Tonsillitis is a condition, which is characterized by infection of the tonsils in your throat. The tonsils are a pair of lymph nodes that are situated in the throat; its primary function is to protect the body from various infections. Although the disorder can occur at any age, it is majorly common among children. A large number of bacteria or viruses can cause this disorder, but the most serious symptoms occur when it is caused by the streptococcal bacteria.

Causes

The first defense mechanism of the body is made up of the tonsils. They synthesize white blood cells which fight against infections. Although tonsils combat these infections, at times, they can fall prey to the same, thus resulting in tonsillitis. Tonsillitis can be caused by both virus and bacteria; however, it is mostly caused by the former. Kids and school going children are very vulnerable to this disorder as they can come in contact with harmful viruses and bacteria very easily.

Symptoms

You will experience symptoms such as a sore throat, bad breath and have difficulty in speaking. Swelling of the tonsils will also make swallowing of food a difficult affair. Other symptoms of tonsillitis are stomach cramps, fever and headaches. The neck and the jaw may also feel tender due to the swollen lymph nodes.

Treatment

If the symptoms are mild, then it usually does not require any specific treatment. For severe symptoms, antibiotics are prescribed to combat the bacteria that caused the infection in the first place. Chronic cases of this disorder warrant a surgery known as tonsillectomy. This is a surgical procedure to remove the tonsils. In case of dehydration, intravenous fluids are administered. In addition to these treatment methods, there are certain home remedies that you can follow. The tips you can follow are:

Keep yourself well hydrated
Use a humidifier
Gargle with lukewarm water mixed with salt, regularly

Tonsillitis - Easy Home Remedies to Help You Treat it 

Tuberculosis is a respiratory disease that is very infectious and usually affects the lungs. It is one of the deadliest diseases that have killed millions of people worldwide. According to WHO, 9 million people get infected with tuberculosis in a year. It is one of the top reasons for death among women aged between 15 to 44 years. Symptoms can range from cough, fever, weight loss and night sweats. Moreover, it is an airborne disease meaning that people having tuberculosis can infect many others around them through coughing, sneezing or sharing a glass or cup.

The main cause of tuberculosis is a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, there are two types of tuberculosis-

Latent TB- In this condition, the bacteria causing TB is present in the body and is inactive. It is not contagious or results in any symptoms.
Active TB- The bacteria causing TB is active and the person carrying it can infect others as well.
Diagnosis
The most common diagnostic test for tuberculosis is a skin test where an injection of PPD tuberculin which is an extract of the TB bacterium is injected into the skin. After 2 to 3 days, the doctor checks the injected site and if there is red swelling, it means that person has TB. Along with this the doctor also uses a stethoscope to gauge the condition of lungs. However, the skin test is not very accurate to know whether a person has TB or not.

Therefore, doctors also use blood tests, x-rays and sputum tests to find out whether a person has TB or not.

Treatments
Tuberculosis can be cured with medications. However, the correct medicines will depend on the type of TB you have and the period of treatment. If you have latent TB, then taking a single TB drug may be enough. But if you have active TB then you need to have proper medicines prescribed by a doctor for at least 6 months. Some common medicines used to treat TB (active) are:

Isoniazid
Rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)
Ethambutol (Myambutol)
Pyrazinamide
Also, antibiotics and injections are used to treat drug-resistant TB that may take longer to cure.
When taking medications or any sort of drugs for TB, one needs to be careful and look out for any side effects that can occur due to TB medications. As medicines taken for TB can cause:

Dark Urine
Loss of Appetite
Nausea or Vomiting
Jaundice
For people suffering from Tb, it is important to follow the full course of medications and not to skip taking any drugs that have been prescribed your doctor. There is a program called Directly Observed Therapy (DOT), where the heath care helper administers and look after a TB patient to ensure that the correct course and medicines are given to the patient.

Treatments For Tuberculosis - What All Should You Know

Link Between Sinuses and Headaches

Suffering from splitting headaches? The remedy to it can only be found once the cause behind it is identified. Everything from migraines to stomach infections can be the cause of your headaches. But it is not impossible to tell the difference between the different aches. You have to notice the other symptoms that accompany your headache to understand what is causing the pain.

Symptoms of sinus headaches

When you have the following problems along with your headache you can be sure it is being caused by your sinus:

- Pain in the head, face and nose
- Pain in the eyes
- Stuffy or blocked nose along with the pain
- Accompanying nasal allergies and bouts of sneezing
- Inability to smell

Understanding sinuses

The sinuses comprise of a rather sizable cavity present behind your cheekbones, bridge of your nose and forehead. Generally, the fluid in the region gets drained through the nose. But due to infection, allergic reactions and tumors the cavity can get blocked and also get inflamed. The inflammation is caused by an increase in mucus production, which can lead to the nasal cavity being blocked. The blockage stops the fluids from draining and the sinuses get even more inflamed. When the cavity gets inflamed it starts pressuring the cheekbones, nose bridge and forehead and eyes.

Why does it ache?

The building up of the pressure on the cheekbones, nose bridge and forehead causes the area to start hurting. Thus, when one has a headache originating from inflamed sinuses, the pain is not just isolated to the forehead. The pain in the nose is a sure shot sign that the headache is caused by the inflammation of the sinuses.

Not just another chronic ache

Most people mistake any chronic headache as a sinus problem. But mostly such aches are caused by migraines and stress. If you have a prolonged headache as well as fever you are sure to have a sinus ache instead of any other chronic headache.

Make it better

Once you have identified the headache as a sinus ache you can start the treatment. Steam inhalation helps clear the sinuses, reducing the pain almost immediately. If steam inhalation does not help, you might have a severe sinus infection. In such cases, it is best to visit a doctor to understand the extent of the infection. The doctor is likely to prescribe antibiotics for the remedy of the infection. Even if you are aware of what medicines to take for sinus infections it is best to get checked by a medical professional before you start popping pills since the headache might just be due to some other causes as well.



What's the Link Between Sinuses and Headaches?

What is Sinusitis?
For those of you who do not know what Sinusitis is, it is the inflammation or swelling of the sinus tissues which are hollow spaces in between the bones around the nose. The sinuses are healthy when there is constant flow in the air but when the portion gets blocked it fills with bacteria and viruses. This causes mucus and other unhealthy elements to remain blocked inside the nose.

Symptoms-
The symptoms of sinusitis are common and not critical or dangerous in nature. Over 40 million people get affected by this common disease every year.

Swelling or inflammation inside the nose because of a mild fever or common cold can cause the sinuses to get blocked and result to sinusitis.
If the drainage ducts inside, the nose gets blocked the health passage of air gets halted or disrupted.
A runny nose with a constant flow of water and the nose might also get blocked by pus inside.
Structural problems inside the nose which may lead to the narrowing of the nasal tract through which the air passes and comes back.
Deficiency in the immune system can lead to such a problem.
Allergies are also a common contributor to the cause of sinusitis because the nasal chamber gets blocked in the result.
Treatment-
Treating a condition of sinusitis is very common. Let us have a look :

The first thing which a doctor will prescribe you is an antibiotic doze of 7-8 days, which will help you to fight the blocked bacterias and viruses.
Warm compresses will help the nasal cavity to remain warm and wet, keeping it clean from pus and germs. Thus clearing the way for healthy inhaling of air.
Saline nose drops are also used to clear out the blockage in the nose and fight the germs building inside the sinuses.
Sometimes surgeries are also performed when no other medications work properly. It helps to widen the natural pathway which helps in draining between the sinuses and nose, resulting in the congested mucus to come out and again start a fresh process of taking air in. 

Sinusitis - Signs & Symptoms You Must Not Ignore!

9 Home Remedies for Sinus 

Nose incorporates an intricate system of narrow passages and hollow, air containing spaces connecting to eyes and ears that enable us to inhale the air before it reaches our lungs. And the problem of sinus is directly linked with the nose. Basically, Sinus is a cavity within bones of face connected with nasal cavities and the main cause of sinus is allergies. But internally our nose has to suffer a lot when this problem occurs. But there are few tips that can be of great help during sinus. Let’s see them one-by-one

1. Drink plenty of water: While you are suffering from sinus, you must keep drinking water at short intervals because this won’t let the sinus get dry which is very essential for the treatment of sinus. Prefer taking lukewarm water.

2. Oregano oil: Adding few drops of oregano oil in water and having it 2-3 times a day for a week will provide relief when suffering from sinus and it will also make recovery faster.

3. Eat vitamin C: Eat citrus fruits which are rich in Vitamin C. Although some people avoid it thinking that it will aggravate the sinus problem but taking Vitamin C is helpful in sinus problem.

4. Fruit juice intake: Taking fruits juices also helps in thinning out mucus and preventing sinuses from blocking.

5. Warm compressor on face: Keeping warm compressor on your face will give relief from discomfort and will open blocked nasal passages.

6. Keep your head propped up while sleeping: Sleeping on a couple of pillows will be a good idea as it will help in proper breathing.

7. Spicy food intake: Taking too many spices is never a good idea but taking it in limits can actually solve many problems and one of them is clearance of sinus. Spices like mustard, hot pepper, curry and horseradish etc. helps in clearing sinus. It opens your nasal passages.

8. Hygiene: Hygiene is the first and foremost thing to be kept in mind when this problem occurs.

9. Humidifier: Keeping humidifiers in your room also helps in providing relief during sinus.



9 Powerful Home Remedies for Winter Sinus That Work Fast!

If you find yourself suffering from coughing spells accompanied by breathlessness and phlegm, you may have bronchitis. Bronchitis is a respiratory disease that causes an inflammation of the bronchial tubes. This narrows the airway and does not allow sufficient oxygen to reach the lungs. There are two types of bronchitis; acute bronchitis that lasts for 1-3 weeks and chronic bronchitis that persists for 3 months to 2 years.

Causes of acute bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is usually a result of viral, lung infections. It can also be caused by bacterial infections and exposure to irritants such as tobacco smoke, dust, vapours and particulate matter in the air.

Causes of chronic bronchitis
Repeated attacks of acute bronchitis can weaken the bronchial passage with time and lead to the development of chronic bronchitis. This condition can also be caused by prolonged exposure to dust, pollution and industrial fumes. This puts coal miners, grain handlers and metal workers at a high risk of suffering from this disease. Smoking cigarettes can also irritate the bronchial tubes and contribute to the development of this condition. Chronic bronchitis worsens when a person is exposed to high levels of sulpher dioxide and other such air pollutants for prolonged time periods. Some of the symptoms of bronchitis are:

A persistent cough
Phlegm
Breathlessness
Tightening of the chest
Fever
If these symptoms last for over a week or begin to interfere with your regular lifestyle, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. Self-medicating with an over the counter cough suppressant is counterproductive in the case of bronchitis as a cough is the only way for phlegm and mucus to be expelled from the body. Conventional treatment for bronchitis includes

Getting lots of rest
Drinking plenty of fluids
Avoiding exposure to smoke and dust
Steam inhalations
Along with this, your doctor may also prescribe cough medicines and a bronchial inhalator. In cases of chronic bronchitis, oral or inhaled steroids may also be needed. Your doctor may also suggest a flu vaccine as bronchitis make your lungs vulnerable to further infections. If you smoke, your doctor will also urge you to quit as cigarette smoke can aggravate your symptoms.

In cases of severe chronic bronchitis where the bronchial tube s ability to pass oxygen is compromised, oxygen therapy may be needed. In such cases, you may need to have an oxygen tank on hand to be used continuously or as required.

Bronchitis - Common Causes Behind It!

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