Written By: Sandhya Raghavan | Published : February 10, 2017, 7:07 PM
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The human body is a complex machine that runs smoothly because so many vital organs work in tandem. One can imagine what could happen if one of these organs were to be removed completely. Complete chaos right? Evidently not. Your body will function perfectly well even if one of these body parts were to be removed (With a little help, of course). Dr Pradip Shah lists down 10 organs that the human body can do without.
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The pituitary gland or the master gland is the boss of the endocrine system. It’s a pea-sized organ connected to the lower part of the brain. If it develops tumours, the gland is surgically removed.
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Tonsils sometimes end up causing more harm than good. They fight germs that enter our mouths. But sometimes, germs stay back on the tonsils, causing recurrent sore throat and strep infections. In such situations, doctors suggest surgically removing these lumps of tissue. Don’t worry; your body won’t miss them.
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Lymph nodes are removed as part of the surgical management of cancer. Although it’s not a real solution to curb the disease, the medical view is that lymph nodes contain cancer cells; hence they have to be removed.
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Thyroid gland situated inside your neck has some impressive metabolic activities. But if it develops cancerous or benign tumours, or gets overactive, surgical removal is the only option.
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One lung can be removed in case of cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Although it is not generally recommended by doctors, if the other lung is working well, the problematic one can be removed. The surviving one expands more than before to make up for the absence of its buddy.
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Spleen is known as the scavenger of the human body since it collects old blood cells and recycles them. But if the patient consistently has low platelet count, doctors often suggest splenectomy as a last-resort measure since the spleen is responsible for removing the platelets damaged by the immune system. The downside is that this makes the person more susceptible to infections.
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Women around the menopausal age having fibroids or uterine cancers go in for hysterectomy or removal of the uterus. A part of the uterus or the complete organ can be removed in such cases. Although uterus is not a vital, life-sustaining organ, women are at risk for cardiac complications, mood swings and bone fragility after hysterectomy.
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Ovaries are at the centre of female hormone production. But sometimes, to minimise risks of ovarian cancers or to prevent recurrence of painful cysts (which can sometimes get twisted in the body) doctors suggests removal of these organs. However, life isn’t easy after the surgery because women will start experiencing menopause almost immediately.
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Removal of the appendix is a fairly common process. The vestigial organ no longer has any useful functions in the human body but can be susceptible to inflammation or appendicitis. In such cases the appendix has to be removed to prevent further complications.
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Kidneys are important organs that perform the function of filtering waste out of human blood. However, if in case one fails or if a donor decides to give one away, the lone kidney can perform just as efficiently as two can.
