Ruptured Eardrums and Outer Ear Infections (Swimmer's Ear)

Ruptured eardrums are a very common ear issue that triggers an ENT office visit. A ruptured eardrum may occur due to an infection or trauma (from a q-tip or being slapped over the ear). Although it sounds serious, the vast majority of a perforated eardrum heal closed within a few weeks. Rarely, it may take up to one year to close. The video shown above demonstrates a time-lapse healing of a traumatic ruptured eardrum healing closed over 3 weeks. Rarely, if a hole in the eardrum is suspected …

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Dizziness due to Visual Vertigo, Motion Sensitivity, and Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (And How to Treat It)

Normally, the human balance system incorporates information from vision, inner ear vestibular system, and the proprioceptive system. The inner ear vestibular system is responsible for detecting rotational and linear movements of the head whereas the proprioceptive system is responsible for knowing where one's body and limbs are positioned from information provided by the skin, muscles, joints. Vision provides information on where one is in space relative to other objects. Normal balance re…

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Time Lapse of Different Skin Diseases Including Psoriasis, Wart, and a Pimple

Although warts, pimples, and psoriasis are mainly considered dermatologic conditions, it fascinating to think about how such skin conditions develop over time from start to finish in one smooth time lapse. Using generative AI utilizing actual skin photos, it is possible to create such time lapse videos that otherwise would be impossible. Just to clarify, these are skin conditions treated by dermatologists (not ENTs). I just created these videos because I thought it would be cool! Check them ou…

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Ballet Dance Techniques to Help with Patients Who Suffer from Dizziness

There has been some research  to suggest that ballet dance techniques can also help patients suffering from dizziness . Given this revelation, professional ballerina, Dani Moya with the Manassas Ballet Theatre has graciously provided her time and expertise to provide video instruction on 14 exercises geared towards improving balance. These exercises start out very simple, but get progressively more difficult. Although these exercises are specifically geared towards non-dancers, these same te…

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Acupuncture May Help with Tinnitus

There was an interesting study published in 2020 that evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating tinnitus by evaluating 8 randomized controlled trials involving 504 patients. Although there was no difference between study and control groups on a visual analog scale (VAS), positive effects on secondary outcomes, tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) and tinnitus severity index (TSI), were seen. In these studies, the most commonly used traditional acupuncture points utilized were: • GB-…

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Jimmy Buffet Dies of Merkel Cell Carcinoma Skin Cancer

On Sept 1, 2023, Jimmy Buffet died from merkel cell carcinoma which is a rare and deadly skin cancer... Way more deadly than melanoma. Melanoma has a 10 year survival rate of 61.3% whereas merkel cell carcinoma is only 17.7% [ link ]. 5 year survival rates for merkel cell carcinoma is 75% if localized to the skin (stage 1) and only 24% if it has already spread elsewhere in the body (stage 4) [ link ]. Jimmy Buffet died within 4 years of his merkel cell carcinoma diagnosis. It is unclear…

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