Symptoms

For tonsillitis:

  • A very sore throat with red, swollen tonsils; there may be a white discharge or spots on the tonsils.
  • Swollen and tender lymph nodes in the neck under the jaw.
  • A low-grade fever and headache accompanying the other symptoms.

For tonsillar abscess:

In addition to inflamed tonsils, severe pain and tenderness around the area of the soft palate, at the roof of the mouth, and difficulty swallowing.

Distinctively muffled speech, as if the child is speaking with a mouthful of mashed potatoes, caused by swelling from the abscess.

Call Your Doctor If

The tonsils are masses of lymphatic tissue located at the back of the throat They produce I antibodies designed to help your child fight respiratory infections. When these tissues themselves become infected, the resulting condition is called tonsillitis. Most tonsil infections and tonsillar abscesses in elementary school age children are caused by the streptococcal bacterium, the same organism that causes strep throat

Herbal Beauty

Tonsillitis most commonly affects children between the ages of three and seven, when tonsils may play their most active infection-fighting role. But as the child gets older, the tonsils shrink, and infections become less common. Tonsillitis is usually not serious unless a tonsillar abscess develops. When this happens, the swelling can be severe enough to block your child’s breathing. Secondary ear infections (otitis media) and adenoid problems are other possible complications.

Treatment Options

Some alternative therapies are effective in relieving the symptoms of tonsillitis. But be sure to first get a throat culture to rule out strep throat, which must be treated with antibiotics. Severe cases may warrant a tonsillectomy. A tonsillar abscess should be treated by a medical doctor before you start any alternative method.

Aromatherapy

A practitioner may recommend oregano and general treatment with a variety of essential oils.

Ayurvedic Medicine

The combined formula Septillion may be useful in treating tonsillitis. Other appropriate remedies include an infusion of mint; a powder of the fruit of beleric myrobalan mixed with honey; and a powder or pill of Indian bdellium.

Chinese Medicine

A practitioner of Chinese medicine may advise acupressure to relieve a sore throat, or acupuncture to combat chronic tonsillitis. Often-used herbal remedies include Honeysuckle and Forsythia Powder, thought to help soothe a sore throat in the early stages of tonsillitis; Superior Sore Throat Powder; and Liu Shen Wan (Six Spirit Pills).

Herbal Therapies

To reduce inflammation, herbalists suggest drinking a tea made from cleavers: Add 1 tsp dried herb to 1 cup boiling water. A gargle made from sageis thought to help fight infection: Add 2 tsp to boiling water and steep for 10 minutes. Let your child gargle with the tea (as warm as she can tolerate it) for five minutes several times a day; make sure she does not swallow the tea. The steam from gingertea may help shrink inflamed tonsils: Breathe in the steam for five minutes, three to four times a day.

Homeopathy

After determining if your child is suffering from acute or chronic tonsillitis, a homeopath may recommend one of the following remedies: for inflamed tonsils, Belladonna, Hepar sulphuric, or Mercurius vivus; for chronic enlarged tonsils, Baryta carbonica or Calcarea carbonica.

Hydrotherapy

A hydrotherapist may recommend one or several of the following treatment techniques: tonsillar irrigation; a hot fomentation to the throat, neck, and mastoid; or a heating compress to the throat. Another remedy is known as warming socks: If your child’s feet are cold, let her soak them in warm water for five to 10 minutes. Next, soak a pair of cotton socks in cold water and wring them out thoroughly. Place the cold, wet socks on her feet and cover them with dry wool socks. Let her go to bed, being careful to keep her from getting chilled.

In the morning, the cotton socks should be dry.

Osteopathy

Osteopaths treat tonsillitis and tonsillar abscesses with the same surgical and drug therapies offered by conventional medical doctors but may also try gentle soft-tissue manipulation techniques to encourage lymphatic drainage.

Home Remedies

  • A salt-water gargle can relieve soreness. Dissolve ‘A tsp salt in a glass of warm water and let the child gargle as needed to ease pain. Tell your child not to swallow this solution.
  • Ice cream or frozen yogurt after a tonsillectomy will relieve soreness.
  • A cool-mist humidifier will increase moisture in the room and soothe a child’s sore throat. Aim the mist away from your child so that it does not spray directly at her face, and change her clothes if they become damp.

The Tonsils

Tonsils are lymph nodes at the back of the mouth on either side of the uvula, or soft palate. These small, pinkish lumps of tissue redden and swell when infected, and may develop gray or yellow spots. During an attack of tonsillitis, the glands around the neck under the jaw may feel swollen and tender.

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