What are "tonsils" and "adenoids"?

What are "tonsils" and "adenoids"?

Jason Hamilton (Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon) gives expert video advice on: What are the treatments for tonsil and adenoid diseases?; Is it safe to have my tonsils or adenoids removed? and more...

Tonsils are lymph nodes that are in the back of your throat. They are large swellings that help to sample bacteria, foreign bodies, food, viruses, that come and are swallowed through the mouth. The tonsils have lymphocytes in it that help to fight infection. It also samples things that are passed through the oral cavity and sends it to the rest of the body to let your body know what you're ingesting. If you ingest anything bad, like strep bacteria, it sends out antibodies which cause inflammation and fight off that infection. The adenoids are lymph nodes as well, but they're located in the back of the nose, you can't see them through your mouth, and they're similar to the tonsils in that they sample things that are breathed in through the nose, and they let your body know if there's any, you know, pathogens or viruses, bacteria, that you've breathed in and that needs to be fought.