Minor Website Review for http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/11.21/12-tonsils.html
Posted by: Julia Foster

This is a summary for my minor website review. The main topic of this article is the removal of tonsils. The Harvard University Gazette published this in their paper on November 21, 2002 and the Copyright date is 2005 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Its main strengths are that it clearly goes over the facts of tonsil removal. Its weaknesses are that it should have medical references/websites that you can refer to for more information.
The main focus of this article is "Research finds benefits for adults who have tonsils removed: Take fewer sick days and less medication than those who leave their tonsils in." The article's most interesting positive feature is the statistics that are used. For instance, "Before tonsillectomy, patients spent an average of six and a half weeks a year taking antibiotics, whereas after tonsillectomy the same patients averaged less than a day per year on antibiotics." Also, "Before tonsillectomy, patients averaged six doctor's visits a year for tonsil and throat problems, compared with the 0.3 visits a year on average for those after tonsillectomy." These figures were astonshing to me. I was also surprised by the cost of a tonsillectomy, $2,500. But I was thereafter reassured by reading, that some insurances do cover the cost of the surgery. Whew! I thought that the article was very well written and that it was detailed in describing its point objective.
As many others, I myself know how it is to suffer from chronic sore throats and doses of antibiotic treatments from the doctor. It surely isn't fun by any means. You can't eat solid foods, it hurts to swallow, all you want to do is sleep ( cause when you do there's no pain ), and you feel like you're gonna die. You then remember the old family remedies for sore throats, my mom's: warm apple juice, vinegar, and honey then gargle. So for all you out there who suffer from sore throats because of these things we call tonsils, just remember to take in all of your options and good luck!