What is the reason for this difference in approaches in the practice of Russian doctors and their colleagues from other countries?
First of all, the criteria on the basis of which the diagnosis of chronic tonsillitis is made are very different. In Russian medical practice, this diagnosis is often made based on an examination of the throat, even without assessing the patient’s history. In the practice of doctors from European countries, Japan, and the USA, such a diagnosis is rarely made, and based on a number of signs.
Patients who have been diagnosed with this can often hear about a “locus of chronic infection”, the risk of developing other diseases due to the fact that dangerous bacteria spread from the palatine tonsils to other organs and systems. Today this medical concept is outdated. Numerous studies and meta-studies have shown that only one disease has a risk of spreading beyond the tonsils - tonsillitis or, in scientific terms, “streptococcal acute tonsillitis”.
Sore throat is a disease caused by certain bacteria that are easily transmitted from person to person. If a patient suffers from tonsillitis more than 2-3 times a year for several years, the tonsils need to be removed. This is the only measure that, from the standpoint of modern science, can help the patient in this situation and negate the risks of developing other diseases.
Rinsing the tonsils does not reduce the risk of developing tonsillitis.
How can you gargle to remove bad breath? Folk and medical remedies
Gargling helps relieve bad breath from the throat. You can use special medicinal solutions, for example, furatsilin or rotokan. It is recommended to rinse not only the mouth cavity with such solutions, but also the throat itself several times a day. Furacilin or rotokan must be used daily for a week.
The drug Miramistin is another effective remedy that eliminates inflammatory processes and a specific odor. Typically, this solution is prescribed for sore throats: it has a powerful antibacterial effect. It can be used in the form of a spray, as well as in the form of rinses.
Folk remedies can also help get rid of unpleasant odors. So, you can regularly treat the oral cavity with chamomile decoction, which will not only eliminate the odor, but also relieve the inflammatory process.
A decoction of sage has a similar effect. To enhance the effect, it is recommended to add a few drops of tea tree essential oil to the herbal decoction, which will also perfectly disinfect the oral cavity.
Please note that with this phenomenon, you can not only gargle, but also wash out purulent plugs (if any) from the syringe, and you can use regular saline solution or miramistin
Why then wash the tonsils?
Usually the reason for washing is the so-called “plugs” or tonsillitis. Among patients and, unfortunately, often among doctors, there is a belief that these “traffic jams” are manifestations of a chronic infection. Sometimes you can hear the term “purulent plugs”. This description is incorrect. Indeed, in the lacunae (pores) of the palatine tonsils, food debris, calcium salts, dead and obsolete cells of the palatine tonsils and bacteria that normally live in the oral cavity sometimes accumulate. Together they form a white conglomerate, usually dense. Tonsilloliths themselves are not a sign of any disease. In the event that they physically interfere with the patient, as a rule, proper independent care of the oral cavity and teeth is sufficient.
Diagnostics
Traffic jams in themselves are not a disease, but only its consequence.
It is necessary to determine the causes and treatment of the disease that provoked the formation of a plug in the tonsils. You can independently detect a blockage in the tonsils by examining your own throat and comparing it with photographs showing what the blockages look like.
An otolaryngologist only needs to look at the patient's throat to make a diagnosis.
The doctor will also interview the patient, paying attention to symptoms. Additionally, an ultrasound and a throat smear may be required to determine the nature of stones in the lacunae
The problem of congestion in the tonsils in children is solved by a pediatrician - a pediatrician or a pediatric otolaryngologist. After an examination, the doctor prescribes treatment that will help both get rid of the tonsil blockage and prevent their reoccurrence.
For an experienced doctor, identifying tonsillitis is not particularly difficult. The disease is accompanied by redness and swelling of the tonsils, the presence of plugs with an unpleasant odor in their lacunae, and enlarged lymph nodes located on the neck near the ears.
But, since the causative agent of pathology can be a variety of microorganisms, it is important to determine which one among them caused the disease. After identifying the pathogen, it becomes clear to the doctor which medicine is best to use to combat a particular microorganism
Therefore, if tonsillitis appears, you should definitely consult a doctor and undergo all the necessary tests. A blood test will indicate the presence of the disease by the following indicators:
- Increased level of leukocytes (up to 20*109/l or more).
- Increase in ESR (up to 40-50 mm/hour).
- A large number of immature leukocytes.
What to do if your throat constantly hurts? Is this an infection?
No, persistent sore throat is most often caused by non-infectious causes. The most common cause is acid from the stomach entering the back of the throat through the esophagus. This condition is medically called gastroesophageal, or extraesophageal, reflux. This is a very common illness that can occur without abdominal pain or heartburn. If heartburn occurs constantly and your throat often hurts, then the connection between these events is obvious and you need to deal with this particular problem, and not try to cure your throat.
How to prevent odor?
Regular preventive measures will help prevent or remove bad breath:
Everyday hygiene procedures in the morning and evening - brushing your teeth for at least 4-5 minutes, cleaning your tongue with a special scraper, using rinses, using an irrigator, floss or brush. A toothpaste with a therapeutic effect and a brush with a hardness that matches the sensitivity of your teeth. After each meal (even light snacks), floss, rinse your mouth, and after hard foods, brush your teeth additionally. Compliance with the drinking regime - drink at least 2.5 liters of liquid (filtered water, still mineral water). Balance your diet - a minimum of fatty, spicy, salty foods, a maximum of healthy, vitamin-rich foods. Give up bad habits - smoking, drinking alcohol. Make it a rule to get examined by a dentist once every six months. At the first sign of a stale aroma, pay attention, after which it appears. If the smell does not go away, go to the doctor for a consultation so as not to miss a serious pathology. In the presence of chronic diseases, it is necessary to carry out a course of medical therapy under the supervision of the attending physician, so as not to bring the body to a critical state. The problem of bad breath haunts almost the entire population of the world
It is often quite simple to deal with it by brushing your teeth with a refreshing paste on your toothbrush. However, in some situations, if the smell thins out the aroma of rot, this is quite difficult to do. This disease is called halitosis, and by its nature it causes its owner not pain, but psychological problems, sometimes leading to depression.
The problem of bad breath plagues almost the entire population of the world. It is often quite simple to deal with it by brushing your teeth with a refreshing paste on your toothbrush. However, in some situations, if the smell thins out the aroma of rot, this is quite difficult to do. This disease is called halitosis, and by its nature it causes its owner not pain, but psychological problems, sometimes leading to depression.
That is why the putrid smell should be gotten rid of immediately in order to lead a normal personal life and good communication. To do this, the first thing you should do is find out the root cause of such an unpleasant odor and the possibility of curing it.
Tonsillitis bad breath how to deal with it
An unpleasant odor is a consequence, but we must fight the cause. Therefore, if a problem occurs, you should visit a doctor who will prescribe appropriate treatment. The following methods can be used at home:
- cleaning the mouth, tongue and teeth;
- regular mouth rinsing;
- cleaning the sinuses and tonsils.
Removing tonsil plugs at home is dangerous; you need to visit a doctor who will do it professionally and without threatening your health. Gargles also help remove purulent stones from the throat and get rid of unpleasant odor. Although this takes time. You should rinse your mouth regularly - 3-6 times a day. What means are used:
- Salt and soda. Dose - half a teaspoon per glass of warm water. Water should be taken purified.
- Herbal decoctions. Many herbs have antiseptic and antibacterial effects. They can be used separately and in herbal preparations. The most effective plants: chamomile, linden, St. John's wort, celandine, plantain. Pour a glass of boiling water over a spoonful of the plant, let it brew and strain.
- Pharmacy drugs. Use: chlorine dioxide, sodium chloride solution with zinc, furatsilin. Furacilin is sold in tablet form. Before use, one tablet should be thoroughly crushed and completely dissolved in a glass of water.
Lubricating the tonsils with Lugol's solution will help get rid of the unpleasant odor. This procedure will temporarily eliminate halitosis and reduce bacterial activity. In the doctor's office, you can perform a procedure for washing the lacunae using special medications. But all these procedures are ineffective if the main source of infection is not treated. Therefore, depending on the pathogen, the doctor prescribes antibiotics, physiotherapeutic procedures and homeopathic medicines. If the disease is very advanced and drug therapy does not produce results, the only option is surgery:
- complete removal of tonsils;
- partial removal of affected areas of the tonsils;
- cryotherapy is the effect of low temperatures on the tonsils, as a result of which diseased cells die.
Unfortunately, in some cases, even surgery is useless. This happens when the infection has spread not only to the tonsils, but to other organs and tissues.
