Conservative treatment of enlarged tonsils

It is well known that enlarged tonsils is an abnormal phenomenon. Of course, if it is just ordinary enlarged tonsils, it is not recommended to use surgery for treatment immediately. For example, even the smallest surgery will have a certain impact on the patient's physical and mental health, so if conditions permit, it is recommended to choose conservative treatment. So how to use conservative methods to treat enlarged tonsils?

1. What is adenoids hypertrophy?

Adenoids, also known as pharyngeal tonsils or adenoids, are located at the junction of the top and posterior wall of the nasopharynx. They belong to lymphoid tissue and have an orange-segment-like surface. It starts to develop when the child is 6 months old, is most obvious when the child is 6 to 7 years old, and generally shrinks gradually after the age of 10. Many children have a certain degree of adenoid hypertrophy, which is mostly physiological. If the enlarged adenoids affect the overall health and the functions of adjacent tissues and organs, it is considered pathological hypertrophy.

Which children may have adenoids hypertrophy?

(1) Snoring: Children with enlarged adenoids tend to breathe with their mouths open, snore at night, and even snore loudly. Therefore, parents can observe whether their children have the above symptoms at night. Severely affected children may even experience breath holding during sleep, sudden cessation of snoring, brief breathing pauses, or even waking up, and then changing sleeping positions before falling asleep again. If this happens, you should go to the hospital for relevant examinations in time.

(2) Nasal congestion: However, not all children will experience snoring symptoms. Nasal congestion is also the main symptom of this disease, and there may also be symptoms such as runny nose. Due to nasal congestion, there is an occlusive nasal sound when speaking. Such children are often misdiagnosed as having "rhinitis". When a child experiences ear stuffiness, ear pain, hearing loss, coughing fits, or throat-clearing cough, it should be considered that the condition may be caused by enlarged adenoids.

(3) Adenoid facies: If a child has an adenoid facies, the jaw becomes longer, the palate is high and arched, the teeth are uneven, the upper incisors are protruding, the lips are thick, and the child lacks expression. This is commonly known as a collapsed nose, a sunken chin, or a Pigsy face.

3. What are the dangers of adenoids hypertrophy?

Children have a narrow nasopharynx and enlarged adenoids, which can block the posterior nasal cavity and the pharyngeal opening of the Eustachian tube, thereby affecting the functions of tissues and organs such as the ear, nose, and throat, causing local symptoms in the ear, nose, throat, and respiratory tract.

(1) For the ears, it can cause secretory or suppurative otitis media, manifested as stuffy ears, ear pain, hearing loss or tinnitus.

(2) Regarding the nose, children with enlarged adenoids often suffer from rhinitis, sinusitis, and pharyngitis. There are symptoms such as nasal congestion and runny nose. There is an occlusive nasal sound when speaking, snoring when sleeping, and mouth breathing. In severe cases, sleep apnea occurs.

(3) Regarding the face, long-term nasal congestion and mouth breathing cause developmental disorders of the facial bones, resulting in elongated jaws, high-arched palates, uneven teeth, protruding upper incisors, thick lips, lack of expression, and the so-called "adenoid face".

(4) For the trachea, enlarged adenoids block the posterior nasal aperture, causing secretions to flow downward and irritate the respiratory mucosa, causing discomfort in the throat and coughing, which can easily lead to tracheitis.

(5) Regarding growth and development, severely ill children suffer from long-term breathing difficulties and are in a state of hypoxia, which causes endocrine dysfunction and growth and development disorders. It not only affects the child's height, but also reduces the child's physical resistance. Such children are not only prone to respiratory infections, but also to pigeon chest, funnel chest, and even induce pulmonary heart disease. It will even affect the child's future intelligence.

In short, adenoids hypertrophy in children has obvious hazards, and parents should pay enough attention to it and ensure early detection and early intervention and treatment.

4. What tests are often needed to diagnose adenoids hypertrophy?

1. Oropharyngeal examination: Secretions from the nasopharynx may be seen adhering to the posterior wall of the oropharynx, often accompanied by hypertrophy of the palatine tonsils.

2. Anterior rhinoscopy: After the nasal mucosa is fully contracted, red lumps can be seen in the nasopharynx in some children.

3. Lateral X-ray of the nasopharynx: Most children can be diagnosed with a general X-ray. It is painless and there is no need to worry about X-ray radiation, which can be ignored. There is no need for CT or MRI.

5. How does Western medicine treat adenoids hypertrophy?

Western medicine treats adenoids hypertrophy with conservative treatment or surgical treatment. Conservative treatment often involves local application of hormones and anti-allergic drugs, such as Sinaloxaline, budesonide, etc. Long-term use of steroid hormones can cause adverse reactions and obvious side effects. Many hospitals now use various surgeries, such as laser, to perform adenoidectomy. If accompanied by tonsil hypertrophy, it can be performed simultaneously with tonsillectomy. Although surgical treatment has obvious short-term effects, it also has certain risks and there are also complications after surgery. Many children will experience re-enlargement of their adenoids after surgery, and some children will develop low immunity after surgery. For most children, surgery is not necessary. Nowadays, as long as you go to a hospital, they will ask for surgery. Many parents of children are scared and nervous and will also choose surgery. This is extremely wrong.

6. Can traditional Chinese medicine treat adenoids hypertrophy?

Traditional Chinese medicine treatment of adenoids hypertrophy is mainly based on syndrome differentiation. It can be divided into situations such as wind-heat disturbance, severe stomach heat, and phlegm and blood stasis. Traditional Chinese medicine with the effects of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, softening and dispersing nodules, detoxifying and reducing swelling can be used. It can quickly relieve symptoms and regulate the child's physical condition. It can significantly improve symptoms caused by respiratory compression, such as snoring during sleep, mouth breathing, sleep apnea, etc. It not only reduces the harm of adenoids hypertrophy in children, but also saves children from the pain of surgery.

Based on years of summary and accumulation, a large number of children with adenoids hypertrophy have been cured. Traditional Chinese medicine has few side effects, a short course of treatment (generally 4-6 weeks), and good efficacy. For some children with enlarged tonsils, Chinese medicine is also used

7. What should you pay attention to in daily care for adenoids hypertrophy?

(1) Parents should first strengthen their children’s daily protection, pay attention to keeping the nose warm, and prevent colds. At the same time, you should pay attention to your diet, eat more vegetables and fruits, and appropriately limit the intake of allergenic foods such as marine fish and shrimp. Strengthen your physical fitness and prevent illness before it occurs.

(2) Adenoids hypertrophy should not be taken lightly and should be detected and treated early. In daily life, parents should pay special attention to children's colds and other conditions. Especially for children between 2 and 10 years old, prevention should be taken early, such as trying to avoid long-term colds, runny nose, nasal congestion, coughing, rubbing nose, rubbing eyes, sneezing and other symptoms. If accompanied by poor hearing, obvious snoring and other symptoms, go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment.

(3) Children should avoid eating fried, raw, cold, and puffed foods while taking Chinese medicine.

Physical therapy (such as acupuncture) combined with herbal medicine is more effective. Traditional Chinese medicine has few side effects in treating adenoids hypertrophy, is highly safe, is simple and convenient to treat, and has a high degree of cooperation among children, so it is worth promoting. If your child has enlarged adenoids, Chinese medicine is recommended for treatment. In many children, their adenoids can return to normal after treatment. There are very few ineffective children.