Natural health: Coughs, colds and cracked heels

I always seem to get coughs and colds, in particular a sore throat and swollen glands. Could this be strep throat or tonsillitis?

It is a good idea to have a health professional take a look in your mouth and at your general health to see if you are suffering from strep throat, recurrent tonsillitis, or both.

You will be able to see for yourself whether or not your tonsils are inflamed — they appear as two small mounds of tissue at the very back of the mouth on either side of your throat (not to be confused with the uvula, which is the ‘dangly bit’ at the back of the mouth). When you have tonsillitis, often there are white patches on your tonsils, and they will be quite red and inflamed. Long gone are the days when the tonsils are removed at the very idea of tonsillitis. Most cases of tonsillitis are viral in origin,which means antibiotics are often of little or no use.