Homemade Remedies for Tonsillitis

by NeSSa

All About Throat & Tonsils!!

Throats and tonsils are very vulnerable to infection. The throat is the passage through which we take in air - either directly or through the nose. The air that we breathe contains many pollutants (e.g. cigarette smoke or environmental pollution) as well as viruses and bacteria that may infect us with the flu and other illnesses. Throats may become swollen, red and painful when viruses like the common cold or flu attack throat tissue. A bacterial condition commonly called 'strep throat' (caused by streptococcus bacteria) can also result in extremely sore throat and infected throat tissue.

The throat also contains our tonsils, which are two sacs of lymphatic tissue situated at the back of the throat. Tonsils are extremely important in protecting the body against infection and help to guard against inhaled or ingested organisms. They also produce antibodies which help to fight against nose and throat infections. They may easily become infected, especially in childhood.

Symptoms of tonsillitis include swollen tonsils, sore throat, difficulty swallowing, bad smelling breath, fever, listlessness, flushed cheeks and a glassy eyed look. Unfortunately recurring tonsillitis often leads to a tonsillectomy (surgical removal of the tonsils). Although doctors these days are more aware of the important role of the tonsils in immune functioning and children's tonsils are not whipped out quite as readily as they once were, this is still fairly standard practice for children who suffer from recurring bouts of tonsillitis and is one of the most common surgical procedures performed on children. Once the tonsils have been removed, children lose a very important line of defense against infection and may be more susceptible to viral and bacterial infections, as well as allergies. It is therefore important to be sure that there are no other options before agreeing to a tonsillectomy.

What Are Tonsils?

Tonsils are two clumps of tissue, on either side of the throat, embedded in a pocket at the side of the palate (roof of the mouth).  The lower edge of each tonsil is beside the tongue...way in the back of the throat.  The adenoids are a single clump of tissue in the back of the nose (nasopharynx).  They are located (in the adult) on the back wall of the throat (pharynx)...about one inch above the uvula (the little teardrop shaped piece of tissue that hangs down in the middle of the soft palate).

What Is Tonsillitis?

Tonsillitis is an infection of the tonsils. It is caused by either a virus or a bacterium (usually the bacterium known as streptococcus - the same bacterium that causes "strep throat"). Tonsillitis mostly occurs in young children.

How Are Throat Infections & 

Tonsillitis Treated?

For sore throat caused by viral infection like colds or flu, treatment usually involves OTC (over the counter) medicines like pain killers and lozenges to suck until the infection clears. Strep throat and tonsillitis are usually treated by antibiotics. While antibiotics can quickly clear the infection within a couple of days, regular use can weaken the immune system and result in recurring infections.

It is important that strep throat and tonsillitis are treated as they can lead to further infections elsewhere in the body. However, it is also important to know that antibiotics and OTC remedies are not the only options for treating these conditions. There are many effective natural alternatives to OTC medicines and antibiotics routinely prescribed for strep throat and tonsillitis. Natural herbal and homeopathic remedies can help to safely reduce the symptoms of these conditions, clear the infection, cut recovery time and also strengthen the immune system to prevent recurring infection.

The Natural Way

A lot can be done to sustain a healthy throat and tonsils naturally. It is a good idea to support your immune system to keep it functioning as it should. This can be done by following a diet rich in essential minerals and vitamins, taking part in regular moderate exercise and getting plenty of good quality sleep. A little bit of sun (for vitamin D) and plenty of fresh air are also beneficial. Many herbal teas (with a teaspoon of honey) can help to soothe the throat. A scarf can keep the vocal chords and tonsils protected during chilly weather, as can a gargle of peppermint or warm lemon water.

Tonsillitis treatment using Lime

Lime is one of the most effective remedies in the treatment of acute tonsillitis. A fresh lime squeezed in a glass of warm water, with four teaspoons of honey and a quarter teaspoon of common salt, should be sipped slowly in such cases

Tonsillitis treatment using Milk

 

Milk has been found valuable in tonsillitis. A glass of pure boiled milk, mixed with a pinch uf turmeric powder and pepper powder, should be taken every night for three nights in the treatment of this condition. It will bring beneficial results.

Tonsillitis treatment using Vegetable Juices

Juices of carrot, beet, and cucumber, taken individually or in combination, are especially beneficial. The formula proportion recommended, when used in combination is 300 ml of carrot juice, 100 ml of beet juice, and 100 ml of cucumber juice

Tonsillitis treatment using Banafsha Flowers

Banafsha flowers, botanically known as Viola odorata, are beneficial in the treatment of tonsillitis. About 12 gm of these flowers should be boiled in 50 ml of milk. This milk should be taken hot after being filtered. The filtered banafsha can also be lightly fried in clarified butter and worn round the throat as a poultice at night

Tonsillitis treatment using Fenugreek Seeds

A gargle made from fenugreek seeds is very effective in severe cases of tonsillitis. To make such a gargle, two tablespoons of fenugreek seeds should be allowed to simmer for half an hour in a litre of water and then set aside to cool. The entire quantity should be used the same day as a soothing gargle. It will have beneficial results

Tonsillitis Diet

To begin with, the patient should fast for three to five days, by which time the serious symptoms should subside. Nothing but water and orange juice should be taken during this time

Water and orange juice combination

All-fruit diet

After the acute symptoms of tonsillitis are over, the patient should adopt an all-fruit diet for the next three or four days. Thereafter he may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet, with emphasis on seeds, nuts, grains, vegetables, and fruits

Avoid spices, condiments and sour substances

The patient should avoid spices and condiments as they tend to irritate the throat. Sour substances like yoghurt, buttermilk, and fried foods should also be avoided

Warm-water enema and exercises

Daily dry friction and a hip bath, as well as breathing and other exercises, should all form part of the daily health regimen. The bowels should be cleansed daily with a warm-water enema during the period of fasting.

Cold pack and Hot Epsom salts bath

A cold pack should be applied to the throat at two-hourly intervals during the day. A hot Epsom salts bath taken everyday or every other day will also be beneficial.

These remedies should be followed often!Hope The above info helped you ppl:)

Why Drinking Too Much Water Is Dangerous

by NeSSa

Hey Ppl
As the topic above says...given below are the reasons why drinking too much water can be proved Harmful!
Yes, We have always heard Drinking plenty of water is good for us,But Excess of it can be much more dangerous than we think.

On January 12, 2007, a 28-year old Californian wife and mother of three children died from drinking too much water. Her body was found in her home shortly after she took part in a water-drinking contest that was sponsored by a local radio show. Entitled "Hold Your Wee For A Wii," the contest promoters promised a free Wii video game machine to the contestant who drank the most water without urinating.

It is estimated that the woman who died drank approximately 2 gallons of water during the contest. When she and other contestants complained of discomfort and showed visible signs of distress, they were laughed at by the promoters and even heckled.

This tragic news story highlights the importance of understanding why drinking too much water can be dangerous to your health.

Whenever you disregard your sense of thirst and strive to ingest several glasses of water a day just because you have been told that doing so is good for your health, you actually put unnecessary strain on your body in two major ways:

1. Ingesting more water than you need can increase your total blood volume. And since your blood volume exists within a closed system - your blood circulatory system - needlessly increasing your blood volume on a regular basis puts unnecessary burden on your heart and blood vessels.
2. Your kidneys must work overtime to filter excess water out of your blood circulatory system. Your kidneys are not the equivalent of a pair of plumbing pipes whereby the more water you flush through your kidneys, the cleaner they become; rather, the filtration system that exists in your kidneys is composed in part by a series of specialized capillary beds called glomeruli. Your glomeruli canget damaged by unnecessary wear and tear over time, and drowning your system with large amounts of water is one of many potential causes of said damage.

Putting unnecessary burden on your cardiovascular system and your kidneys by ingesting unnecessary water is a subtle process. For the average person, it is virtually impossible to know that this burden exists, as there are usually no obvious symptoms on a moment-to-moment basis. But make no mistake about it: this burden is real and can hurt your health over the long term.

Forcing your body to accept a large amount of water within a short period of time - say, an hour or two - as several contestants did during the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest can be fatally dangerous to your health. Here's why:

If you force large amounts of water into your system over a short period of time, your kidneys will struggle to eliminate enough water from your system to keep the overall amount at a safe level.

As your blood circulatory system becomes diluted with excess water, the concentration of electrolytes in your blood will drop relative to the concentration of electrolytes in your cells. In an effort to maintain an equal balance of electrolytes between your blood and your cells, water will seep into your cells from your blood, causing your cells to swell.

If this swelling occurs in your brain, the bones that make up your skull hardly budge. The result is an increase in intracranial pressure i.e. your brain gets squeezed. Depending on how much water your drink in a short period of time, you could experience a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from a mild headache to impaired breathing. And as occurred recently in the tragic water-drinking contest, it is quite possible to die if you drink enough water in a short enough period of time.

This information is particularly important for parents to pass on to their children. Foolish water-drinking contests are not uncommon among high school and university students, especially while playing cards.

So how much water should you drink to best support your health?

The answer to this question depends on your unique circumstances, including your diet, exercise habits, and environment.

If you eat plenty of foods that are naturally rich in water, such as vegetables, fruits, and cooked legumes and whole grains, you may not need to drink very much water at all. If you do not use much or any salt and other seasonings, your need for drinking water goes down even further.

Conversely, if you do not eat a lot of plant foods and/or you add substantial salt and spices to your meals, you may need to drink several glasses of water every day.

Regardless of what your diet looks like, if you sweat on a regular basis because of exercise or a warm climate, you will need to supply your body with more water (through food and/or liquids) than someone who does not sweat regularly.

Ultimately, the best guidance I can provide on this issue is to follow your sense of thirst. Some people believe that thirst is not a reliable indicator of how much water you need, since many people suffer with symptoms related to dehydration and don't seem to feel a need to drink water on a regular basis. My experience has been that most people who are chronically dehydrated have learned to ignore a parched mouth. If you ask such people if they are thirsty and would like a piece of fruit or a glass of water, they will almost always realize that they are indeed thirsty.

Some people suggest observing the color of your urine as a way of looking out for dehydration. The idea is that clear urine indicates that you are well hydrated, while yellow urine indicates that you need more water in your system. While this advice is somewhat useful, it is important to remember that some chemicals (like synthetic vitamins) and heavily pigmented foods (like red beets) can add substantial color to your urine. Thumbs down for synthetic vitamins, and thumbs up for red beets and other richly colored vegetables and fruits.

The main idea that I wish to share through this article is to beware of mindlessly drinking several glasses of water per day without considering your diet, exercise habits, climate, and sense of thirst. And when you do find yourself in need of water, remember that you can get it from liquids and/or whole foods.

Please share this article with family and friends, as many people are regularly misinformed on this topic by mainstream media and health practitioners.

There are a variety of reasons to drink plenty of water each day. Adequate water intake prevents dehydration, cleans out the body, and promotes healing processes. Substituting water for beverages high in calories can also help control weight. Follow the steps below to make sure you're getting enough of this most basic necessity.

Drink water before, with and after every meal; it will help you to prevent overeating and obesity. Eat slowly, drink water and you will get satisfied with less food. But as with everything, be careful and don't overdo it. Drinking too much water can be toxic, so exercise moderation. Water is not a substitute for food, and you can indeed cause severe health issues if you drink too much water daily, including severe heart and endocrine system problems. And make sure that you consult your physician before you make any radical lifestyle changes!

Determine how much water you need.At least 3 litres of water one adult should intake - but the amount of water a person needs varies depending on his or her weight, activity level and climate. Another way to determine your specific recommended water intake is to divide your weight (in pounds) by two. The resulting number is the number of ounces of water you need each day. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs., strive to drink 75 ounces of water daily. For those who use the Metric system, divide your weight (in kilograms) by 30 (ex. somebody weighing 70 kg is going to need 2.3 liters per day). Keep in mind that these recommended intake numbers are controversial and some experts believe they are a gross exaggeration. See "warnings" below for more information.

              Measure your daily intake of water. 

Do this for a few days. If you find that you're drinking less than the recommended quantity, try some of the following tips:

• Learn to acquire a taste for water.
  
  
• Carry water with you everywhere put it in a bottle or other container.
  
  
• Keep a glass or cup of water next to you whenever you'll be sitting down for a long time, such as when you're at your desk at work. Drink from it regularly as you're working.

Try wearing a digital watch that beeps at the beginning of each hour.

 Use that as a reminder to pour yourself a glass of water. Vow to drink that water before the next beep. If you drink only one small (6 ounce or 180 ml) cup per hour, you'll have consumed 48 ounces (1.4 liters) by the end of an 8-hour workday.

Get a water purification system.

 Purified water tastes very good and may help make drinking water more appealing to you. Be aware, though, that as you grow accustomed to purified water, you may find that tap water leaves a bad taste in your mouth, even though it may be better for your teeth.[1] Keep in mind that fluoride, found in small quantities in tap water, is necessary for strong, healthy teeth. [2] Fortunately, no water filter removes the fluoride. You'd have to use reverse osmosis, distillation, or an expensive filter specific to removing fluoride. But don't do any of that. Fluoride in the saliva bathes the teeth and prevents dental decay!

Add lemons or limes to your water. This makes it taste better and makes you want to drink more of it. Be careful not to make it too sour; just a splash of sourness should do the trick. Cucumber slices can also be added to a glass of water. Some mint leaves can be added to a pitcher of water which should be allowed to sit overnight. These are cheap alternatives to the bottled flavored water. If you do choose bottled flavored water, check the ingredients, as these are likely closer in form to lemon- or limeade than they are to water.

Eat water rich foods, such as fruits like watermelon, which is 92% water by weight. Blend up some seedless fresh watermelon flesh with some ice and place a few sprigs of mint (optional) - one of the most refreshing drinks, especially for the summertime. Cranberry juice is also another option, and has a bitter taste. Patients suffering from urinary infection caused by insufficient intake of water should drink cranberry juice and eat watermelon if not plain water everyday. A tomato is 95% water. An egg is about 74% water. Always drink water before, with and after your meals; it will help you to eat slowly and prevent overeating

Keep water cold if it tastes better for you. Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator at home. Add ice or freeze water in a sports bottle before taking it with you, it will eventually melt and stay cold. Bear in mind that cold water takes energy for your body to regulate the temperature, and does burn some calories. Room temperature water is better if you're dehydrated. Your body can absorb the room temperature water immediately, instead of the body having to raise the temperature of the water first in order to process it.

Climate can drastically change how much water you need. On hot days that require you to be outside, you should drink more water to counteract the fluids you lose when you sweat.This not only keeps your body hydrated, it can prevent heat-related illness. Just as important (but often overlooked) is consuming enough fluids in cold & wet conditions. The human body works much more efficiently (including heating and cooling) when properly hydrated. Inadequate water intake affects the brain's function first, which can become very dangerous (especially in extreme conditions).

Purchase a bottle the size of your water goal. 

Purchase a water bottle that holds the amount of water you wish to drink each day. Try to drink the water slowly through out the day. If you don't drink it all, don't try to chug it at the end of the day. This will allow you to easily see how much water you are consuming.







Live a Healthy Life by Living RIGHT!!