ANSWERS: 10
  • Uvula. Helps with the gagging reflex. Try touching it!
  • That dangly thing at the back of your throat, sort of between your tonsils, is called the uvula. It's part of the soft palate, a structure that helps make up the vocal tract. Although the uvula is used to make certain sounds in other languages (though not in English), its exact function remains unknown. Even otolaryngologists, medical professionals who specialize in the ears, nose, and throat, still ponder this mysterious little appendage. Most of the information we found came from sites about snoring and sleep disorders, or from pediatric articles for parents. We learned the soft palate guards the opening to the throat, windpipe, and lungs. Designed to prevent food and drink from going back up into the nose when you swallow, the gag reflex that occurs when something touches the uvula also protects against choking hazards. Uvulitis is an infection of the uvula similar to strep throat. Some children have an extra-long uvula, which seems to make them more prone to gagging or vomiting. From Yahoo Answers
  • Uvula: The small piece of soft tissue that can be seen dangling down from the soft palate over the back of the tongue. The uvula is described variously shaped like a U, a tear or a grape. Its name comes from the Latin word for "grape," uva. The uvula has its own little muscle, the musculus uvuae, to help it stiffen and change shape, so it helps fill in the space at the back of the throat. It helps keep food from going down the wrong way down the breathing passage when one swallows. Singers credit the uvula with letting them produce a vibrato, a wavy up-and-down sound. www.medterms.com
  • As others have said, it's the Uvula. Recently they began surgically removing it for things like sleep apnea/heavy snoring
  • Your uvula: http://training.seer.cancer.gov/module_anatomy/images/illu_tonsils.jpg
  • It's the palatine uvula. It's seperate from the tonsils.
  • That's your uvula (or palantine uvula to be more specific).
  • Man, I could have a good answer for that but my percentages would go down. Probably will go down anyway.
  • what if swollen uvula
  • The Thing is the uvula. It as well as the gag reflex it's main purpose is to gather bacteria in one location, the white blood cells do the rest.(Your arm pits do the same thing.)

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