Posted by zenhussy on May 29, 2007, at 13:54:35
In reply to Tonsils white smelly balls come out what are they?, posted by Phillipa on May 29, 2007, at 11:03:57
from Treating Tonsil Stones at drgreene.org
http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&action=detail&ref=568
>>>...As you suspect, however, there is more to these hard lumps than just food. The tonsils also trap other mouth debris such as bacteria and old cells from the surface of the mouth's lining. Some of these cells contain small amounts of keratin, the same substance found in fingernails and rhinoceros horns. Whatever the nature of the debris, it is then attacked by white blood cells. The aftermath of this battle leaves the crevices of the tonsil strewn with hardened remains.
Most people swallow this material without ever noticing it, while it is still tiny. In those whose tonsils are large, however, the particles can lodge in the deep crypts, where they continue to grow. The enlarging lumps are called calculi of the tonsil, or tonsilloliths (tonsil stones). These stones are most common during adolescence.
Microscopic studies of these tonsilloliths have shown them to contain a combination of food particles, bacteria, oral debris, and white blood cells in a concentrically laminated pattern -- rather like a pearl. Usually they are small gritty particles found in the center of soft, cheesy flecks. Sometimes, however, they become quite large, appearing as rough, yellow or gray, round stones. At times they reach an extraordinary size. Affected people usually have a history of repeated attacks of tonsillitis in earlier years.<<<
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who is Dr. Greene?Dr. Greene is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of California at San Francisco. Upon completion of his pediatric residency program at Children's Hospital Medical Center of Northern California he served as Chief Resident. He entered primary care pediatrics in January 1993. In 1995, he launched DrGreene.com, cited by the AMA as the first physician Web site on the Internet. His award-winning site receives over 50 million hits a month from parents, concerned family members, students, and healthcare professionals. In addition to being the founder of DrGreene.com, he is the Chief Medical Officer of A.D.A.M., a leading publisher of interactive health information. He also teaches medical students and pediatric residents at the Stanford University School of Medicine, and is an Attending Physician at Stanford's Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. He is the President of Hi-Ethics (Health Internet Ethics) and helped URAC develop its standards for eHealth accreditation. He serves on the board of directors of The Organic Center.
Dr. Greene is the Pediatric Expert for Yahoo!, Rob Reiner’s ParentsAction.org, and NPR’s The People’s Pharmacy. He is the author of From First Kicks to First Steps (McGraw-Hill, 2004), The Parent's Complete Guide to Ear Infections (People's Medical Society, 1997), and a co-author of The A.D.A.M. Illustrated Family Health Guide (A.D.A.M., Inc., 2004). He is the medical expert for three additional books, The Parent's Soup A-to-Z Guide to Your New Baby, (Contemporary Books, 1998) The Parent's Soup A-to-Z Guide to Your Toddler, (Contemporary Books, 1999), The Mother of All Baby Books, (Hungry Minds, Inc., 2002).
Dr. Greene is a frequent keynote speaker at important events such as the first Green Power Baby Shower, held in Hollywood, the first European Internet health conference, held in Maastricht, and the first International eHealth Association Conference, held in Jeddah. Dr. Greene also appears frequently on TV, radio, websites, and in newspapers and magazines around the world, including such publications as the Wall Street Journal, Parenting, Parent, Child, Baby Talk, Working Mother, Better Home's & Gardens, and Reader's Digest.
poster:zenhussy
thread:760166
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20070227/msgs/760207.html