Patients and doctors often misunderstand tonsils, which is why they are one of the most important structures in the throat. Traditional wisdom states that tonsils are the glands in your throat that fight infection. Tonsillectomy is the most common operation in the United States. Many tonsillectomies are unnecessary today, as I’ll show you in the rest of this article. Moreover, too many tonsils are left in place when they should be removed. Here’s why. Before I can clarify the contradictory statement above I must first explain what tonsils actually are and why they should be removed if possible.
Tonsils
Tonsils are lymphoid tissue. They look like lymph glands in your neck or armpits. They are part the immune system. They help to learn about foreign objects and make antibodies to fight infections. Young children’s lymphoid tissues can become very sensitive after a simple infection or cold. If you have young children, you will be familiar with their sore throats when they get a cold. Not only can tonsils swell from viral or bacterial infections but also allergies and acid reflux. Tissue swelling can be caused by any degree of inflammation or irritation. This is normal and can occur in different degrees depending on the severity of any infection, irritation, or inflammation.
Sore Throats
Sore throats are not always caused by bacteria or viruses. There are many reasons for an inflamed tonsil. This is why antibiotics are not as effective in treating sore throats. What do Tonsils do? What do Tonsils Do? You may see connections between the four glands. In some cases, it will form a complete circle. Everything you inhale or swallow must pass through this “ring” so that the body can understand what’s going on inside. It is common knowledge that tonsillitis can cause pain in the throat, fever, swelling of the neck glands (lymphoid cells that drain your tonsils), and disrupt your sleep.
Your tonsils can swell from simple cold viruses to bacteria and allergies. Although streptococcal bacteria is very common, there’s one strain of Streptococcal bacteria called Group A beta Hemolytic Streptococcus that must be tested and treated. This strain can potentially cause damage to the heart and kidneys. Non-GABHS bacteria can cause similar symptoms. However, if the condition is severe, doctors will usually prescribe oral antibiotics. This will make you feel much better. The tonsil can swell in severe cases. This is a factor that most people don’t appreciate. The upper airway passageways of the human body are relatively narrowed.
Inflammation
Even mild inflammation or swelling in the throat can cause this airway to narrow even more, which almost always leads to arousal and obstruction during sleep. This means that your tonsils can cause your throat to feel sore and make it difficult to fall asleep. Here’s why. Infected tonsils can cause inflammation and swelling in your airways, which in turn causes you to stop breathing. You’ll either wake up immediately or you’ll stop breathing for 10 seconds or more, then you will wake up. This is known as an “apnea” (or loss of breath).
Most people will experience a lot of short obstructions or arousals. This is why, if you have a simple common cold, you won’t be able to sleep well as you would with a simple one. You’ll have more frequent and shorter sleep cycles. In most cases, the infection will disappear and you will be back to normal. There’s another piece of the puzzle that can make it difficult to feel better. This is the part that many patients, and even many doctors, overlook. You can create a vacuum effect in the throat by stopping breathing. Your stomach juices will literally be suctioned into your throat if you do this even temporarily. Your tonsils can become swollen from small amounts of acid, bile and digestive enzymes.
Stomach Juices
Your stomach juices can travel up into your nose and down into your lungs, creating more havoc. The tongue can also fall further if it has a stuffy nose. Mononucleosis-causing Epstein-Barr virus, which attacks lymphoid tissues, can cause tonsil swelling. Patients with this condition often experience prolonged bouts and severe fatigue. Most people assume that if your throat hurts, you have a sinus infection. If the antibiotics you are given work, it is likely that it was an infection. Not necessarily. Z-Pak, which is a 5-day course of azithromycin, is one of the most common oral antibiotics.
This medication has a lesser-known side effect that can help you empty your stomach faster. Your throat will feel more comfortable if you keep your stomach from rising. This can sometimes make it work faster than typical antibiotics. This medication only works in certain cases and it can wear off after several doses. Many people experience a sore throat, tickling, sore throat and mucous accumulation. As the swelling in the throat gets worse, more juices are brought into the throat, which causes more swelling.
Take Note
If your tonsils are larger than normal, the swelling in your throat will become more severe and you’ll have difficulty breathing. If this continues, you will eventually develop classic bronchitis and sinusitis. Normaly, tonsils shrink to very small glands when you reach adulthood, but some people retain their enlarged size. They may be subject to inflammation from stomach juices. Large tonsils can cause more stomach juices to rise. Is this a Rite of Passage? It was common in the 50s and 70s that tonsils were removed if you had them.
Tonsillectomies have declined in number significantly, but they are increasing again. Tonsillectomy was originally performed for recurrent infections. However, obstructed breathing is now the most common reason. Now we know that even mild sleep-breathing problems can lead to a variety of problems in children, including ADHD, bed-wetting, behavioral problems, and asthma. A study published in Pediatrics revealed that approximately 50% of ADHD children could be treated with adenotonsillectomy, which involves removing both the tonsils and adenoids.
Research
Numerous studies have shown that tonsillectomy can improve cognitive, behavioral, and attention scores in children. My son Jonas saw dramatic improvements after his tonsillectomy. Although not all ADHD children have a sleep-breathing disorder (although it is common), it is worth considering if your child has it. People often wonder why Ritalin, a stimulant medication that helps children focus and stay calmer, is so effective. They’re tired. A poor quality of sleep can also increase a child’s senses. This can cause abnormalities in their voluntary nervous system. It can lead to balance problems and hypersensitivity to certain sensory inputs, such as sounds, smells, or touch. Not all children who have tonsillectomy experience improvement.
A meta-analysis that combined multiple tonsillectomy studies found that about 2/3 of the children had significant benefits. Some children do better than others, but some are not as successful as others. The reason is that the tonsils do not make up the entire equation. Your jaws will shrink if your tonsils grow large. In my book, Sleep, Interrupted, I mentioned that modern humans have smaller jaws compared to their ancestors just a few hundred year ago. This is due to a shift in our diets from organic foods from the oceans or land to processed foods with refined sugars. Bottle-feeding, another Western phenomenon that has been linked to this problem, is another. You will have more inflammation in the throat if you have smaller jaws. This will cause your tonsils to grow larger. Large tonsils can cause more obstructions and a vacuum effect. This can lead to narrower jaws, especially for young children whose jaws are still soft and malleable.