Tonsillitis

To begin with, the patient should fast for three to five days by which time serious symptoms would subside. Nothing but water and orange juice should be taken during this time. The bowels should be cleansed daily with a warm water enema during the period of fasting. A cold pack should be applied to the throat at two-hourly interval during the day. The procedure is to wring out some linen material in cold water, wrap it two or three times around the throat and cover it with some flannel ling.

The throat may be gargled several times daily with neat lemon juice. Gargle made from the fenugreek seeds is very effective in severe cases. To make such a gargle , two tablespoonful of fenugreek seeds should be allowed to simmer for half an hour in a litre of water and then set aside to cool. The entire quantity should be used as a soothing gargle in a day with beneficial results. A hot Epsom -salt bath taken every day or every other day will also be beneficial.

After the acute symptoms of tonsillitis are over, the patient should adopt an all-fruit diet for further three or four days. In this regimen, three meals of fresh, juicy fruits such as apples, grapes, grapefruit, oranges, pears, pineapple, peaches and melon may be taken. The juice of fresh pineapple is most valuable in all throat afflictions of this kind. After the all-fruit diet the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet on the following lines :

Breakfast : Fresh fruits, or grated raw carrot or any other raw salad, and milk. Prunes or other dried fruits may be added , if desired.

Lunch : Steamed vegetables, as obtainable, and whole wheat chappatis. Vegetables likes bitter gourd and fenugreek are specially beneficial.

Dinner : A good-sized raw salad of vegetables as obtainable, sprouts seeds as mung beans and alfalfa seeds, wholemeal bread and butter or cottage cheese.
Raw vegetable juices are also valuable in the treatment of tonsillitis. Juice of carrot, beet and cucumber taken individually or in combination are especially beneficial. Formula proportion found to be helpful when used in combination are carrot 300 ml., beet 100ml., and cucumber 100 ml.

The daily dry friction and hip bath as well as breathing and other exercises should all form part of the daily health regimen. A hot Epsom-salts bath once or twice a week can also be taken regularly with beneficial results.

Tonsillitis can be successfully treated by the natural methods outlined above. Surgery for the removal of the tonsils is necessary only in very rare cases, when tonsils are seriously diseased, rugged and contain hopelessly incurable pus pockets.