Chronic Tonsillitis

Effectiveness of Ayurvec Ic Intervention in the Vanacement of Chronic Tonsillitis

- by Dr Shailaja U, Dr Prasanna N Rao, Dr Arun Raj GR

The tonsils are part of the immune system, which protects and helps the body to fight infections.' The tonsil tissues can become diseased with recurrent infections.2 When this happens, they lose their effectiveness in helping the immune system and actually become a source of recurrent infection. The typical presenting symptom of tonsillitis is a sudden-onset sore throat with associated features of pyrexia, odynophagia and tonsillar exudates which is common in the age group of 5-15 years.3 The patients affected with tonsillar infection presents with weight loss, daytime sleepiness, restless nighttime sleep, runny nose or upper respiratory tract infections, and noisy breathing. 

Examination of such children reveals enlarged tonsils that cause partial and intermittent upper-airway obstruction in young children, resulting in failure to thrive.4 The other symptoms are tonsillar erythema, enlargement, anterior cervical lymphadenopathy and referred otalgia, in addition to headache and halitosis. The recurrent attack of tonsillitis makes the disease chronic and vulnerable for infectious diseases.' Several health hazards like laryngeal oedema, acute otitis media, quinsy, rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart diseases are often seen.' Tonsillitis can be correlated to Tundikeri as per Ayurvedic purview which is one among the Talugataroga (diseases of palate) as well as Kanthagataroga (diseases of throat).' The manifestation of symptoms and its severity depends on its extent of involvement of Dosha-Dushya Sammurcchana. The line of management starts with Nidana Parivarjana and consecutively Samprapti Vighatana. The clinical features of Tundikeri like Kathina Shotha, Toda, Paka and Galoparodha are found in all patients along with halitosis and jugulo-digastric lymphadenopathy. The physician can decide the modality of treatment (medical, para surgical or surgical) after assessing the chronicity of the condition.