Question

The child has a swollen throat, frequently gets fevers, has symptoms like runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, and occasional conjunctivitis, and snores at night. The illness occurs frequently and often requires laboratory tests. Do I have to undergo surgery? Medication has been used before, but the effect was poor, and the symptoms recur. Are there other treatment methods or traditional Chinese medicine treatments recommended?

Answer

  1. If the tonsils themselves have frequent occurrences of disease, such as acute tonsillitis, peritonsillar abscess, or due to tonsil hypertrophy causing upper respiratory obstruction, even difficulty breathing and swallowing, tonsillectomy may be considered.
  2. Chronic tonsillitis leading to diseases of neighboring organs, such as recurrent acute rhinitis, pharyngitis, otitis media, and cervical lymphadenitis, may also be considered for surgery.
  3. When chronic tonsillitis is the source of disease causing other organ diseases in the body, such as rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, arthritis, and nephritis, surgery may be considered on a case-by-case basis. If surgery is not considered, seeking advice from traditional Chinese medicine may be an option. Traditional Chinese medicine may use Chinese herbs and acupuncture methods to treat tonsillitis.