Scratchy, Itchy Throat?
Is Swallowing Painful?

You might have tonsillitis.

As a child, I had horrible sore throats, thrash, tonsillitis, etc. I know it was terrible cause I blocked it out, or tried to.....I remember misery, though, vaguely, even decades later. Yet, if I'd had a say in whether those tonsils came out or not, and knew what I know now, I'd have suffered through and left them in if possible.

It is now known that tonsils filter bacteria and viruses that could cause even more harmful infections so best to leave them in tact if you can.

This article covers a question asked about two different subjects, tonsillitis and psoriasis. Part one deals with throat issues. If you came here looking for information on the skin disorder, psoriasis, then skip to part two: ABOUT PSORIASIS

....Tonsillitis Information
Spiritual Healing Implications

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Can Hypnosis Help You Cure Your Sore Throat?

Question on health care and healing: I had a very bad case of tonsillitis when I was seven and then I developed psoriasis......It is taking a very long time to get it out of my body. Is there a spiritual message here?

Healing facilitation response: Way back when I was a little girl, if a person had recurrent strep throat or tonsillitis, the cure was to have the tonsils removed. I regret that this happened to me and I urge you to pursue every other option if throat infections are a health concern, before having yours removed because tonsils filter bacteria and I believe they are important to keep, if at all possible.

(Please note: This is part two of a 2-part question. The person asking the question had originally asked about tonsillitis bringing on symptoms of psoriasis. The response got so long that I moved the information on psoriasis to a new page.) To see the information on psoriasis, click here.

What is Tonsillitis?

Tonsillitis, while not the only reason for a sore throat, is a common reason the throat may hurt. It is caused by inflammation to the tonsils, usually due to either a viral or bacterial infection.

When the tonsils, which are actually lymph nodes, become inflamed by viruses or bacteria, this creates the classic sore throat of tonsillitis. The most common bacterial cause is streptococcus pyogenes (strep throat results) and the most common viral cause is Epstein-Barr (the virus that cause mononucleosis, also known as the kissing disease because of it's prevalence among teen-agers.

Symptoms of Tonsillitis

Symptoms include a sore throat, difficulty swallowing, red, swollen tonsils, white patches on tonsils or around tonsils, headache, loss of voice, fever and chills.

Ask a Healer recommends Throat and Tonsil Dr. for the natural treatment of throat and tonsil infections, including Tonsillitis.

Although tonsillitis is a very common occurrence in children, it should not go untreated because if caused by streptococcus bacteria, it can be vital to treat with antibiotics to avoid strep-related complications.

Also, it's important to know whether the sore throat is caused by a virus or a bacteria because the drugs that might be effective against a viral infection will not necessarily be effective against a bacterial infection. In fact, treating a viral infection with a antibacterial antibiotic might even be harmful.

Viruses and bacteria are very different organisms. For example, bacteria are living organisms and viruses are not. For more information about the differences between a bacterial infection and a viral infection, visit The Mayo Clinic Website.

As I mentioned in my article on Cold and Flu Prevention, I believe most colds, flus, ear aches and sore throats could be avoided if a person would simply become more aware of the onset of symptoms. Because our body is such a exquisite machine, and it starts sending out warnings immediately with the slightest threat to homeostasis, many people do not even notice the first warning.

Pre-Symptoms of Tonsillitis, Colds and Flu:

Many colds flu, and tonsillitis episodes could be avoided if the earliest warning signs were heeded. Long before you come down with a cold, your body tries to warn you that something is attempting to attack your system but these pre-symptoms are often not so bad that you can't keep working....at least for one day.

To avoid working that one day you can, and then being out of work for two weeks after, learn to notice the early signals of dis-ease that your body sends and take aggressive healing actions.

If you find yourself with an itchy throat, itchy ears, or any type of feeling just a little below par, take it as a warning. If we learn to treat cold and flu symptoms during the typically 24-hour period of pre-symptoms, we may be able to avoid the sore thoat, aching body and painful lymph nodes a day later.

The Spiritual Healing Significance of Tonsillitis:

Spiritually speaking, the throat chakra is all about communication. We usually will manifest congestion there when we are...

not speaking our truth; speaking what we feel others want to hear out of a need for approval or fear of disapproval

not feeling supported to speak and either suppressing communication or building resentment over not feeling free to speak

speaking inappropriately - this is common when we are struggling to release habits of suppression and speak more freely. Lashing out in anger or resentment.

working to release beliefs about being punished or disapproved of for speaking.

I would look at your life at age 7, when the tonsillitis developed and search out what communication may have gotten suppressed at that time. In healing the child within, it is important to give expression in some way to that which has been denied.

In all my work with child abuse victims (and I'm not saying you are one but that the timing is something to look at) the abuse almost always seemed to occur around either age four or age seven. One of the most common impacts of abuse is communication

Journaling is good to help get in touch with what you really need to say. Also speaking aloud, as if you were the child within, finally saying what they needed to say back then. Just getting it out can free up energy that may still be unknowingly blocked.

If you have had abuse of any type in your childhood, it may be time to go further into healing that and addressing any issues from that abusive period. I would suggest finding a healer who specializes in inner child work.

Health Care Disclaimer: The information contained in this health care article on tonsillitis is not intended to take the place of personal medical advice from your health care professional. Any action taken based on the contents found in this or any educational health information on this site is at the sole discretion of the reader. Please consult with your chosen health care professional if experiencing sore throat, throat congestion or tonsillitis sypmtoms.