How and what to wash tonsils with chronic tonsillitis

12/21/2021

79 475

17 minutes

Co-author, editor and medical expert – Maksimov Alexander Alekseevich.

Many people are familiar with the diagnosis of tonsillitis. This unpleasant disease can take you by surprise and prevent you from leading a normal life. Tonsillitis is a pressing problem today, as it can occur at any age and with various diseases, such as herpes, diphtheria, streptococcal infections, scarlet fever and others. Often tonsillitis (or simply tonsillitis) acts as an independent disease. To understand the diagnosis and begin proper treatment, you need to consult a doctor. Remember that self-medication can lead to complications. What is tonsillitis? And how to cope with this disease? We will consider the answers to these questions below.

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Causes and symptoms of the disease

Chronic inflammation of the tonsils can be caused by:

• untreated infectious diseases (most often it is a sore throat, so it is necessary to treat a sore throat in a timely and correct manner);
• the presence of other foci of inflammation in the body (for example, chronic sinusitis);
• diseases of the oral cavity (caries, stomatitis, periodontal disease);
• deviated nasal septum;
• heredity;
• reduced immunity;
• stress and nervous tension.

Any chronic disease is characterized by alternating stages of exacerbation and remission. During an exacerbation, the patient complains of pain, soreness, a feeling of a lump in the throat, as well as bad breath (which indicates the presence of purulent plugs in the lacunae of the tonsils). The body temperature rises to 37.5℃. It is very difficult to stay in this state for a long time. But you still need to study, work, lead a normal lifestyle. Only treatment by an otolaryngologist will help alleviate the patient’s condition and get rid of unpleasant symptoms.

Why carry out the procedure

Washing the tonsils allows you to get rid of accumulations of pus and pathogenic bacteria, which make inflammatory diseases of the throat very difficult to cure.

The procedure allows not only to speed up recovery and restore the normal state of the tonsils, but also to prevent further spread of the infection, which can cause a retropharyngeal abscess, neck phlegmon, or even sepsis.

When washing the lacunae of the tonsils, it is possible to significantly reduce the treatment time. Thanks to this procedure, the following throat diseases go away faster:

• angina,
• tonsillitis,
• pharyngitis,
• laryngitis.

In addition to cleansing the tonsils from pus and bacteria, the procedure, if it uses not just water, but medications, also speeds up the restoration of the mucous membrane. Various rinses of the lacunae are the most effective ways to treat inflammation of the tonsils.

Remove or treat?

Among experienced patients, there are many stories from the series: “Previously, the problem was solved simply - you just need to remove the tonsils, and life will sparkle with bright colors.” Many patients purposefully come to an ENT doctor with a request to get rid of tonsils once and for all. However, many do not understand that by removing such an important organ of the immune system, a person is deprived of a natural barrier against infection. Yes, the problem of tonsillitis will disappear, but other diseases, for example, of the respiratory tract, will take their place. Bacteria and viruses will be able to freely enter the body, causing inflammation of other human organs and systems.

To remove tonsils according to indications, you need:

• often have a sore throat (more than four times a year);
• have a history of peritonsillar abscess;
• have poor rheumatic test scores;
• diagnose complications in your heart, kidneys or joints.

If there are no direct indications for removal, you need to contact an otolaryngologist to prescribe competent complex therapy, which will significantly increase the duration of remission and reduce the number of exacerbations.

One of the most effective procedures for treating tonsillitis, which avoids removal, is washing the palatine tonsils.

Why do you need to rinse your tonsils?

The palatine tonsils are an organ of the human immune system. They are located at the very entrance to the pharynx on both sides. Outwardly, they resemble almonds. This similarity gave this organ its name. The tonsils consist of a large number of winding canals - crypts. On the surface of the tonsils there are small depressions - lacunae. It is in them that tonsillitis plugs accumulate, which are removed by washing.

Our tonsils act like a filter. They filter everything that enters the oral cavity from outside. And if infectious flora gets on the surface of the tonsils, they begin to produce lymphocytes - cells of the immune system that begin to fight the “enemy”.

If the body's defenses are not enough to cope with viruses and bacteria, an inflammatory process (chronic tonsillitis) starts in the palatine tonsils. In the gaps, pathogenic microflora is activated, the remains of bacterial activity and dead leukocytes accumulate. This entire “mixture” is compressed and turns into white-yellow plugs on the tonsils, which are noticeable upon examination and emit an unpleasant odor. These plugs do not allow inflammation to subside, so sanitation of the tonsils is an important part of the treatment of chronic tonsillitis.

Often, rinsing is the only way to preserve the tonsils and avoid their removal.

Benefits of the procedure

There are two ways to rinse the tonsils: using a syringe or using the vacuum method using the Tonzillor apparatus. The ENT doctor decides how to rinse, based on the patient’s condition and his physiological characteristics.

The washing procedure has a number of undeniable advantages:

• persistent therapeutic effect (if you rinse your throat in courses, you can achieve long-term remission, and the symptoms of tonsillitis will not remind you of themselves for a long time);
• During the procedure, antiseptics and local antibacterial drugs are used, which act exclusively on the inflamed area, unlike conventional antibiotics taken orally;
• no allergic reactions;
• Children and pregnant women can wash their tonsils.

How often do rinses need to be done? For long-lasting results, otorhinolaryngologists recommend performing the procedure several times a year.

Friends! Timely and correct treatment will ensure you a speedy recovery!

Before washing your tonsils, you must stop eating at least an hour before visiting the doctor. After the session you need to abstain from food for a couple of hours.

Complex therapy for chronic tonsillitis usually includes ten rinsing sessions, which are carried out daily or every other day.

Contraindications to washing are: cancer, tuberculosis, acute infectious diseases, mental disorders, hypertension.

Regular rinsing allows you to avoid tonsillectomy (surgery to remove tonsils) and significantly increase the period of remission.

What to do if it hurts after washing your tonsils

Most people experience pain after the procedure for washing the tonsils. They can be stored for up to three days. To eliminate discomfort, it is recommended to gargle with soda after rinsing the tonsils.

If the pain persists for more than three days, you should urgently visit a doctor.

Washing out gaps on your own is only possible if you are completely confident that you will be able to do everything correctly. It is unacceptable to take risks in this case, due to possible dangerous consequences.

Rinsing the tonsils with a syringe

This method is the most common and accessible. It will be offered to you at the local clinic. The essence of the technique is as follows: an ENT doctor, using a needle-free syringe, injects an antiseptic drug into the lacunae of the tonsils, which, together with the purulent masses from the lacunae, is washed into the patient’s oral cavity. The patient spits the solution into a special tray, and the ENT doctor repeats the procedure. Upon completion, the tonsils are lubricated with Lugol's solution.

The disadvantage of the procedure is that it is not possible to thoroughly rinse the lacunae, since the openings in the tonsils are very narrow. This rinsing helps with minor purulent accumulations.

The manipulation should be carried out by an experienced ENT doctor. Inept movements can injure the walls of the tonsils, which will only worsen the patient’s condition.

Recently, in modern ENT clinics this technique is used less and less, mainly in cases where the patient has a pronounced gag reflex.

It is much more effective to rinse the tonsils using a vacuum method using the Tonsillor apparatus.

Solutions for cleaning sore tonsils

To cleanse the tonsils, use pharmaceutical antiseptic drugs or prepare the products yourself. There are several reliable home solutions for treating tonsils.

• Saline solution. This medicine perfectly kills pathogenic bacteria and accelerates the regeneration of the mucous membrane.
• Soda solution. The medicine not only kills bacteria, but also softens the tissues and relieves swelling. Prepare a solution at the rate of: 1 tsp. soda per glass of water.
• A solution of soda with salt and iodine. The medicine has a very strong effect. For this, dissolve a teaspoon of soda and salt in a glass of water. Then 3 drops of iodine are added to the product.

The washing procedure can also be carried out with the following pharmaceutical preparations:

• Furacilin;
• Chlorophyllipt - it must be dissolved in a volume of 1 tsp. for 150 ml of water. In addition to the antiseptic effect, the composition helps relieve pain and irritation.

Both homemade and pharmaceutical preparations can be used for rinsing equally for children and adults. When carrying out the procedure, it is important to remember that all solutions must be warm.

Vacuum washing method

The vacuum method of rinsing using the Tonsillor apparatus is the most modern way to rinse the lacunae of the tonsils.

In simple terms, the nozzle of the Tonsillor device works on the principle of a vacuum cleaner. It is attached to the tonsil, the device creates negative pressure. The washing solution, passing through the lacunae of the tonsils, washes out their pathogenic contents, which, together with the waste solution, are sucked into a special cup of the nozzle. That is, the solution is used and passes through the tonsils only once, which confirms the sterility of the manipulation. Before washing, topical anesthesia of the tonsils is performed with lidocaine solution.

Despite the effectiveness of vacuum washing, this method is not without its drawbacks:

• it happens that the edges of the nozzle can injure the surface of the tonsil;
• The walls of the cup, where the washing solution that has passed through the tonsils is evacuated, is opaque, and the doctor cannot see whether the tonsils have been completely washed. As a result, the ENT doctor has to carry out additional procedures to certainly clear the lacunae.

A reasonable question arises: “Is washing the tonsils always associated with some risks?” No! There is another way to wash the tonsils - safe, effective and non-traumatic. This is the use of an improved Tonsillor attachment.

Rinsing with a modified Tonsillor nozzle

This method of washing will not be offered to you in any of the clinics in Moscow, except for the ENT Clinic of Doctor Zaitsev! An improved, modified attachment for the Tonsillor apparatus was developed by the founder of the ENT clinic, Vladimir Mikhailovich Zaitsev, together with his colleagues. The operating principle of the new nozzle is absolutely the same as that of the classic nozzle. The difference is in its structure:

• the improved “Tonsillor” nozzle creates greater negative pressure, due to which rinsing the tonsils is much more effective and of better quality;
• the edges of the nozzle in contact with the tonsils do not cause damage or microtrauma;
• The cup of the nozzle into which the washing solution with the purulent contents of the lacunae is sucked in is transparent, and the doctor immediately sees at what point the procedure can be stopped. Thus, the patient does not undergo unnecessary manipulations.
• The size of the nozzle allows washing even for children.

It is necessary to rinse the tonsils only with the participation of an otolaryngologist. We do not recommend self-medication!

In order to forget about the symptoms of chronic tonsillitis for a long time, it is necessary to undergo a full comprehensive course of treatment of chronic inflammation, including, in addition to rinsing, drug therapy and physiotherapeutic procedures. This is the only way to preserve the tonsils and achieve stable remission!