![\"woman's](\"https:\/\/albanyentandallergy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/throat-neck--256x256.jpg\" "\\"tonsillitis\\"")
<\/p>\nChildren in Albany are no strangers to tonsil infections. When these glands in the back of the throat, which help the immune system by defending against bacteria and viruses, become swollen and infected, pain and misery follow. There are tips you can try at home to help ease your child\u2019s discomfort and speed up their recovery.<\/p>\n
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The medical term for a tonsil infection<\/a> is tonsillitis. The majority of cases occur due to viral infections<\/strong>, with bacterial infections responsible about 15-30 percent of the time. <\/p>\n Kids are more likely to experience tonsillitis than adults; the tonsils play a predominant role in protecting the body from germs when we\u2019re young, but shrink with age. By the late teens, tonsil infections are rare.<\/p>\n Most children in Albany<\/a> will experience at least one instance of tonsillitis<\/a>. <\/p>\n Surgery was common in the past, but removal of the tonsils via a procedure called a tonsillectomy is usually reserved for only severe cases nowadays<\/strong>. Doctors instead take a wait-and-see approach in patients who are otherwise healthy, letting the infection run its course. Of course, we don\u2019t want to see our children suffer. Your Albany ear, nose and throat doctor<\/a> suggests the following home remedies if your child has tonsillitis.<\/p>\n Soup, broth and tea<\/strong> will all help coat and soothe a sore throat<\/strong>. Ingredients such as honey or glycerin<\/strong>, found in many herbal teas, encourage the formation of a protective film over the mucous membranes in the mouth and throat that helps relieve irritation.<\/li>\n Children in the past were promised ice cream as a reward for undergoing a tonsillectomy. There was logic behind this: cold, soft foods numb the throat<\/strong>, providing relief from pain. In addition to ice cream, frozen yogurt, Popsicle and smoothies will all help do the trick.<\/li>\n Hard or sharp foods such as potato chips, crackers, cereal, toast, apples and carrots can scratch and irritate the throat<\/strong>, making swelling worse. Stick with soft foods instead; Jell-O, mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs are a few good choices.<\/li>\n A saltwater gargle helps soothe throat pain. It\u2019s easy to make; simply add a quarter teaspoon of salt to eight ounces of warm water<\/strong>, stir until it dissolves and gargle for a few seconds before spitting the water out.<\/li>\n Adding moisture to the air with a humidifier or vaporizer will help relieve a dry, scratchy throat, reducing pain<\/strong>. Don\u2019t own one? Turn on the shower, make sure the water is hot and close the bathroom door. Inhaling the warm steam will work just as effectively.<\/li>\n Speaking (or even whispering) when your throat is swollen puts strain on the vocal cords, increasing irritation. The best thing to do is give your voice a rest<\/strong>, speaking as little as possible.<\/li>\n Rest allows your body to build up the strength to fight off infection. Staying in bed<\/strong> for a couple of days instead of going to school (where your child runs the risk of infecting others anyway) will help speed up recovery.<\/li>\n Ibuprofen and acetaminophen<\/strong> will help alleviate throat pain and discomfort. Don\u2019t give children aspirin, which can cause Reye\u2019s syndrome\u2014a potentially fatal illness.<\/li>\n Throat lozenges or cough drops often contain menthol and other anesthetic medications that will help numb and soothe the throat<\/strong>. Limit these to older children in order to reduce the risk of choking.<\/li>\n Over-the-counter throat sprays that contain ingredients such as benzylamine, phenol, dibucaine, benzocaine, benzyl alcohol, cetylpyridinium chloride and chlorhexidine gluconate<\/strong> may give your child fits in the spelling bee but their anesthetic, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties<\/strong> are great at relieving pain and inflammation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n These home remedies should help your child feel better and, with a little luck, their tonsillitis will clear up in a few days. If it persists longer than three or four days or is accompanied by severe pain, breathing or swallowing difficulty<\/a>, weakness, fatigue or a fever that hasn\u2019t broken after three days, make an appointment with an Albany ENT doctor.<\/p>\n Children in Albany are no strangers to tonsil infections. When these glands in the back of the throat, which help the immune system by defending against bacteria and viruses, become swollen and infected, pain and misery follow. There are tips you can try at home to help ease your child\u2019s discomfort and speed up their…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"518-701-2085 | Children are no strangers to tonsil infections. There are tips you can try at home to help ease discomfort and speed up their recovery.","_seopress_robots_index":"","header_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-throat"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/albanyentandallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/albanyentandallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/albanyentandallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/albanyentandallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/albanyentandallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/albanyentandallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/albanyentandallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/albanyentandallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/albanyentandallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/albanyentandallergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Who gets tonsillitis most often?<\/h3>\n
How common is tonsilltis?<\/h3>\n
Is a tonsillectomy still the best option?<\/h4>\n
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Drinking warm liquids<\/h3>\n
Eating cold foods<\/h3>\n
Avoiding hard foods<\/h3>\n
Gargling with saltwater<\/h3>\n
Using a humidifier<\/h3>\n
Resting the voice<\/h3>\n
Getting plenty of rest<\/h3>\n
Using over-the-counter pain relievers<\/h3>\n
Sucking on throat lozenges<\/h3>\n
Using throat sprays<\/h3>\n
Learn More About Common Winter Conditions<\/h3>\n
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