Taken out of context, that could be a weird question. But I found this article when googling swollen tonsils. http://www.thefastertimes.com/pediatrics/2010/03/12/enlarged-tonsils-did-you-want-that-to-go/ It's kind of long, but well written.
I always felt tonsils should be saved and not excised. Just like the appendix, I wish doctors would repair the appendix, rather than remove it. I'm pretty damn sure even an appendix that has bursted could be repaired..
On appendixes http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-the-function-of-t Good to know, I was still under the impression that they're useless
It's my understanding that they are part of the immune system and become swollen because of toxins and allergens. I had mine removed when I was 12. I dont believe that anything is vestigial, it all has a use. I think the appendix was said to be a back up for gut flora and something else.
That article doesn't even mention tonsil stones. Some people who get tonsil stones 'doctor shop' for ENT that will cut out their tonsils at will. . . . I agree that tonsils play an integral part in the immune system and their role in human health is greatly misunderstood by western medicine. I used to have chronically inflammed tonsils... Eating lots of weed helped clean up my tonsils.
I had mine removed around 11-12 and since then ive had strep like once and have been sicker less. That still doesnt mean that tonsils arent crucial
Used to just be a case of get tonsillitis and off with them, where I live, hence my absence of tonsils. Nowadays, it is a case of 'requiring' two or more bouts of tonsillitis before surgeons seriously consider bringing you into the OR. I think that's a fairly sensible way to deal with it. Undergoing tonsillectomy as an adult is often more of an ordeal, "Adults who have had chronic tonsil infections develop more scar tissue due to inflammation between the tonsil and the underlying muscle, often creating a more challenging extraction. This can lead to more post operative pain and potential for bleeding." So I suppose you'd have to weigh in those factors, too. A close friend of mine had it done last year, and it took a serious toll on him, much more than what I went through (basically a couple of days of eating ice cream and watching Days of Our Lives instead of school). I'd go back and do it again.