The internet is so vast and has such a wide global reach that it is never difficult to find online content that shocks, stuns, amazes, or disgusts people.
With the emergence of social media platforms, sharing images and videos on a global scale has never been easier. As a result, patterns emerge periodically in which waves of comparable content appear to be released at a particular time.
The popularity of content on the internet that has to do with our bodies and all the strange, amazing, and fascinating things they can accomplish probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. Videos of people popping pimples (gross!), draining cysts (double gross!), and extracting earwax are probably all too familiar to you.
However, are you familiar with tonsil stones? Since I hadn’t, I opted to do what I do best after watching a video on the topic. I’ll give you the details, you lovely people.
I freely acknowledge my intense curiosity about everything pertaining to the human body. Although I don’t think they’re particularly entertaining to watch, I was captivated by the viral sensation that is the so-called “pimple popping” videos.
That being said, I wasn’t entirely sure what to anticipate when I stumbled upon a relevant video about the removal of “tonsil stones.”
I should probably explain what tonsil stones are in detail first. I had never seen one before, much less heard of them. Maybe I’m the only one who knows about them; maybe all of you readers out there do too. Nevertheless, perhaps not.
According to the Mayo Clinic, hard white or yellow formations on the tonsils are known as tonsil stones. They are typically treatable at home with natural remedies, and they are neither painful nor harmful.
The primary causes of tonsil stones are debris and trapped materials in the tonsillar crypts, which are found in the tonsils, yes, those oval-shaped flaps of tissue at the back of your throat that fight infections. This can include food or debris, bacteria and fungi, or even minerals like calcium.
Tonsil stones are more common than one may imagine, even though symptoms aren’t always present. When they do, among other things, the symptoms may include sore throats, coughs, earaches, and bad breath.
Three million Americans are reportedly affected by tonsil stones annually, but thankfully, having them removed is a fairly straightforward procedure. In reality, they can be removed at home using a number of techniques, such as gargling with salt water and using a delicate object, like a cotton swab.
Furthermore, the stones can actually be brought up and loosen by simply coughing vigorously.
We can observe someone getting a tonsil stone removed in the highly viewed video below. Caution! It’s quite graphic!