Healing Post-Tonsillectomy + Adenoidectomy
I never thought I’d be writing about this. After getting my own tonsillectomy at 23, I had wished I could find more on natural post-op healing. My oldest son, Remy age 6, recently had his tonsils and adenoids removed for medical reasons. This is how we naturally supported his recovery!
Water
In our home, we believe in the wisdom of water & treat it as an honored ally. It is our first go-to in most situations, and our Kangen Machine (who the kids named Mr. Kulligan) makes it simple to adjust PH according to needs, while also filtering & ionizing. The result is Living Water, bubbling with hydrogen, molecularly balanced, & ready for best absorption & deep cell penetration.
It can also literally replace cleaning supplies by using acidic water. Not to mention it grows the most fabulous plants (more in another post!)
If you’re interested in learning more about Kangen Water, click here. If you’re curious about purchasing one, please contact me!
To facilitate Remy’s healing, we utilized Kangen water in the following ways:
- ICE: Ice, ice, ice. It was a lifesaver in this post-op recovery! From licking, to cooling drinks, to rubbing on the outer throat, we used 9.5 PH in ice cube trays since it was one of the main ways Ra wanted to stay hydrated.
-Lots & lots of ice water to drink!: This cannot be emphasized enough. Cold water is one of the only things that may feel good, & even then, the motion of swallowing is sore for days. Stay away from straws & opt for letting it trickle, haha.
Sea salt gargle for cleansing the throat
- Salt water gargle: This wasn’t doable for the first few days-week, but we mixed 6oz warm 6.0 PH water with 2tsp natural sea salt for a cleansing rinse. It’s not pleasant, but it cuts the risk of infection in a natural way that reminds us of our sacred oceans.
2. Teas
I love tea because before it was a recreational drink, it was a medicine.
Steeping plant matter in warm waters is an ancient way to make the herbs readily bio-available, promoting healing from the inside out. In this recipe, I use herbs that boost the body’s natural ability to heal & fight infection.
As an herbalist, you already know mama had to step in with plant-ally remedies. One of my favorite potions is this organic ImmuniTea + Lung Support I craft from home. Most of the herbs are grown here at Gaia’s Garden, others are certified wildcrafted, & the rest are ethically sourced.
It features immune boosting super-herbs like echinacea root, goldenseal, & elderberry, while marshmallow root & mullein soothe & coat the air passages.
For this occasion, we brewed the tea as usual, added honey to soothe the throat, & chilled or poured over ice.
Poultices
Another age-old remedy that now seems mostly forgotten among newer generations…let’s revive the once-popular poultice!
A poultice is a bundle of herbs steeped in warm water or oil, often crushed & wrapped in cloth (cheese cloth is my fav), & placed over the wounded area.
For this situation, I used a poultice of comfrey, arnica, & mint…
Comfrey - Also known as “knit-bone”, contains allontoin, an anti-inflammatory that penetrates deep to help new cells grow. It’s been used for centuries to treat broken bones, sprains, strains, pulled ligaments, and osteoarthritis.
Arnica - A lovely flower that I’ve grown to love as an ally, the flowers & roots of arnica are used for sprains, strains, & pain. It has anti-microbial & anti-inflammatory effects, making a dream team when partnered with comfrey.
Mint - Cooling & calming, mint just feels good on a hot, sore, body. While mostly used for digestion, I followed my intuition & heeded the call from Mint to add it to the poultice. Remy commented numerous times how good it felt!
I steeped the herbs in hot water (6.0 PH) then rolled the bundle in cheesecloth & placed on the neck. It’s necessary for the juices to ooze onto the skin, as this transdermal administration is how the medicine enters the body.
Let the poultice sit until it starts getting cold. Replace as needed.
To follow up, I used a layer of comfrey/arnica infused oil for extra support.
Bone Broths
Though we prefer plant based products & usually use vegetable stock for soup bases, a northern witch cannot deny the boost of energy from warm bone broth in winter.
Bone broth is rich in vitamins & nutrients that are easily lost when healing from a tonsillectomy. When all your child can eat is clear liquids, bones get simmered in the cauldron. For my Old Ways Bone Broth Recipe, click here.
Remy enjoyed it chilled.
Medicinal Mushrooms
I don’t claim to be a mycologist, but I may be a bit more than an amateur. I began studying mycology (mushroom science) in my botany-obsessed college days, and have since received my education & training in herbalism. Coupled with indigenous Anishinaabe/Seneca heritage, it wasn’t long before I dove heart-first into the practices of shamanic herbalism.
Falling under this shamanic umbrella is the magical world of the Mushroom Spirits. When we hear “magic mushrooms” our minds may wander to a particular healing spirit, but I love to point out that there are SO MANY magically medicinal fungi!
Some of my favorites that I use often are:
Chaga - found on dying Birch trees, I’ve had the joy of harvesting this gnarled beauty more than once! Chaga is a well renowned immune-boosting fungus & anti-inflammatory, & can be ingested as powder or brewed in tea once dried. I love to toss a couple teaspoons into soups, sauces, & gravies for an extra health boost!
Reishi - A staple from Chinese medicine, Reishi is known for it’s support of the immune-system, ability to reduce stress & fatigue, & improve sleep. Another great powdered mushroom to have on hand! Great added to soups, etc! A little goes a long way, as this shroomie can be bitter.
Cordyceps - This odd looking fungus is yet another one I try to sneak into dishes. Cordyceps are anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, & can delay tumor growth. I also use this one as a dried powder!
Lionsmane - Admittedly, we did not use Lionsmane in Remy’s post-op healing, but it cannot go without mention as it is one of my favorite mushrooms that I ingest daily. Lionsmane has been shown to improve neuro-plasticity of the brain, facilitate new neural connections & growth, & support over all brain & nervous system health. When partnered with vaso-dialating herbs like Rhodiola root, it’s medicine extends throughout the limbs & digits, a great way to repair nerve damage to these areas.
Sound Healing
Yet another hat I wear is that of a Sound Therapist, aka “Sound Healer” or “Sonic Alchemist” as I like to say. Indeed, using the kinetic energy of sound vibration to restore misaligned frequencies in the body is a sort of alchemy, as it transforms current conditions into healthier ones.
There is science backing this, since of course, ALL matter is vibration. Sound Therapy is even used to cure cancer at high frequencies between 100,000-300,000 hz. Have you heard of this? If not, we can thank Big Pharma who rakes in billions or more from chemotherapy & other cancer treatments.
Since everything is a vibration, everything resonates at particular frequencies. It is the job of the Sound Therapist to know what & where these frequencies differ in the body & apply correct frequency as necessary.
When studying the Solfeggio Scale, a six-tone set of bliss-inducing frequencies developed in ancient times, one learns that each major gland & it’s correlating chakra correspond with these Solfeggio tones.
The Thymus gland, a manifestation of the Throat Chakra is restored with 741 hz, so this is one of the specific tuning forks I used on & around Remy’s operation site.
Additionally, each type of tissue & organ also resonates with a frequency much lower than the Solfeggio set, since we are condensed matter vibrating in this plane. 64 hz assists the growth of connective tissue, skin, & skin cell regeneration.
Rest
Of course. Last but not least, the body’s best remedy; SLEEP.
As we know, our body kicks into healing overdrive while we’re asleep. It can then put all its energy into the immune system & cell renewal.
Bed rest for 2 weeks was the doctors’ order, which was a task to enforce with this wiggly, hyperactive, little boy!
But mama is proud to say, he recovered like a champ & I truly attribute much of that to the remedies in this article.
We have so much gratitude for modern medicine & it’s ability to identify health concerns, & to act on it in a clean & sterile environment. We’re also abundantly grateful for the wisdom of the body, for the herbal accessibility we have today, & for the preservation of ancient knowledge.
I hope this post provided some insight & help!
We love you so much, dear reader.