Within the last couple of decades, people have been eager to get their appendix removed with no reason other than avoiding the possibility of experiencing the excruciating pain of appendicitis, when your appendix ruptures, in the future. For nearly 170 years, people have been falsely informed of the appendix and its function in the body. Around 1840, Charles Darwin researched the appendix and concluded that it was a vestigial structure meaning that it had no function or use that helped the body. In 2010, a scientist at Duke University Medical Center finished his 10 year study of vestigial structures in the human body and proved that the appendix does in fact have a job and benefits the body. He discovered that the appendix is used as a “safe house” for the good gut bacteria in the body. When people catch a virus or other various types of infections, their immune system works to rid their body, especially their gut, of bacteria. After the infection is gone, the appendix kicks in to help the body regain strength and the bacteria that it needs by feeding the gut with the bacteria. The appendix has many other useful functions like digesting certain carbohydrates, producing vitamins, absorbing minerals, eliminating toxins, keeping bad bacteria under control, storing good gut bacteria, preventing allergies, and supporting your immune system. Although it is very possible to live without your appendix, maybe think twice before deciding to remove it with no reason because it is actually benefitting you in many ways.
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