Did you get your tonsils taken out as a kid? For people who grew up before the 1980s, the surgery and its attendant promise of icecream and jelly afterwards were almost a rite of passage. But while ...

Holes in the tonsils — or tonsillar crypts — are a typical part of human anatomy. They do not often cause problems, but sometimes, they can become enlarged. Larger tonsillar crypts may be prone to ...

Roughly 290,000 tonsillectomies are performed in children under 15 years old every year in the United States. Though the tonsil hospital closed decades ago, tonsillectomies still remain one of the ...

If you’ve had surgery to remove your tonsils — a procedure known as a tonsillectomy — it’s possible for your tonsils to grow back. This can happen if tissue that gets left behind after the procedure ...

Your tonsils are the two round pads of tissue at the back of your throat. They’re part of your immune system. When germs enter your mouth or nose, your tonsils sound the alarm and call the immune ...

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the tonsils are part of your body’s lymphatic system, which helps fight off infection. Since they are located in the back of your throat, tonsils ...

Tonsils serve as sort of a filter in your body. Chances are many of you have had them removed, but two recent studies differ on when and if that’s necessary. Dr. Teresa Chan-Leveno is chief of ...

People have four kinds of tonsils. The term tonsils usually refers to your palatine tonsils, the ones that can be seen at the back of your throat. But tonsillar tissue also includes the lingual tonsil ...

Swollen tonsils often signify something is up with your body—like an impending cold or virus. There are many causes for the mounds in the back of your throat to become inflamed. And much like a ...

The human body is composed of over 37 trillion cells, each with a limited lifespan. These cells are continuously replaced to maintain organ and system function. Yet over time, or as a result of damage ...

“I didn’t think it was a possibility," said Katy Golden, who had her tonsils taken out when she was 5 years old Vanessa Etienne is a Staff Writer for PEOPLE on the Health team. She joined the brand in ...