THE PROBLEM WITH TONSILS
Some of the biggest barriers to recovery from chronic fatigue-causing illnesses are silent foci of infection. The word ‘foci’ is the plural of the word ‘focus.’ A ‘focus of infection’ is defined as a localised area of infection whose effects extend to organs and tissues in the body that are distant from the site of the original infection.The most damaging foci are found in teeth and tonsils. In previous blog post, I have written extensively about dental foci of infection like root canal-treated teeth, cavitations (unhealed extraction sites which are sadly, very common) and periodontal (gum) disease and their effects on the entire body. In this Newsletter, I shall discuss foci of infections in tonsils and their role in disease.
The Tonsils - Toilet of the Body
The tonsils are known as the ‘toilet of the body.’ This is because of their relationship to the brain’s waste disposal system known as the glymphatic system. By pumping cerebrospinal fluid through the brain’s tissues, the glymphatic system flushes the waste products from the brain back into the circulatory system. This system ramps up ten-fold at night during deep sleep, allowing the brain to get rid of toxins and harmful proteins like amyloid beta, whose build-up is linked to Alzheimer’s disease. This is why poor sleep is linked to the development of Alzheimer’s and other diseases.
The Waldeyer’s Ring
The tonsils comprise a group of lymphatic tissues known as Waldeyer’s Ring. Their primary job is to protect the body against toxins and pathogens entering via the oral route. The lymphatic system is a superhighway of vessels, nodes and organs that collect and drain a substance known as lymph containing waste products like damaged cells, cancer cells, viruses and other unwanted substances.
As described above, the lymphatic system is the brain’s specialised lymphatic system. The Waldeyer’s Ring at the back of the throat is made up of the adenoids (pharyngeal tonsils), the tubal tonsils posterior to the Eustachian tubes, the two Palatine tonsils (visible by looking in the back of the throat) and the lingual tonsils located near the vocal cords in the larynx. All waste products that drain from the tissues above the neck (brain, sinuses, teeth, eyes, skull, bones) pass through Waldeyer’s Ring.
This means that toxins, viruses, bacteria and other infectious agents originating from root canals, mercury amalgams, decaying teeth, gum disease and unhealed extraction sites (cavitations) pass through the tonsil tissues of Waldeyer’s Ring. Permut et al. demonstrated that when ink is injected into the pulp of a tooth, it appears within 20 minutes in the tonsils. Similarly, Indian ink rubbed into the gums appears on the tonsils soon after. There is no food or drink that does not pass through the Waldeyer’s Ring. Over the years, when the tonsils are saturated by the unrelenting toxic drip from infected teeth and gums, the tonsils lose their ability to excrete wastes and become a toxic focus themselves. They have become overwhelmed.
Tonsils and Foci of Infection
German oncologist Dr Josef Issels showed that any focus of infection in the head would affect the tonsils in some way. In 1951, Dr Issels started a hospital in Germany for ‘incurable’ cancer patients. In a survey of adult cancer patients at his clinic, Dr Issels found that 98% of them had between two and ten dead teeth. Dr Issels made the following observation: “Tonsils are the great curse on the body. They can appear normal. But on laboratory examination they are all found to be grossly infected in cancer patients.” He routinely advocated tonsillectomy for his cancer patients. Prior to incorporating tonsillectomy in his cancer protocols, 44% of patients who did not survive, died of a heart attack. After tonsillectomy became routine, this number dropped to 5%.
We have seen in previous Newsletters how dangerous the toxins and pathogens from dental infections are. It is inevitable that these toxins and infections will severely impede the excretory function of the tonsils. They then lose their ability to create the warning signals of inflammation. Toxins can no longer be excreted but start to leach into the rest of the body via the vascular system.
It is possible to distinguish between three groups of chronic tonsillitis:
Healthy tonsils - Still capable of a reactive inflammatory response following frequent attacks of acute tonsillitis or angina. However, each new attack leads increased volume and activity until the tonsils gradually lose their capacity to react and atrophy (shrink). At this point they have become overwhelmed.
Enlarged (hyperplastic) tonsils. Unfortunately, it is common to partially remove such tonsils, creating narrowed or scarred crypts with lack of drainage which then fosters the formation of decomposing toxins. It is recommended that these partially lopped tonsils should be completely removed to eradicate the toxic focus.
Seemingly healthy but small underdeveloped and functionally deficient tonsils. These tonsils are firmly fused to their base and difficult to dislodge surgically. This group occurred most often in Dr Issel’s cancer patients.
All three groups of tonsils are prone to toxic focal effects that progress with age and chronic dental exposures. The final phase of progressive tonsillar degeneration is called degenerative atrophic tonsillitis. The tonsils have become a dangerous focus but are themselves completely asymptomatic.
Effects of Tonsillar Foci on the Body
Dr Issels outlined four ways how tonsillar foci can adversely affect the body:
The neural effect. This is by effects on the autonomic nervous system.
The toxic effect. For example, thio-ethers produced by toxic teeth are chemically similar to deadly mustard gas used in World War 1.
The allergic effect. Proteins released from dead/dying teeth sensitise or ramp up the immune system. These can cross-react with regular food proteins or biochemicals creating issues like mast cell activation and multiple food and chemical sensitivities.
The infectious effect. Infectious agents leach into the blood stream leading to the micro clots and embolisms in heart attacks and strokes as published in the medical journal JAMA in recent years.
Some symptoms of diseased tonsil interference in the body include:
Decreased blood flow (brain fog, memory loss, anxiety)
Disturbed production of melatonin (chronic insomnia)
Decreased activity of lymphatic system (less sleep)
Constant outflow of potent biotoxins (chronic fatigue/aches/pains)
Chronic persisting infections.
Angina
Pans/Pandas. In this condition, attacks from the immune system towards pathogens present in the lymphatic tissues of the throat (tonsils, adenoids, eustachian tonsils) are misdirected towards brain tissues that look similar to the immune system. A cleanly done tonsillectomy can be of marked benefit in Pans/Pandas cases.
Increased foods and chemical sensitivities. The tissues of the lymphatic system are present in the gut as well as Waldeyer’s Ring. The tonsils are the first encounter the immune cells have with food. This primes the immune system when these substances enter the digestive tract. Over-priming results in increased food and chemical sensitivities.
Bad breath despite attention to dental hygiene.
Dr Issels treated over 8,000 cancer patients during a 25 year period. He observed that the findings in healthy-looking tonsils were more serious than those in obviously diseased tonsils removed by ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) surgeons. He frequently observed abscesses, cysts the size of cherries full of liquid and pus. The tonsil tissues were spongy, slushy and had a putrid smell.
Challenges of tonsil clean-up
The problems of health-looking tonsils masking a potential cess pit of underlying infections makes tonsillar foci difficult to diagnose. Many doctors, including ENT surgeons, are not thinking about foci of infection when they examine patients. Some may believe that a course of antibiotics fixes everything which is just not the case when tonsils have lost their ability to excrete toxins. It is very difficult to find an ENT surgeon in the UK willing to look at this issue in the context of a broader picture of a chronically fatigued or infected patient.
About 15 years ago, my health collapsed suddenly due to an overwhelm of dental infections and their toxins. After dental revision, which involved extraction of root canal-treated teeth and clean-out of cavitations, I developed a continuous post nasal drip causing constant coughing and throat clearing. In my twenties I had had a 'partial tonsillectomy’ of the variety that we now know can create a dangerous focus of infection. I found a surgeon in London who I had to persuade to do a good tonsil clean up. The symptoms resolved until a few years later when I became ill with a severe throat infection that didn’t go away. Aware of the difficulties of diagnosis in the UK, I visited a Russian professor in Germany and had cryotherapy (a freezing restorative treatment) on the tonsil tissues. A single treatment helped but did not completely resolve the issue and it was impractical and expensive to have multiple trips to Germany.
To try to get to the bottom of the issue, I had a thermogram of the head area which showed up a single red inflamed patch at the back of the throat. I then visited a local ENT specialist who, before examination, insisted the problem was one of silent reflux. During examination, however, a cyst at the back of throat was detected and subsequently removed. End of throat symptoms!
My story is not unique and I have seen patients benefit hugely by having both infected teeth and tonsils removed. Please note that I am not advocating healthy tonsils to be removed, only diseased ones. I did not find it difficult undergoing adult tonsillectomy when the end result was to reduce overall infection and inflammation. It helped to take the burden off my immune system and I felt much better afterwards. I believe it would have been far worse for me to retain chronically infected tonsils.
In clinical practice, I look into patients’ mouths to get an idea of what infections and toxins might be present. I rely on the expert advice of one or two ENT surgeons in the UK for diagnosis but I wish there were more ENT surgeons knowledgeable about focal infections and willing to act as there are in Germany. I advocate thermography (no invasive techniques, no radiation) for extra valuable information about the state of the tissues in the head, mouth and throat. When patients tell me that they have tonsil stones, had a partial tonsillectomy or can see pus coming out of the back of their throat, that is certainly a red flag for action!
If you need help with any of the above issues, please get in touch with the Good Health Clinic on goodhealthclinic@outlook.com to request a free 30 minute Enquiry Call or book an appointment. I also work with a network of Biological Dentists who practice the dentistry of the future. Please note that an Enquiry Call is not a consultation but an exploratory call to see if this a clinical approach you wish to pursue.
To your very good health,
Suzanne Jeffery (Nutritional Medicine Consultant)
M.A.(Oxon), BSc.(NMed), PGCE, MNNA, CNHC
The Good Health Clinic at The Business Centre, 2, Cattedown Road, Plymouth PL4 0EG
Tel no: 07836 552936/ Answer phone: 01752 774755
Disclaimer:
All advice given out by Suzanne Jeffery and the Good Health Clinic is for general guidance and informational purposes only. All advice relating to other health professionals’ advice is for general guidance and information purposes only. Readers are encouraged to confirm the information provided with other sources. Patients and consumers should review the information carefully with their professional health care provider. The information is not intended to replace medical advice offered by other practitioners and physicians. Suzanne Jeffery and the Good Health Clinic will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary or other damages arising therefrom.