Wikipedia has a good and concise discussion of tonsillitis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonsillitis

I used to get tonsilitis allll the time and they always helped me. It just depends if it is bacterial or viral.

Tonsils are four little lymph glands situated in your throat. Actually, tonsils do a very important job of trapping bacteria in their crypts. Then the phagocytes from the blood consume these bacteria, hence the infection is trapped before it reaches the bronchial tubes and lungs. When these warriors are overwhelmed by the striking bacteria, they get infected, inflamed and enlarged and tonsillitis occurs. You then have to nurse them back to health instead of ignoring, and worse still, think about getting them removed. Antibiotics are definitely helpful in getting rid of tonsillitis but tonsils tend to get inflamed time and again in most individuals. There are effective natural remedies that can help to support and maintain throat and tonsil health, boost immune functioning and fight tonsil infection when it occurs. Antibiotics obviously cannot (and should not) be taken all the times you have an infection & therefore, chances of you catching the infections back increase as soon as you stop taking them. Herbal and homeopathic remedies contain carefully selected ingredients that are gentle on the body’s system, without harsh risks of unwanted side effects or addiction, and of course you may take them for ongoing support for extended time till the time you feel you are comfortable with. Use Gallium aperine, also known as Cleavers, as an excellent cleansing tonic with a particularly beneficial effect on all the lymph glands, including the tonsils. Salvia officinalis benefits all conditions of the mouth and throat and has well-known herbal astringent, antibiotic and antiseptic properties. There are a number of homeopathic remedies, such as Belladonna and Merc. sol recommended in the treatment of acute tonsillitis and can help to clear the infection as well as prevent unnecessary tonsillectomies. You may check the article below for a lot more information and suggestions on tonsillitis (slightly different from what you must have been told till now) and see if it helps. http://www.healthherbsandnutrition.com/remedies/t/tonsillitis.htm