Traditional Chinese Medicine Parenting: Question 4 What should be done when a child has tonsillitis?

Answer: The human body is an extremely precise system, with built-in preventive measures for various health threats. Among these, the tonsils and appendix are well-known examples of such precise warning systems. 

The tonsils serve as an early warning mechanism against the invasion of heat pathogens. When heat pathogens invade the body and cannot be expelled properly, it manifests as tonsillitis, often with pus formation. This is why, when a child opens their mouth, you might see two lumps resembling lychees in the throat area. Therefore, it's crucial not to remove the tonsils through surgery, as they act as guards and alarm systems for your body.

General Treatment: For a child weighing 20 pounds: At the initial onset of tonsillitis, take 6 grams of roasted licorice (Zhi Gan Cao), 3 grams of balloon flower (Jie Geng), and 3 grams of mint (Bo He). Boil these in two bowls of water until it reduces to a little over half a bowl, then divide the liquid into two doses and have the child drink it. If the child's tonsils are swollen to the point where swallowing is difficult, you can use a bloodletting needle to puncture the tonsils. The child will cough up a lot of pus, and they will be better the next day. The pus is the expelled heat pathogen.

Additionally, here is an ancient remedy from Chinese Traditional Medicine: When the child is healthy, boil 15 grams of selfheal (Xia Ku Cao) with one egg in two bowls of water until it reduces to one bowl. Have the child eat the egg and drink the soup. This remedy is said to prevent tonsillitis for life.