Tonsillitis: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Prevention

Tonsillitis (img. Wikipedia)

Tonsillitis

Tonsillitis is an infection of the tonsils which sometimes results in pain induced by bacteria or virus. Tonsillitis can be classified into two; acute and chronic. Symptoms of an acute tonsillitis includes fever, vomiting and pain in swallowing. While symptoms of a chronic tonsillitis are coughing and runny nose, distorted voice, sleeping with an open mouth, fatigue, drowsiness and vomiting. 

When you’re experiencing these symptoms, immediately do the following: 

1. Check your tonsils for swelling
2. Avoid iced beverages and foods that are sour and chilly or spicy, they may worsen the condition of your tonsils
3. Keep your immune system level high. You can do this by consuming nutritious and balanced food like fruits and vegetables
4. If the tonsillitis appear to be severe, consult your physician immediately

The onset of tonsillitis is marked by a mild throat pain which gradually deteriorates. The tonsils become swollen, itchy and turns red. Tonsillitis may cause difficulties in swallowing, fever, muscle and joint aches, general discomfort, chills and usually earaches. If the swelling has reached a certain size, it may block the respiratory tract. In a chronic case of tonsillitis, pus may develop on the tonsil crypts.

Tonsillitis generally occur on children, patients are advised to consume warm water and avoid icy and sweet drinks.

Symptoms of Tonsillitis

The term “tonsillitis” derives from the Latin word “itis” meaning ‘inflammation’ and tonsil, so tonsillitis literally means the inflammation of the tonsils. But medically speaking, tonsillitis means infection of the tonsils caused by microorganisms (virus and bacteria). This condition is highly prevalent in children in the ages of 5 – 15 years old. 

Based on the duration of the infection, this condition can be categorized into:

1. Acute Tonsillitis

Classified as acute, if the infection subsides in less than three weeks.

2. Chronic Tonsillitis

Classified as chronic, if the infection occurs for more than 7 times within a year, or 5 times in 2 years, or 3 times within a year for three consecutive years. 

Tonsillitis Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of tonsillitis are:

• Throat soreness or the sensation of something stuck in the throat/neck
• Pain while swallowing (Food and drink), resulting in loss of appetite
• Aches in and around the neck and ear
• Fever
• Headache
• Chills and trembling
• Fatigue
• Muscle aches

Sometimes accompanied by:

• Coughing
• Cold
• Hoarse or distorted voice
• Bad breath
• Nausea
• Occasional stomachaches
• Swelling of the lymph nodes around the neck area

Chronic tonsillitis patients occasionally snore, especially prevalent when accompanied by an enlargement of the adenoid gland (a gland located at the back end of the mouth between the throat and the nasal cavity). 

Upon inspection, a swelling of the tonsil is likely to be found, also sometimes white spots (exudates) are present on the surface of the tonsil, signifying an inflammation around the tonsils and throats. It’s worth noting that an individual doesn’t necessarily need to exhibit all of these symptoms to be diagnosed of tonsillitis.    

Restrictions

1. Avoid consuming fish (both fresh and sea water)
2. Oily foods (crackers and chips)
3. Icy or cold drinks

Tonsillitis Treatment

Treatments to tonsillitis are as follows:

1. Rhizomes; turmeric (saffron), dosage: ½ - 1 thumb tip (dry: 1 - 6 gr, fresh: 4 - 20 gr). Preparation: Boiled or juiced, consume the resulting liquid.
2. Fruit; Noni or Morinda Citrifolia, dosage: 1 - 2 palms (2 - 3 fruits). Preparation: Shred the fruits, use the resulting liquid for gargling.
3. Leaves; blue porter weed, dosage: 9 - 12 leaves. Preparation: Boiled with water and drink the mixture.
4. Combination: Centella, dosage: 15 - 30 gr. Preparation: Chop and squeeze the fresh ingredients to obtain the juice. Mix with vinegar and bird’s nest, drink the resulting mixture.

Apart from the above methods, the following may also be useful:

Ingredients:

1. 10 drops of Nigella Sativa or black cumin oil
2. Propolis 1 - 2 drops

Preparation:

Mix the nigella sativa and the propolis and drink the mixture. Can be taken every 4 hours for medicinal purposes. For maintenance, consume once every two days.

Nutrition and benefits:

Propolis contains iron, vitamin B complex, pro vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, amino acid, mineral, and various bioflavonoid. The nutritional contents activate the thymus gland, which promotes the immune system, ward off viral infections, fungus and other parasites. 

Treating Tonsillitis 

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of noni juice
• 1 tablespoon of lemon
• 1 tablespoon of turmeric juice
• 1 tablespoon of pure honey
• 3 tablespoons of water

Preparation:

• Mix all the ingredients into one
• Stir evenly
• Add ½ glass of water and stir
• Take three times a day following each meal
• Consume on a daily basis

Preventing Tonsillitis

Tonsils are two lymph nodes located on either sides of the throat. They are part of our immune system which carry antibody cells to trap and kill bacteria and pathogen virus on their way to the body. 

Tonsillitis is the inflammation of the tonsils, causing them to swell, soften and produce white spots. This swelling is due to virus or bacteria. 

Tonsillitis Causes

Tonsillitis is generally caused by microorganisms, but ice cubes made from unfiltered water and which contains artificial sweeteners, may cause throat irritation which in turn will cause throat or tonsil infection (tonsillitis). 

Preventing Tonsillitis

Generally speaking, prevention is aimed to stop the infection of the oral and throat cavity can trigger an infection or tonsil stones on the patient. - (Read more what are tonsil stones)

There are several methods to prevent tonsillitis from developing: 

1. Washing your hands as a means of preventing microorganism from entering our bodies.
2. Avoiding contact with throat infection patients, at least for the proceeding 24 hours after they had taken antibiotics.

Tonsillectomy

Not all tonsillitis needs to be surgically removed. But the following are some of the conditions which render tonsillectomy necessary:

• An excessively large tonsils, which obstruct respiratory functions, cause severe pain when swallowing, sleep deprivation or causing cardiopulmonary complications.  
• Tonsil enlargement causes growth disorders on the face and mouth which necessitates an intervention by an oral surgeon.
• Severe case of tonsillitis which causes seizures and fevers.

Tonsils are among the body’s first line of defense, however sometimes they can be more of a hindrance than a help. While we don’t generally recommend a tonsillectomy, some of the more severe cases can only be treated by way of tonsillectomy.

If you have problems with your tonsils, the only way to know for certain whether a tonsillectomy is an option is for you to visit your physician.