SYMPTOMS
Inflammation
and possible infection of the tonsils and adenoids. If streptococcal bacteria
have caused the infection. It is called strep
throat. There is a sore throat with fever, lack of appetite, chills,
headache, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, nasal obstruction and discharge. The
lymph glands may become swollen. Symptoms continue for 24-72 hours; then they
gradually subside over 7-10 days. The tonsils may look red and enlarged; and
pus may be observed.
CAUSES
The tonsils
and adenoids are glands containing lymphatic tissue, located in the upper
throat. Both are part of the immune system; they protect the body, at the top
of the gastrointestinal tract, against infection. Each tonsil contains 200 million
lymphocytes. We will here primarily deal with tonsillitis; treatment for
adenitis is essentially the same. Strep throat also has the same treatment.
When the body’s resistance is lowered, viruses or bacteria (usually
streptococcal) set to work. And a diet
of processed and junk foods, that is high in carbohydrates and low in protein,
can also bring on this condition.
If streptococcal infection (strep throat) is
not present, then the throat condition is eliminated much quicker.
If not cared for properly, strep throat can
be potentially dangerous and can lead to rheumatic fever or meningitis.
Food
allergies weaken the body; usually cow’s
milk, chocolate, or too much white
flour or sugar products. Cow’s
milk and wheat are the two primary
allergens to beware of. Antibiotics
weaken the body more.
The more frequently this infection occurs,
the more difficult it is to eliminate. The tonsils become scarred from previous
inflammations.
Quinsy
is a peritonsillar abscess. It is an infection of the tonsil, between the
tonsil and the pharyngeal constrictor muscle. The solution is not a tonsillectomy,
but the care specified below.
NATURAL REMEDIES
- Cold applications to the throat may bring relief and
shorten the high point of the infection. This could be an ice collar or flannel wrung
out of cold water and frequently changed.
- Hot saltwater gargles will help. To increase blood circulation in the throat, do alternate hot and cold gargling.
- Gargle with golden-seal tea, drinking it as you do this (1 cup 3-4 times a day).
- Colloidal silver is an inexpensive and safe way to
treat sore throats.
- Place a heating compress on the throat at other times. Prepare a strip of cotton sheet (dipped and wrung out of cold water) in a strip of dry wool; and put this on the throat.
- Give a hot footbath, along with hot (5 minutes) and cold (5 minutes) cloths to the throat (2-3 times daily). Finish with a cold mitten friction to the whole body. Then immediately put him into a warm bed and let him rest.
- Drink plenty of liquids. Fresh juices are the best. Drink fruit juice, green drink, and lots of water. Avoid sugary, processed and junk foods. A cleansing juice fast, alternated with vegetable broths, for 3 days is helpful. Lemon or lime juice in warm water with honey and ginger will help the cleansing process. Peppermint tea will help settle the stomach.
- Maintain a high intake of vitamin C. It powerfully fights the infection and also produces interferon which does the same. Along with the light meals, include vitamin A, selenium and zinc.
- Dissolve in the mouth a charcoal tablet several times a day. It will both soothe the throat and combine with toxins, absorbing them.
- Catnip tea enemas are good for fevers.
- Golden-seal, Echinacea
and garlic act as antibiotics. Tea tree oil helps heal the throat infection. Fenugreek and comfrey loosens the mucus and carries it out of the body.
- ¼ tsp. of lobelia extract (swallowed every 2 hours) will help alleviate fever, pain, and swelling.
- Avoid people who smoke. Children whose parents are smokers have very high rates of tonsils infection.
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