Contents
General description of the disease
Tonsillitis is a disease during which the tonsils (mainly palatine) become inflamed. It is the most common infectious disease affecting the upper respiratory tract.
The reasons for the appearance and methods of infection with tonsillitis
The tonsils help keep viruses and bacteria from entering the respiratory tract. But, with prolonged exposure to infections and with a frequent course of inflammatory processes, due to improper treatment or its absence, the tonsils themselves become the cause of many problems of an infectious nature.
The main causative agent of tonsillitis is considered hemolytic streptococcal infection, belonging to group A. More rare cases of infection are found with mycoplasmas, streptococci, staphylococci, enterococci, chlamydia.
Tonsillitis can also develop due to dental problems, low immunity, due to frequent colds, tonsillitis, malnutrition, exhausting work and constant overwork, hypothermia. Tonsillitis can be provoked by any one factor, and maybe a group of reasons.
Infection of a person occurs by airborne droplets from an infected person to a healthy person or simply from a carrier of the infection, who has an asymptomatic course of the inflammatory process.
Types and symptoms of tonsillitis
This disease can be worn acute or chronic nature.
Acute tonsillitis popularly called angina. In acute course, the lymphatic pharyngeal ring and tonsils located between the tongue and palate (they are also called “paired palatine tonsils” or “first and second tonsils”) are exposed to inflammation.
Angina or acute tonsillitis is divided into several types. Allocate:
- catarrhal sore throat – the disease is rapidly gaining momentum, the patient has a sore throat, a burning sensation and pain when swallowing, the temperature is kept at 37,5-38 degrees, with a visual examination the tonsils are noticeably enlarged, they can be covered with a white film, the tongue is dry, the lymph nodes are enlarged, all these symptoms disappear within 5 days;
- follicular – the initial stage of the disease is occupied by a rapidly rising temperature to a level of 39, then a sore throat appears, radiating to the ear, intoxication appears: a headache, aches in the lower back, joints, the patient has a fever, the lymph nodes and spleen increase, if the child is ill, vomiting is added to all this , diarrhea, weakness and clouding of consciousness; a large number of white or yellow dots (follicles) appear on the tonsils; the duration of the disease – up to a week;
- lacunar – proceeds, like follicular, only more complicated (instead of dots on the tonsils, large pieces of film are observed, which forms after bursting purulent follicles), this angina is treated for about 7 days;
- fibrinous – it has a characteristic whole coating of the surface of the tonsils with a white film (in most cases part of the palate is also covered), this type of sore throat grows out of the lacunar form, but the film may appear in the first few hours of the disease (in this case, a person has a strong intoxication of the body, up to before brain damage);
- herpetic – such a sore throat is typical for children, the causative agent is the Coxsackie virus, the disease is very contagious, begins with chills, fever, red bubbles appear on the back of the pharynx, palatine arches and the tonsils themselves, which burst after 3 days, after which the mucous surface becomes normal ;
- phlegmonous – this is a rare type of angina, only one amygdala is affected (it is greatly enlarged, tense), the patient’s temperature rises to 40 degrees, the soft palate becomes immobile, the pharynx becomes asymmetric, the tongue shifts towards the healthy tonsil, the lymph nodes increase several times , touching them causes strong painful sensations;
- ulcerative necrotizing sore throat – the most prolonged type of angina, not accompanied by an increase in body temperature; the patient develops necrosis of the surface of one of the two tonsils (it arises due to the symbiosis of the spirochete and the fusiform stick), while the person has a feeling of a foreign body when swallowing, salivation increases, the smell of rotting from the mouth is heard, the lymph nodes increase (only regional and only from the affected tonsil); the disease lasts 2-3 weeks, sometimes the healing process can be delayed for several months.
Under chronic tonsillitis imply a prolonged inflammatory process occurring in the palatine and pharyngeal tonsils. Appears after a previous sore throat, diphtheria, scarlet fever.
Chronic tonsillitis can be simple (a person is worried about a sore throat, the tonsils are slightly enlarged and reddened) and toxic-allergic (if cervical lymphadenitis is added to the local symptoms, changes occur in the work of the heart, kidneys, joints and the temperature rises).
Useful foods for tonsillitis
With tonsillitis, food should be fortified, reducing allergic reactions, relieving the inflammatory process, but at the same time sparing the throat and high in calories. The patient’s body should receive the proper amount of fats, proteins, an increased amount of vitamins of group B, C, P, calcium salts. In this case, it is worth limiting the use of table salt and carbohydrates.
All meals should be consumed steamed, boiled or stewed. The emphasis should be on liquid food or food that is not difficult to chew and swallow. Therefore, it is recommended to use soups, jelly, compotes, vegetable purees, ginger tea.
Any food should be consumed warm (it warms up the tonsils, relieves inflammation and kills germs).
It is better to replace sugar with honey during the period of illness, and warm up the milk a little before taking it.
The diet should contain non-fatty meat, fish, milk and dairy products, pasta, cereals, fruits, vegetables and freshly squeezed juices from them, a decoction of rose hips, wheat bran, and a drink made from yeast.
You need to eat at least 5 times a day. The patient should have a plentiful, warm drink (thanks to him, sweating increases, which means that the temperature decreases, moreover, toxins are excreted from the body with urine).
Compliance with the diet of the table number 5 corresponds to all of the above requirements.
Traditional medicine for tonsillitis
If surgical treatment of tonsillitis in a patient is not indicated, in addition to conservative methods, traditional medicine can also be used.
- One of the old and often used remedies for tonsillitis is considered by the people to be refined kerosene. For 10 days, they need to smear the diseased tonsils. To do this, wrap cotton wool on a stick, moisten it with kerosene, squeeze a little. First, you should press the tongue with a spoon, and then proceed to lubricate the tonsils. It is better to carry out such treatment with the help of another person, because one is very uncomfortable and because of this, difficulties may arise.
- It is necessary to rinse your mouth every 2 hours. Decoctions of chamomile, calendula, violet, linden, oregano, oak bark, marshmallow, sage, fennel, celandine are well suited for rinsing. These decoctions must also be consumed internally. In addition, you can rinse the mouth with ready-made pharmacy alcoholic tinctures of elecasol or rotocan.
- Beet infusion is popularly considered to be an effective rinse aid. To do this, take a red beet, thoroughly wash it with a brush, rub it on a grater, place it in a saucepan, fill it with water (a 1: 1 ratio must be observed). Cook for an hour, cover tightly and let it brew for 8 hours. After that, rinse your mouth.
- You should drink carrot, cucumber and beet juice. For this, a special mixture of them is prepared. 150 milliliters of carrot juice is mixed with 50 milliliters of cucumber and 50 milliliters of beetroot juice. This drink is drunk once a day. The resulting mixture of juices is prepared in one go.
- To increase the body’s immune defense, they drink lemon juice with honey, decoctions with viburnum, currants, sea buckthorn, currants, strawberries, wild garlic.
- An indispensable tool in the treatment of tonsillitis is propolis. You can simply chew it, eat it with butter (propolis should be 10 times less than butter, while the one-time norm of the mixture is 10 grams, it is required to eat it before meals three times a day).
- Also, you can lubricate the tonsils with fir and sea buckthorn oil.
For tonsillitis, DO NOT do any cervical compresses. They will increase blood flow to the tonsils and cause swelling. But compresses can be applied to the regional lymph nodes. They will help relieve inflammation in them.
Hardening is considered the best prophylactic against tonsillitis.
Dangerous and harmful foods for tonsillitis
- foods enriched with essential oils (pepper, garlic, radish, horseradish);
- dishes with extractive substances (rich meat, fish broth, pickled dishes, herring, jellied meat);
- table salt, sugar;
- alcohol, sweet soda, kvass;
- food that irritates mucous membranes (spicy and smoked dishes, salted fish and meat, seasonings, spices, peppers, pickled vegetables);
- fried foods;
- foods to which the patient is allergic;
- food that is too dry and throaty (chips, crackers, snacks, croutons, crispbread, stale bread);
- too hot or cold drinks and food.
Products from this list will only irritate the mucous membrane, which will increase the sore throat, and some solid food can even damage the surface of the tonsils when swallowing. Hot food and drinks will only cause blood flow to the tonsils and cause them to become even more swollen and swollen.
Attention!
The administration is not responsible for any attempt to use the information provided, and does not guarantee that it will not harm you personally. The materials cannot be used to prescribe treatment and make a diagnosis. Always consult your specialist doctor!