ABSTRACT
Tonsillitis is common, especially in children. Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infection. The most common problems affecting the tonsils are recurrent infections (throat or ear) and significant enlargement or obstruction that causes breathing and swallowing problems. The condition can occur occasionally or recur frequently. This article provides an overview of the aetiology, diagnosis, and appropriate general & homoeopathic management of this disorder.
INTRODUCTION
Tonsils are the two masses seen in the back of the throat, one on either side at the back of the mouth. Tonsils can normally see by opening mouth wide and looking in a mirror. They are the two fleshy lumps that can see at the sides and back of the mouth. Tonsils are made of soft glandular tissue and are part of the immune system. A main function of tonsils is to trap bacteria and viruses (germs) which may breathe in. Antibodies and immune cells in the tonsils help to kill germs and help to prevent throat and lung infections. But sometimes the tonsils themselves become infected. Overwhelmed by bacteria or viruses, they swell and become inflamed, a condition known as tonsillitis.
AETIOLOGY
Most cases of tonsillitis are caused by infection with a common virus, but bacterial infections also may cause tonsillitis. The tonsils actually serve as a filter for bacteria, sometimes certain bacteria, such as group A Streptoccocci, can infiltrate the tonsils and cause tonsillitis. However, viruses such as the Epstein Barr virus typically cause tonsillitis. Being a child and having close contacts with viral or bacterial-laden persons increase the risk for developing tonsillitis.
A common cause is Streptococcus bacteria. Other common causes include: Adenoviruses, Influenza virus, Epstein-Barr virus, Parainfluenza viruses, Enteroviruses, Herpes simplex virus
CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS
Being a child and having close contacts with viral or bacterial-laden persons increase the risk for developing tonsillitis.
It is also important to understand that symptoms will be experienced differently for each person. Cases that are caused by bacteria are often followed by skin rash and a flushed face. Tonsillitis that is caused by a virus will develop symptoms that are flu-like such as runny nose or aches and pains throughout the body.
Acute tonsillitis is caused by both bacteria and viruses and will be accompanied by symptoms of ear pain when swallowing, bad breath, and drooling along with sore throat and fever.
Fever, Enlarged, tender glands (lymph nodes) in the neck, A scratchy, muffled or throaty voice, Bad breath, Stomachache, particularly in younger children, Stiff neck, Headache.
In young children who are unable to describe how they feel, signs of tonsillitis may include: Drooling due to difficult or painful swallowing, Refusal to eat, Unusual fussiness.
Viral tonsillitis typically requires no special treatment. Rather, gargling with salt water, drinking warm liquids such as broth or tea is enough.
Inflammation or swelling of the tonsils from frequent or ongoing (chronic) tonsillitis can cause complications such as: Difficulty breathing, Disrupted breathing during sleep (obstructive sleep apnea), Infection that spreads deep into surrounding tissue (tonsillar cellulitis), Infection that results in a collection of pus behind a tonsil (tonsillar abscess)
If tonsillitis caused by group A streptococcus or another strain of streptococcal bacteria isn't treated, or if antibiotic treatment is incomplete, child has an increased risk of rare disorders such as: Rheumatic fever, an inflammatory disorder that affects the heart, joints and other tissues. Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis, an inflammatory disorder of the kidneys that results in inadequate removal of waste and excess fluids from blood.
Chronic tonsillitis is a persistent infection in the tonsils. Since this infection is repetitive, crypts or pockets can form in the tonsils where bacteria can store. Frequently, small, foul smelling stones (tonsilloliths) are found within these crypts that are made of high quantities of sulfur. These stones cause a symptom of a full throat or a throat that has something caught in the back. A foul breath that is characterized by the smell of rotten eggs (because of the sulfur) is also a symptom of this condition. Other symptoms that can be caused by tonsillitis that are not normally associated with it include snoring and disturbed sleep patterns. These conditions develop as the tonsils enlarge and begin to obstruct other areas of the throat. A person's voice is generally affected by this type of illness and changes in the tone of voice a person normally has.
MANAGEMENT:
Self-Care Tips
- Turmeric and ginger are powerful anti-inflammatory spices and can easily be integrated into diet or taken in raw form.
- Try gargling with a saline solution of half a teaspoon of salt to one cup of tepid water to remove mucous and reduce swelling. Suck zinc lozenges as zinc helps the immune system.
- Garlic is useful in treating any kind of throat infection, including tonsillitis. An onion and garlic soup are excellent foods to eat during a bout of tonsillitis.
- Cut out all processed and refined foods as well as fast foods. Try to find time to cook wholesome meals, focusing on whole grains, vegetables and proteins such as fish and legumes.
- Take an echinacea and goldenseal tincture. Echinacea boosts the immune system, while goldenseal has antibiotic, anti-catarrhal, anti-infective, anti-inflammatory properties.
- Drink fresh vegetable juice—made from carrots, cucumbers, beets and celery—with a little fresh ginger, which will alkalize our body and is an excellent tonic for tonsillitis.
- Try to omit sugar from regular diet. sugar consumption has also been shown to reduce the body's ability to fight viruses and infection. If you need your sweet fix, take a spoonful of manuka honey, as it is said to have many health benefits, including antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties
- Do not share utensils, drinking glasses, toothbrushes, etc., with anyone who has tonsillitis or a sore throat.
- Wash your (and your child's) hands frequently.
- Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and teach your children to do the same
Tonsillectomy
A tonsillectomy is a surgical procedure in which the tonsils are removed from either side of the throat. The procedure is performed in response to cases of repeated occurrence of acute tonsillitis or adenoiditis, obstructive sleep apnea, nasal airway obstruction, snoring, or peritonsillar abscess. Sometimes the adenoids are removed at the same time, a procedure called adenoidectomy. Tonsillectomy remains one of the most common surgical procedures in children.
HOMOEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT
There is no cure for this tonsillitis in modern medicine expect symptomatic relief. With our homoeopathic remedies we can prevent the tendencies of further attacks in future by developing your own immunity, increase the resistance power, to prevent further complication and getting rid of the complaint permanently without side effects.Homoeopathy treats the person as a whole. It means that homoeopathic treatment focuses on the patient as a person, as well as his pathological condition. The homoeopathic medicines are selected after a full individualizing examination and case-analysis, which includes the medical history of the patient, physical and mental constitution etc.
A miasmatic tendency (predisposition/susceptibility) is also often taken into account for the treatment of chronic conditions. The medicines given below indicate the therapeutic affinity but this is not a complete and definite guide to the treatment of this condition.
Indicated Remedies | Indications |
Apis mell | Stinging-burning pain when swallowing; dryness in mouth and throat; red and highly inflamed tonsils; deep ulcers on tonsils and palate, with erysipelatous or Oedematous appearance around ulcers; Oedema glottidis, tenacious mucus in throat; Aggravation heat or hot drinks, Amelioration from cold or cool drinks. |
Baryta carb
| Liability to quinsy after every cold or suppressed sweat of feet; tonsils tend to suppurate, especially the right; throat feels worse from empty swallowing; pricking sensation when swallowing; |
Belladonna
| Tonsillitis, worse right side, parts bright-red; worse swallowing liquids; during deglutition sensation as if throat were too narrow and as if nothing would pass properly;. |
Ferrum phos | Tonsils swollen and raw, great pain in swallowing; high fever. |
Hepar sulph | Chronic tonsillitis, especially when accompanied by hardness of hearing, with sensation like splinter or fishbone in throat when swallowing; sharp, lancinating pains, throbbing, rigors and chills, with stitches in throat, extending to ears, worse when swallowing; cannot bear cold air. |
Kali bichrom | Tonsillitis herpetica with membranous exudations, inflammation of uvula and pharynx, foul, yellow tongue, fauces covered with ropy mucus (often mistaken for true diphtheria); Eustachian tubes blocked up; pain shoots from ear down throat. |
Kali Mur | Acute and chronic swelling of the tonsils, which are covered with a whitish coating; hawking up cheesy lumps having a disgusting odor and taste. |
Lac caninum | Tonsils inflamed, shining and very sore, swollen so as almost to close the throat; suppuration from left to right, or changing from side to side, or both tonsils equally affected; whole posterior portion and throat Oedematous; tonsils enlarged; pricking; cutting pains from empty swallowing; great dryness of tonsils at night; throat sensitive to touch externally; ashy-gray exudation. |
Lachesis | Throat purplish, patient very nervous, least touch unbearable; tonsils swollen, left Aggravation with tendency to right; inability to swallow, threatening, suffocation; liquids escape by the nose when swallowing is attempted and are more difficult to swallow than solids; |
Lycopodium | Tonsils enlarged, indurated and studded with many small ulcers; swelling and suppuration of tonsils, going from right to left; chronic enlargement of tonsils; Aggravation from cold drinks, and smarting in throat from hot drinks. |
Mercurius | Parenchymatous tonsillitis (after Bell.); throbbing pain, tonsils and fauces yellowish-red, often covered with a thin false membrane; tongue pale, flabby and indented by the teeth; pain on deglutition and speaking; pain on empty swallowing; |
Mercurius iod. Flav | Hypertrophy of tonsils with enlargement of cervical and salivary glands and inflammation of the mucous membrane of mouth and pharynx, which is succulent and freely secreting; ptyalism; foetor oris; swallowing difficult. |
Mercurius iod. Rub | Scalded feeling in throat, dark-red fauces, left tonsil most affected; Extensive implication of submaxillary glands. |
Phytolacca | Chills alternating with fever; great weakness; tonsils large, bluish, ulcerated; intense dryness of throat; rough, burning, smarting fauces; pain in throat extends to ears when swallowing; aching in back, neck, head and limbs; ulceration on tonsils and fauces; with grayish-white, sloughs and little or no foetor; cannot hot fluids; great prostration. |
Silicea | Deep ulcers, even gangrene; tonsils; swollen, each effort to swallow distorts face; tonsillitis, when the suppurating gland will not head; pricking in throat, as from a pin, causing cough; left side. |
Echinacea Angustifolia | Irritation of larynx. Voice husky. Constant clearing of mucus from throat. Sore throat. Frothy mucus, hawks from throat. Tonsils purple or black, gray exudation extending to posterior sinuses and air-passages. Ulcerated sore throat. Mucus in throat with raw sensation. Soreness of throat, worse on left side. |
Baptisia Tinctoria | Aphonia. Larynx sore to touch, painful swallowing or speaking. Fauces dark-red, dark, putrid ulcers. Tonsils and soft palate dark red and swollen. Painless sore throat and offensive discharge. Numb inside but sensitive outside. Can swallow liquids only, least solid food gags. Ragged ulcers in the throat. Spasms of gullet. Constriction at cardiac orifice of esophagus. Constrictive feeling in throat causing frequent efforts at swallowing. |
Streptococcinum | Adenopathy of the neck. Big, infected, purulent tonsils. Red angina.Persistent pain and redness of the throat. Acute and chronic laryngitis. It is most suitedfor Tonsillectomy recurrence infection. |
Tuberculinum | Chronic recurring Tonsillitis and Adenoids <change of weather from damp to cold. Vibrionic preparations like Throat 30, Infection 200 and War 1M also found veryeffective in the treatment of Tonsillitis |
Agraphis Nutans | Enlarged tonsils. Throat and ear complaints with tendency to free discharge from mucus membrane. Adenoids enlarged, throat deafness. |
Polyporus Pinicola | Throat dry, sore, frequent inclination to swallow. Tonsils much congested and enlarged, frequent efforts to swallow, quite painful |
Raphanus | Heat and burning in throat, at times, chiefly in tonsils, with lancinations. Swelling, redness and pain in tonsils, as if raw. |
Elaps Coralum | Tonsils swollen so that no passage is visible, deglutition impossible, throat sensitive to Touch |
Mancinella | Great swelling and suppuration of tonsils, with danger of suffocation; whistling breathing; Yellowish-white ulcers on tonsils, with violent burning pain; great elongation of uvula; offensive breath. |
Teplitz | Pain in throat without redness, on swallowing. Swelling of uvula and tonsils with difficulty in swallowing. Swelling of cervical glands. |
Ustilago | Frequent attack of tonsillitis. Tonsils are congested and enlarged. The left tonsils is esp. affected. It looks large and dusky. There is intense pain on swallowing, lancinating pain extents from the tonsils to ear. The throat is dry and there is feeling of lump, behind the larynx which make the swallow constantly. |
CONCLUSION
In a significant number of children, homoeopathic treatment can help to prevent recurrence of frequent tonsillitis, thus helping children avoid tonsillectomy. The treatment of enlarged tonsils with homoeopathy has two stages in cases of long standing. Acute inflammation needs to be treated with a different set of medicines and its recurrence to be treated once the acute stage is over. Deep-acting medicines are required to treat the constitution and bring about lasting relief. It is true that this method takes a longer time, but it is also the best one because not only the tonsils are cured but also the patient.
