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Asked by elizabethlee to Andrew, Ash, Gem, Paige, SJ on 27 Jun 2012.
Question: whats the point of tonsils?
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SarahJayne Boulton answered on 27 Jun 2012:
Tonsils are like little filters that protect your upper airways from invading infections and dirt. They are the second line of defence after all the little hairs up your nose for your lungs!
Unfortunately for some (like me) the tonsils can become scarred or just be a bit ineffective at doing their job, meaning that the stuff they filter out doesn’t clear properly and the tonsils can be come infected and sore quite regularly. In this case, it’s often decided the person should have a tonsilectomy (removal of the tonsils) as risk of illness from repeated tonsil infections is greater than the risk of illness from lung infection.
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Paige Brown answered on 28 Jun 2012:
Tonsils… like miniture filters at the back of your throat! Have you ever considered why we have nose hairs?! Well that is because those hairs catch bacteria and other things that shouldn’t go up your nose… the jostling of the hairs tickle your nose and then you sneeze to get those bad things out!!! Tonsils may be a bit like that. 😉
Do you know why it makes you sneeze to see a bright light?!! That is because our cavemen ancestors lived in dark caves, and they probably sneezed when they came out of the caves (and saw bright light!) to get rid of the nasty dirt and bacteria inside the cave that made their way into their noses!!! Crazy, hun?
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Gemma Staite answered on 1 Jul 2012:
Like SJ and Paige have said, tonsils are a first line of defense against infection and foreign particles.
In recent years there has been a decline in the number of cases where the tonsils are removed, although it is still a common procedure. Tonsillitis (inflammation of the tonsils) is very common, especially in the young. Many young children get recurrent tonsillitis, but they often grow out of this.
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