The tonsils are a very important part of the human immune system. They are two small lymph glands that sit at the back of the throat and protect us from infection and disease.

When the body fights infection, the tonsils can become enlarged and inflamed and covered with a white material. This condition, tonsillitis, is very painful. If tonsillitis is part of an upper respiratory infection it's accompanied by a mild fever, cough congestion and a runny nose. If it's the result of strep bacteria, there is a higher fever; the lymph glands in the neck become swollen and tender, and the breath may have a foul odor. The adenoids are also lymph glands in the throat which fight disease. Unlike the tonsils, they are out of sight but they also serve to protect us from disease.

For several decades, tonsillectomies were one of the most operations of childhood, with one-and-a- half to two million being performed each year. In fact, there was a time when they were removed as just one of the "rites of passage." Unfortunately the vast majority of the tonsillectomies were unnecessary. The only reason to ever remove adenoids or tonsils is because of a malignancy or airway obstruction caused by the tonsils swelling to the point where they have closed the throat and the child can't breathe. Any other reason for surgery is dangerous to your child's health.

Children's tonsils were most often removed to reduce the incidence of sore throats. However, sore throats involve a viral infection and are not the result of bad tonsils. Removing the tonsils may pose more danger to the child's health When the tonsils are gone, so is the child's first line of defense against infection. Now, the burden of fighting disease is transferred to the lymph nodes in the neck, which can lead to more dangerous complications.

Chiropractors know that it's perfectly normal for the body to host a certain amount of bacteria in the throat area without becoming ill. When your children are free from subluxations and nerve interference, they will be better able to maintain a high level of natural immunity. A 1976 study showed that seventy of seventy-six children suffered from restricted movement in the upper neck area, otherwise known as subluxation. Adjustments, which resulted in correction of nerve interference, allowed the children to fight off infection naturally and return to good health without complication.