 Hey everybody, Dr. O here. In this video we're going to talk about the tonsils, an important weapon in the development of immunity against common oral pathogens. So first let's just talk about their structure. They're just their lymphoid tissues which means that they're going to have epithelial tissues but also going to have germinal centers where your immune system cells live and constantly are on the lookout for invaders that they should develop an immunity against. Specifically, there are five tonsils in the pharynx, in the throat. You see that singular pharyngeal tonsil in the back of the throat. That's the one that's commonly called the adenoids when it's swollen. And then you have the pear, the two Palatine tonsils. These are the tonsils that are most likely removed if they're swollen. As you can see some swollen tonsils there. So a tonsillectomy is usually the removal of those two Palatine tonsils. Then you have the two that aren't talked about very much. You do have the pears or two lingual tonsils there in the throat behind the tongue. So there are a total of five tonsils. Swollen tonsils can be a serious problem. They can impact breathing. They may have to be removed because of an impact on breathing and these types of things. But swollen tonsils are actually a sign of them doing their job. They're activating an immune response against oral pathogens they were exposed to, either from food or from the air. So much so that maybe you've heard of the tonsillar crypts. I'll circle where those are there. These crypts are actually there to encourage. They're trying to trap microbes that are coming into your mouth through either your food or the air. They encourage them to dive in deep where all these immune cells are at. And these crypts are a great place for your immune cells to come and take a sample of what we're being exposed to and what we need to develop immunity against. So that's actually why those crypts are there. So as you can see, the tonsils are an important part of the immune system. Now it doesn't mean that it's worth keeping them. If potentially you're going to have breathing problems or these types of things. I've had my tonsils removed. As a matter of fact, I developed a pair of tonsillar abscess. And had to be removed because they were a source of an infection that was basically growing into my throat and becoming a very serious problem. So I was in my early 30s at the time. But when you're young, so swollen tonsils can certainly be a problem. But it is actually a sign that they're doing their job. They're helping you develop an immunity for later life. But if they're a problem, now they may have to go. In the future, we may start to see ways to deal with swollen tonsils that don't involve physically removing them. I'm kind of intrigued by that. One thing is that the bacteria, let's say strep, if they're causing you to continually have these swollen palatine tonsils, are there ways to remove the source of the infection, the strep, without removing the tonsils? We'll see. Because I think one of the reasons that removing your tonsils can help you stop getting strep throat is the fact that you're physically removing this source of infection, which was a gross biofilm on the tonsils. So perhaps, can we get rid of the biofilm, get rid of the organisms and spare the tonsils? We'll see. So with those of the tonsils, that's their job to mount immune responses in the beginning of the GI tract there in your throat. And that's what happens if they get too swollen and need to be removed. I hope that helps. Have a wonderful day. Be blessed.