Name), Tonsil Inflammation (Common English), (Unani), Tonsil soojan (Hindi / Urdu), Atina alarci / Tancil vikkam (Tamil), Ghashatil gathincha dah (Marathi), (Sanskrit), Tansila pradaha / Tansilera pradahamulaka byadhi (Bengali), Tansils / Tansil manta (Telugu), Galagranthiya uriyuta / Tansil uriyuta (Kannada), gulaganthi jalanam (Malayalam), Biantaoti yan (Chinese), amigdala inflamacion (Spanish), Amigdalite (Portuguese), Tonzillit / mindalina vospaleniye (Russian). The tonsils are small packs of lymphatic tissue at the back of the throat which help protect the body from infection. Recurrent tonsillitis can often indicate some underlying stress on the system, such as food allergy, with the immune system having to work overtime to combat the problem. In severe cases the tonsils can become filled with pus, causing an abscess which can need surgical treatment. There are many opinions about weather to take out tonsils or not? Some people think, children with no tonsils faces a constant round of allergies and infections. Doctors now know that tonsils do help fight off infections. And medical opinion is that to hold it as mush as possible.
Symptoms of Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils, the small round lymph glands sitting on the sides of the throat. It occurs most frequently in children under nine. Usually the tonsils become inflamed because they have been exposed to infection-causing microorganisms, frequently streptococcal bacteria or a virus. Tonsillitis is more common in children than in adults. The main symptoms of tonsillitis are sore throat, fever, headache, pain in various parts of the body, difficulty in swallowing and general weakness. The tonsils are seen to be inflamed and red when the mouth is opened wide. In many cases, spots of pus exude from them. Externally, the tonsillar lymph glands which lie just behind the angle of the jaw are tender and enlarged. In several cases there may be pain in the ear. Other symptoms may include swelling and tenderness of the lymph nodes in the neck, sore throat with pain on swallowing, headache, earache, general weakness, malaise, fever, bad breath and constipation. In chronic tonsillitis the tonsils tend to flare up in episodes of acute infection, causing scarring that makes them difficult to treat in subsequent attacks.
Causes of Tonsils Inflammation
Tonsillitis refer to acute inflammation of the tonsils. It is also known as acute sore throat. The chief cause of tonsilities is a toxic condition of the system generally and is brought to a head by sudden lowering of vitality resulting from exposure and sudden chill. Tonsils enlarge and get inflamed when the toxins cannot be got rid of through the normal channels of elimination such as the bowels, kidneys and skin. Throat afflictions of this kind is also associated with the result of chronic constipation, when toxin, which should should have been ejected from the system in the normal way, are reabsorbed into the blood-stream. Chronic tonsillitis is a term applied to cases in which there is enlargement of the tonsils accompanied by repeated attacks of infection. Tonsillitis usually develops suddenly as a result of a streptococcal infection but may also be caused by a viral infection. The tonsils are two small lymphoid organs that lie one on each side of the throat. They can be seen just behind the back of the tongue between two folds of membrane running up to the soft palate. Normally, they are about the size of a lima bean but they can become very much larger if severely infected. They are valuable organs of selective elimination and perform a two-fold function. Firstly, they protect the throat against disease germs. Secondly, they serve as barometers for indicating infection elsewhere in the body, when they become sore and swollen.
Tonsillitis Home Remedies for Tonsils Inflammation
If you have tonsillitis, you should see a doctor for treatment. It’s especially important to treat a strep infection with antibiotics because this kind of infection can lead to a heart-damaging bout of rheumatic fever. The treatment of the tonsillitis on the lines of modern medical system by means of painting and spraying is both harmful and suppressive. It does not help to rid the system of the toxins, which are the root of the trouble. In fact it forces these toxins back into the system, which may cause more serious trouble later on. The correct way to treat the disease is to cleanse the system of toxic waste through proper dietary and other natural methods. Tonsillitis and – inflammation of the related glands, the adenoids – shows that the body is defending itself from infection. Here are the herbs that can help fight off the infection and soothe the inflammation.
- Sage Home Cure: In Germany, where herbal medicine is more mainstream than it is in the United States, physicians recommend a hot sage gargle for tonsillitis. The reason appears to be that sage has fairly high levels of tannins, substances that have a soothing, astringent action and an antimicrobial effect. Sage is loaded with other antiseptics, too. A tea made of the leaves of sage provides soothing, healing relief for sore throat, loss of voice and tonsillitis, as well as helping to remove mucus from congested lungs. Steep 2 tsp. dried or fresh leaves in 1-1/4 cups of boiling water for 35 mins. Strain, sweeten with honey if desired and take 1/2 cup every few hours as needed. Add 1/4 tsp. of fresh lime juice and gargle well before swallowing for raw, irritated throat.
- Treat Throat Infection: Blackcurrant tea or juice (hot) will treat infection and relieve the sore throat. Many cultures use elderberry juice to treat tonsillitis, as this herb has antiviral action and helps treat influenza.
- Fight Infection: Drink plenty of hot honey and lemon or honey and apple cider vinegar to fight infection and boost immunity.
American Folk Remedy: Blackberry root and persimmon, either alone or in combination, were early American folk remedies for tonsillitis. Since both are rich in tannins, this is a rational formula. - Gargle with Green Herbs: Gargles of any astringent herb will generally be helpful. Try sage, rosemary, marigold, or fennel using 2 teaspoons of herb to a cup of boiling water in each case. Allow the mixture to cool thoroughly before straining and using as a gargle. Adding a small pinch of cayenne power can be helpful, but do not put in too much as it makes the gargle very warming indeed.
- For Dry Cough and Irritation: If you have a dry cough or irritation in the throat due to slight congestion in the tonsils then try milk with turmeric and ginger. Boil 1 cup milk with 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and 1/4 teaspoon ginger, making a golden yellow milk. If you drink this at night, it will relieve the irritation in the throat and take care of a dry cough.
- Apply a cloth with mustard oil to the forehead to ease the pain and reduce fever.
- Tansy Gargle for Pain: An effective remedy for tonsillitis or a subsequent tonsillectomy is tansy herb. What you do first is gargle with it, then take a swallow. Tansy will soothe your throat which is bound to hurt for awhile from the surgery. Before you take any healing remedies for your throat, however, get your doctor’s approval. Sometimes antibiotics don’t agree with home remedies and you have to stop taking the latter.
- Echinacea to Fight Bacteria: Echinacea is the herb that enhance immunity are useful in almost all infections. Echinacea and Goldenseal are a good bet to treat Tonsillitis. Echinacea, also known as cone flower, is a fine one, according to many European studies. Echinacea stimulates phagocytosis, the devouring of bacteria and viruses by certain types of white blood cells. As with so many mouth and throat infections, we would recommend going with a double whammy by taking echinacea along with golden seal, another potent antiseptic, antibiotic and immune stimulant. Combine the two as a tea and gargle as well as ingest.
- Clear Mucus from Throat: The throat may be gargled several times daily with neat lemon juice. Gargle made from the fenugreek seeds is very effective in severe cases. To make such a gargle, two tablespoonful of fenugreek seeds should be allowed to simmer for half an hour in a liter of water and then set aside to cool. The entire quantity should be used as a soothing gargle in a day with beneficial results.
- Coat and Moisturize with Licorice: For sore throat, a licorice lozenge used every few hours for several days allows the coating properties of licorice to soothe inflamed tonsils and throats.
- Garlic Clears Infection: Garlic is useful in treating any kind of throat infection, including tonsillitis. Take two garlic capsules a day for either sore throat or tonsillitis. Capsules are a convenient way to take garlic, but not all experts give them top billing. Also try any garlic soup recipe with hot spices that contain vitamin C and other good sore throat fighters, including chili pepper, ginger, horseradish, mustard seed and pepper.
- Dandelion – A Good Recommendation for Tonsillitis: The Chinese suggest simmering about an ounce of dandelion root in two to three cups of boiling water until only half of the liquid remains. The resulting syrup is recommended for tonsillitis.
Soothing Drink with Ginger: Root ginger can be chewed, and mixed with honey and lemon to make a soothing drink. - Tonsillitis can be successfully treated by the natural methods. Surgery for the removal of the tonsils is necessary only in very rare cases, when tonsils are seriously diseased, rugged and contain hopelessly incurable pus pockets.
- Chinese Herbalism: Treatment would be aimed at Fire, Poison, Wind, and Heat. Avoid spicy food and drink honeysuckle tea. Honeysuckle flowers are used in China to treat tonsillitis, bronchitis, colds, flu and pneumonia. Extracts made from these flowers act strongly against a broad spectrum of bacteria. It’s small wonder, since the flowers contain more than a dozen antiseptic compounds.
- Vitamins and Minerals: There is some evidence that the vitamin C in citrus fruit is effective in treating the strep bacteria that often cause tonsillitis. Vitamin C also stimulates the immune system to produce more macrophages, scavenger cells that literally gobble up strep bacteria. Besides citrus fruits, good plant sources of vitamin C include bitter melon, rose hips, bell peppers, red pepper, pokeweed shoots, guavas and watercress.