Sore throat is often accompanied by several other symptoms. These symptoms may differ depending on the source of the discomfort. The sufferer can manifest difficulty in swallowing, pain, tonsil inflammation, feeling of scratchiness and dryness, or a hoarse voice. The symptoms can be the result of an infection which may lead to added symptoms such as feelings of nausea, body aches, headache, fever, and cough. If after a week or more, the symptoms are still there, or if they frequently come back, it’s then imperative to consult with your doctor.
Tonsillitis means that your tonsils are Inflamed. This condition may the result of a viral or bacterial infection. A bacteria known as streptococcus is one the most common causes of tonsillitis. The herpes simplex virus and the virus that causes influenza are often the culprits in virus-caused tonsillitis. A patient with tonsillitis may manifest coating on the tonsils, fever, headache, blisters in the throat, and swollen lymph nodes and glands. Treatment for bacteria-caused tonsillitis usually involves the use of antibiotics.
Tonsils are tissues that produce antibodies and thus, are important parts of the immune system that help ward off infection. They also prevent toxins from going through the respiratory system. For severe and frequently recurring tonsillitis, surgery is performed to remove the tonsils. This used to be the most common way of treating tonsillitis but it is now only used for the aforementioned reasons.
Tonsillitis was listed by the World Health Organization 25 years ago, as a condition that is treatable with acupuncture. A 1987 controlled study involving 220 subjects revealed that tonsillitis symptoms can be relieved by acupuncture. The alleviation of sore throat and fever in particular, was achieved in the test group than in the control group.
The University of Heidelberg, Department of Otorhinolaryngology conducted a study in 2009 which demonstrated that the duration of post-tonsillectomy pain relief was greatly lengthened with acupuncture therapies. Patients who have received acupuncture treatment had a longer duration (three hours longer, on average) of relief of post-surgical swallowing pain than the patients who have taken NSAIDS or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The study also concluded that specific acupuncture protocols are effective in cases where patients cannot tolerate the NSAID drugs.
When treating tonsillitis, the acupuncturist will address the pattern of excess toxin and heat that causes swelling. This swelling can result in blockages in the lung meridians causing stagnation in blood and qi. If this is the case, the stagnation can result in the swelling of the lymph nodes. For patients with different sore throat conditions, their acupuncturist may come up with a diagnosis such as yin deficiency or an invasion of wind heat.