The tonsils are soft tissue masses which are located at the back of your throat, usually at the pharynx. The tonsils are masses which are part of the lymphatic system that helps fight infections. However, tonsils can themselves become inflamed and cause a lot of pain. Tonsillectomy is a procedure to remove the tonsils and relieve pain.

Why is tonsillectomy performed?
A few decades back, tonsillectomy was a routine surgery performed to relieve any pain within the tonsils. This method of treatment however has changed over the past few decades as pain medications for inflammation have improved vastly. However, tonsillitis is still performed in many cases wherein it tends to cause acute problems. Some of the cases it is applicable in are:

Chronic bad breath problems caused by recurrent inflammation of the tonsils
Recurrent sore throats caused by tonsillitis
It is also done along with dental surgery for correcting teeth with imperfect positioning
Abscess formation in the mouth
Upper airway being obstructed due to inflammation, thus causing difficulty with sleeping, snoring, or causing sleep apnea (irregular breathing during sleep)
Ear infections being regularly caused by inflammation of the tonsils
Other reasons why it may be recommended
Tonsillectomy may be also be recommended when there are no indications of problems but tonsillitis and other infections keep cropping up too regularly. This affects children and can make them sick or keep them in pain regularly. Some of these other indications are mentioned below:

Tonsil infections and inflammations happening too frequently within a year
Tonsillitis is caused by bacterial infection wherein the antibiotics aren t effective
Formation of pus in the form of an abscess within or around the tonsils which keep forming even after repeated drainage or administering antibiotics
Possible complications and risks
Like any other form of surgery, tonsillectomy has certain risks associated with it as well. However, these are very rare. Some of these risks and complications are mentioned as follows  

Swelling of the mouth: The tongue and the soft palate or the roof of the mouth may swell, resulting in breathing difficulties an few hours after the surgery.
Infection: As is the case with any surgery, infections may occur in rare cases, which may require further treatment.
Adverse reactions to anesthetics: Many patients exhibit an adverse reaction to anesthetics and may develop symptoms such as a headache, nausea, muscle soreness and frequent vomiting.
Bleeding during surgery or healing: Although it is rare, bleeding during and after surgery has been reported after all sorts of procedures and it may occur with tonsillectomy as well.

Tonsillectomy - When Should You Go For It?

Acute sinusitis (acute rhinosinusitis) causes your nasal passages (sinuses) to become inflamed and swollen. This interferes with drainage and causes mucus to build up. It is difficult to breathe, area around your eyes and face may be swollen. Acute sinusitis is most often caused by the common cold. Other triggers are allergies, bacterial and fungal infections.

These self-help steps can help relieve sinusitis symptoms:
1. Get good rest. This will help your body fight infection and speed recovery.
2. Drink plenty of fluids: Like, water or juice. This will help dilute mucous secretions and promote drainage. Avoid beverages that contain caffeine or alcohol, as they can be dehydrating. 
3. Sleep with your head elevated. This will help your sinuses drain, reducing congestion.
4. Moisten your sinus cavities: Drape a towel over your head as you breathe in the vapour from a bowl of hot water. Or take a hot shower. This will help ease pain and help mucus drain.
5. Apply warm compresses to your face. Place warm, damp towels around your nose, cheeks and eyes to ease facial pain.

Click on consult privately to ask me any questions regarding Sinus or other ENT-related issues.

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Top 5 Sinus-Relief Home Remedies 

Laryngitis is basically referred to the inflammation of the voice box or the larynx. It is mainly caused due to infections, which are either viral or bacterial or even fungal. If it is caused due to viral infections, laryngitis may be contagious. Some of the other causes of this disease include the following:

Overuse of voice
Allergies
Acid reflux disease
Smoking
Alcohol intake
Larynx is said to be acute or even chronic. Acute laryngitis is referred to a period of a less than three weeks. It is for a short term. Laryngitis which lasts for more than 3 weeks is usually regarded as chronic laryngitis.

Symptoms Of Laryngitis-
One of the major symptoms of laryngitis is considered the hoarseness of the voice. Other symptoms include dry throat, sore throat or even raw throat. Sometimes there is cough, and difficulty in swallowing. Some people also feel the need to repeatedly clear their throat. Nasal congestion and runny nose are some other probable symptoms of laryngitis.

Homeopathic Medicines For Laryngitis

Argentum Met and Arum Triphyllum   These are usually regarded as the most useful medicines for singers and public speakers. This is because these professionals often suffer from laryngitis due to overuse of their voice. The key symptoms are hoarseness of voice or having a sore feeling in the larynx.
Phosphorus   The violet tickling caused due to laryngitis may be most effectively treated by Phosphorus, which is regarded as the best suitable medicine among other homeopathic medications.
Drosera   This medicine is used for treating laryngitis with a highly nagging cough. This is the best and the most reliable medicine for a dry and irritating cough. There is usually a rough scraping sensation in the throat. In some of the cases, the voice of the affected person may be cracked. There are also incidents where people have difficulty in swallowing food.
Causticum - Laryngitis caused due to exposure to cold air is wonderfully cured by Causticum. It is considered to be one of the top-graded homeopathic medicines for the treatment of laryngitis.
Belladonna and Iodum   Belladonna and lodum are two of the most reliable medicines in homeopathy for treating laryngitis, which is caused due to hoarseness. These have a miraculous power to cure the pain in the larynx. Belladonna is prescribed when voice is hoarse and it is highly painful.
In order to know the best medicine for you, it is advised that you consult a homeopathic practitioner.

Best Homeopathic Medicines For Laryngitis!

Have you tried a host of conventional therapies, taken numerous medications, consulted the best physicians - but a cure still seems elusive?

If you are looking for a faster and completely natural method of healing from these balance disorders, Ayurveda is your best option.

What is Tinnitus?
The word tinnitus is a latin derivative meaning  to ring . In this condition, the person suffers from a disparity of sound in both ears without any external noise present, like hissing, roaring clicking, whistling and others.The ringing can be sporadic or continuous and the volume ranges from minute to blooming to clamourous.

Tinnitus has also been associated with-

Sensorineural hearing loss in people with a vata dominant type of body
Pulsatile tinnitus or rhythmic pulsing, a thumping sound that coordinates with the heartbeat.
Globally, 50 million, which is 10-18% of the total population, suffer from tinnitus.

What is Vertigo?
Vertigo is characterized by a feeling of sudden rush in the head which leads to swaying or spinning. This makes it difficult to stand in an upright position. Ayurveda calls it  brahma .

Causes-
Ayurveda states that vertigo is an outcome of  pitta and vatta dosha .

When these  doshas  becomes overactive, it imbalances the entire functioning system and causes irritating sensations like ringing in the ears.
 Vestibular imbalance  in the inner portion of the ear is another reason causing vertigo
When adequate oxygen flow to the ear is disrupted, it also causes abnormal ringing in the ears
Treatment-
Panchakarma is a five (pancha) therapy (karma) which makes use of complete ayurvedic techniques in detoxification and body-mind healing. It eliminates diseases from their roots by examining individual needs like the body constitution, pitta dosha, age, digestive fire, and other factors. It is a proven therapy to restore the optimal health of the body, vitality and inner balance.

This rejuvenating program believes in two major treatment methods-  shodhana  and  shamana . Shodhana is cleansing of the body and Shamana refers to treatment with medications.

1. Panchakarma to treat Tinnitus

Nasya or errhine medications- Nose drop oils like vacha calms and balance the prana vayu. The oil is warmed, put in one nostril and it flows out of the other. This removes excess vata from the head and the neck area.
Abhyanga is of two types- Shiroabhyanga is a head massage and padabhyanga is a foot massage. In padabhyanga the soles of the feet are rubbed with warm sesame oil which calms the prana vayu. The oil penetrates deep into the skin, relaxes the body, nourishes every starved cell and removes excess waste products. It propels arterial and lymphatic circulation.
Karnapoorna or ear drops are used to relax the vata in the ears. Approximately ten drops of sesame oil is applied and allowed to stay for five-ten minutes. The ear is cleaned and the process is repeated for the other ear.
Kawala and Gandush is the gargling of specific medicated oils or kawath (liquid). It provides strength to the nerves of the ears and appeases the vata gandush.
2. Panchakarma to treat Vertigo
The science of Ayurveda does not state vertigo as a chronic disease. Rather it is a disorder of the nervous system. The vitiated pitta is responsible for causing the spinning sensation. This is where the Ayurvedic method of Panchakarma benefits the human body by balancing the pitta and purifying it. The healing techniques include-

Abhyanga or regular oil massaging
Swedana or treatment by applying herbal steam
Lymphatic massage
Basti or medicated enemas
Nasya or administering oils through the nostrils

Tinnitus And Vertigo Management With Panchakarma!

What are the causes and symptoms of ear discharge?

Ear discharge is the phenomenon of fluids being expelled from the ear. This condition is also known as otorrhea. 

The kinds of fluids that can be discharged from the ear range from blood to pus and other forms of bodily secretions. It is caused by a number of factors, which determine the exact nature of the condition and the diagnosis for treatment. 

What are the causes of ear discharge?
Some forms of ear discharge are natural, such as ear wax which is produced by the body as a form of defense against external particles that may enter the ears. Other forms are unnatural and result from anomalies in the health system. 
The causes of these include the following.

Infections: This is the most common cause of ear discharge and occurs when bacteria and viruses infect the inside of the ear and lead to the secretion of fluids, which builds up in the middle ear or at the eardrum.

Swimmer's ear: This condition is also known as otitis externa and is caused by staying in the water for prolonged periods. It results from excessive exposure to moisture that makes the walls of the ear canal to breakdown allowing bacteria and fungi to enter and infect the ear.

- Trauma: Excess pressure on the eardrum can cause it to rupture and discharge fluids. This happens due to a number of reasons such as exposure to loud explosive sounds or pressure from flying in aircraft and scuba diving.

- Skull injury: Damage to the bones behind the ear as a result of an injury can also lead to ear discharge due to infection.

-Tonsillitis: Inflammation of tonsils may cause pain or a repeated infection in the ear leading to fluid discharge.

What are the symptoms associated with ear discharge?
Some of the symptoms of otorrhea are as follows:
- Abnormal and unusual secretion of fluids from the ear
- Swelling of the ear
- Partial or complete loss of hearing
- Pain and throbbing in the ear
- Accompanying signs such as fever and migraine

Diagnosis and treatment of the problem depend on the exact cause and nature of the condition, which also determines treatment and recovery time.



Why Do You Get an EAR Discharge?

The inflammation of the cavities around nasal passage is known as sinusitis. When the cavities are full of fluid, germs attach themselves to the fluids, which give rise to infections. Some of the causes of sinusitis are common colds, allergic rhinitis, nasal polyps and deviated septum.

There are 4 different types of sinusitis:

    Acute sinusitis: It remains for about 4 weeks or less. It is usually characterized by a runny nose and pain in the face which will stay for at least 10 to 14 days.
    Sub acute sinusitis: It is almost like the acute sinusitis but stays longer for about 4 to 8 weeks.
    Chronic sinusitis: The inflammation in this case lasts about 8 weeks, sometimes longer than that.
    Recurrent sinusitis: In this, the sinusitis attack keeps occurring all through the year.

At times, to clear up the blocked sinuses, a surgery is mandatory. This can be painful hence many are hesitant to go through with a surgery. If you want to control sinusitis so that it doesn't reach the limit where you have to go through a surgery, here are some tips of what you might be able to do regularly to clear your chances of controlling this:

    Take steam: This is the most common and easy way to control sinusitis. The steam helps to break down the excess mucus in the nasal passage and also reduces the inflammation of the sinuses. All you need is water. Heat it up to the required temperature and then inhale the steam. You will get a lot of relief if you do this regularly.
    Nasal Irrigation: This is basically the process of flushing the infected and stale mucus out of the nasal cavity. Take a liter of sterile water, mix one tablespoon of kosher salt and baking soda each. Then with the help of a syringe or a neti pot, wash your nostrils with the solution. The mucus will start coming out and your nasal cavity will clear out.
    Use warm washcloth: Lie down and place a warm washcloth (a washcloth dipped in warm water and wringed) on your forehead and nose region. The warmth from the washcloth will break down the mucus and clear the congestion.

Sinusitis: Controlling it without Surgery

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