You may feel two ball-like masses behind your throat if you touch the area beneath your ears gently. Those are called tonsils, two oval-shaped glands. They fight off bacteria and viruses that enter your body through your nose and mouth.
If your tonsils become infected, they can cause severe pain and other physical symptoms. This condition is called Tonsillitis, the inflammation of tonsils.
If you are here, you must want to know about Tonsillitis, it’s symptoms and home remedies for tonsils. Let’s go through it together.
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What is Tonsillitis?
We know about tonsils, the glands of pink tissue at the back of the throat. Tonsils act as filters, and trap germs from getting to the main organs of your body. Sometimes, tonsils become overwhelmed due to these germs and get infected.
The inflammation of these glands happen due to bacterial or viral infections, and they become sore and painful as a result. Tonsils are more prone to viral infections. Bacterial infections cause Tonsillitis in rare cases.
Tonsillitis occurs mostly in children and sometimes in adults.
How Do You Know If You Have Tonsillitis?
If you are having a sore throat or if your child has a painful and sore throat, the first indication behind it is Tonsillitis.
Main symptoms are swollen and inflamed throat, sometimes so unbearable that it makes it hard to breathe through the mouth. Other physical symptoms to look out for
- Throat pain, painful blisters or ulcers on your throat
- Fever, ear pain and headache
- A white or yellow coating on your tonsils
- Loss of appetite and trouble swallowing
- A scratchy or muffled voice
- Stiff neck
If you have a child who’s complaining of sore and painful throat, you must look out for extra symptoms like
- Upset stomach and stomach ache
- Vomiting and drooling
- Not wanting to eat or swallow
What are the Causes and Risk Factors Behind Tonsillitis?
As we discussed earlier, the main causes behind your tonsils getting infected are bacterias and viruses. One most common bacteria is Streptococcus bacteria, which also causes strep throat.
The risk factors behind Tonsillitis are young age and exposure to germs.
According to the top reviewed ENT Specialist in Islamabad, Dr. Muhammad Tariq “Children are more prone to infected tonsils, because of the young age. That’s because their immune system is in development, and their tonsils are primarily responsible for fighting the toxins.”
As you transition towards adulthood, your tonsils don’t have that responsibility anymore, and white blood cells generally control the immune system. That’s the reason Tonsillitis is rare in adulthood. It only happens when you are
- Living or working in close proximity to children
- Living in an urban environment with more exposure to viruses or bacteria
- With a weak immune system
- Living or working in close proximity to airborne pollutants e.g. smoke
- Living in colder climates
- Suffering from diabetes or cardiac disease
- Are obese or overweight
What are the Possible Treatments for Tonsillitis?
The treatments for Tonsillitis depend on the source of illness. If your test results show that a bacteria caused the infection, the doctor will recommend a course of antibiotics. These antibiotics can be in the form of injections or tablets. You will start to feel better within 2-3 days.
If the cause of infection is a virus, antibiotics won’t help. Your body will fight the infection on it’s own.
In severe cases, the infected tonsils are taken out through surgery.
Home Remedies for Tonsils
You must be thinking, can you treat Tonsillitis at home? Are there any foods for tonsils that you can consume, or home remedies for tonsils? Well, absolutely yes.
I’m sharing some home remedies for tonsils, that you can use to reduce the symptoms of Tonsillitis at home;
Drink Warm Liquids
If you drink warm liquids, you may find that it really helps with the throat infection. You can try soups, broth and herbal teas.
Take herbal tea with lemon or honey. The best thing about honey is its ability to form a protective layer in the mouth and throat, which might soothe irritation.
Get Plenty of Rest
Give yourself a complete rest. It is necessary so that your body heals well.
If you continue to go to work or other places with Tonsillitis, it will increase your chances of being ill for much longer. It can also put other people at the risk of catching the infection.
Do Saltwater Gargles
Doing gargles with warm salt water helps reduce the pain in your throat and soothe it. It reduces the inflammation and can help treat the infection.
Take a cup of warm water and add 1 ½ spoon of salt in it. Stir until the salt dissolves. Use this water for gargles. You may find instant relief from the throat pain and soreness.
Eat Cold Foods and Avoid Hard Foods
You may find it strange but eating cold foods is helpful in soothing the sore throat e.g. frozen yogurts, ice creams, popsicles, ice chips etc. The cold numbs the pain, and provides temporary relief from the pain.
At the same time, you should avoid eating hard foods e.g crackers, carrots, apples, toast. It can be uncomfortable and painful. These foods may scratch the throat, leading to more irritation and inflammation.
Create a Humid Environment for Yourself
If the air around you is dry, or if you are experiencing dry mouth due to Tonsillitis, you may get a humidifier. It adds moisture in the air, helping to ease the discomfort and soreness.
If you can’t arrange a humidifier, you can take steam. It will help with the painful throat as well.
Give Your Voice a Rest
Speaking, or even whispering, when your throat is swollen, puts a strain on the vocal cords. This causes increased irritation for your throat. The best thing to do is give your voice a rest.
Speak as little as possible.
A Last Word!
If you catch Tonsillitis, stay calm and take care of yourself. It’s nothing big to worry about. You can easily treat it with some simple remedies. Make sure to practice good hygiene habits, so that you don’t contract any such germs in the first place.
If you want to know more about Tonsillitis, you may consult the best ENT specialist in Lahore to guide you more about the health of your Tonsils. You can book an appointment via Healthwire.pk or you can call at (042) 32500989.
