Office Air Conditioner Broken!!!

Our office air conditioner has been broken the last few days. As such, it is quite uncomfortably hot in the office. We have been working with maintenance to get this fixed ASAP. However, it may be a few days before it gets back in working order. Apparently, parts have been ordered. Please be patient with us and know that WE are just as uncomfortably hot and miserable as you are! In the interim, we have fans going throughout the office until the AC works again.

4/06/2010 0

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Creation of Our Practice's Website

OR, stated another way, "How much did our physician website cost?" So, there have been a few requests over the years on how our website was created which prompted me to write this particular blog where I will go into the details and costs. •• Summary of Costs •• Before I go into details, it is important to make sure the costs of running a website is reasonable. After all, if the costs do not justify the expense, no point having a website. A recent blog describing the current costs …

11/03/2007 1

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Automatic Appointment Phone Call Reminders

Starting this week, our office will be initiating automatic appointment phone call reminders. There will be the option to confirm the appointment or have the phone call re-directed to our office to cancel or reschedule an appointment. At this point in time, there will be a strange number (Seattle, WA area code) for those with caller ID. However, in a few weeks, our office number will appear instead.

10/28/2007 0

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Botox for Spasmodic Dysphonia: Side Effects and Normal Voice

To What Degree Does Botox Dosage Affect Duration of Side Effects and Duration of Normal Voice After Injection for Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia? For many patients who suffer from spasmodic dysphonia , botulinum toxin type A or Botox, injection to the vocal cords is a ritual treatment undergone several times a year to keep the spasms in their voice away. The amount of Botox injected varies from patient to patient. Regardless of the patient and their specific dose, it is intuitive to many patien…

9/08/2007 0

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Office Will be Closed Sept 17-19, 2007!

Fauquier ENT will be closed Sept 17-19, 2007. Our physicians will be attending a medical conference during that time period. Although office staff will be available for a limited number of hours to answer phone calls, no office visits will be scheduled during that time period and no allergy shots will be given. Please schedule accordingly.

8/27/2007 0

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Intra-Tympanic Steroid Injections Offered at Fauquier ENT

Intra-tympanic steroid injections are offered at Fauquier ENT. This treatment modality is used in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss that responds minimally or not at all to systemic steroids (ie, prednisone). This treatment may be used without systemic steroids trial if there are contraindications to systemic steroid use such as intestinal ulcers and diabetes. The downside is that this treatment works best only if given within the first 36 days after the hearing loss occurs. In…

8/04/2007 0

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New Voice Team Member!

Her name is Dr. Carmen Ana Ramos Pizarro and she has a PhD in speech-language pathology with an emphasis in voice science. She will be at Fauquier Hospital every Monday afternoon to lend her considerable expertise and experience to assist in caring for patients with vocal problems. She obtained her speech pathology PhD at University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in the voice sciences. She went on to be the director of the Voice Clinic at the Grabschied Voice Center in New York City as well as P…

7/11/2007 0

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Dr. Chang Elected to Treasurer of the Duke Otolaryngology Alumni Society

On June 22, 2007, Dr. Chang was elected to become the Treasurer of the Duke Otolaryngology Alumni Society for a 2 year term. The Society is a 501(c)(3) organization. The organization's website is: http://www.DukeOHNS.com

6/24/2007 0

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Yet Another Reason to Quit Smoking! A Really Deep Voice...

I recently saw a female patient complaining of a deep voice... and it's been getting deeper over the years. She also is a big-time smoker and talker. Fiberoptic laryngoscopy revealed early stage Smoker's Polyps. An example of Smoker's Polyps with video and audio feed is shown here on our website. This condition almost always is due to the combination of smoking (a lot) and talking (a lot). Though it is not cancer, it is yet another reason to stop smoking! -- Dr. Chang

6/14/2007 0

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Layperson's Cure for Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

As people may know from reading our article on snoring on our website, there are many different levels in our upper airway anatomy that may contribute to the noise produced. However, most commonly, the culprit sources are the tongue and palate. Procedures such as the "Pillar Procedure" that has recently received media attention as well as UPPP address only the palate. Procedures like base of tongue reduction , hyoid advancement, etc that address the tongue are more difficult and mo…

6/13/2007 0

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Original Research By Dr. Chang Published in Peer-Reviewed Otolaryngology Journal

In the June 2007 edition of the journal Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Dr. Chang's original research has been published. The title of the paper is "Relationship of botulinum dosage to duration of side effects and normal voice in adductor spasmodic dysphonia." Click here to read the abstract. Dr. Chang treats patients with spasmodic dysphonia using BOTOX every Friday afternoon. To watch a video of how exactly her performs this procedure in a patient, click here . Books …

6/05/2007 0

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Virginia Voice & Speech Center (VVSC)

A new website heralding the creation of a new organization dedicated to helping people with poor vocal/speech quality has been created. The new organization, called the Virginia Voice & Speech Center , is a consortium of professionals including ENT physicians, speech pathologists, and singing voice instructors. http://www.VVSC.org

4/05/2007 0

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Tonsillectomy Reduces Frequency of Strep Pharyngitis in Children

A recently published article suggested that tonsillectomy was associated with a decrease in the incidence and frequency and an increase in the time to the next infection in children with recurrent strep throat. This finding is something many ENTs have suspected, but now there is evidence to support. Reference: Efficacy of Tonsillectomy in Treatment of Recurrent Group A B-Hemolytic Streptococcal Pharyngitis. Laryngoscope. 116:1946-1950. 2006. Link

3/04/2007 0

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Office Closed Due to Weather and Email Errors Due to Server Crash

Our office has been closed from 2/13/07 to 2/14/07 due to severe weather conditions. Also, the server handling our email has crashed sometime in 2/13/07. Technicians are working to get this back up so patients can email us. Please call/fax to get in touch with us until repairs have been made (hopefully soon!). ADDENDUM (2/16/07): Email is working now... Thank you for your patience.

2/14/2007 0

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Article in USA Today on Vocal Cord Dysfunction

I read this article in USA Today on vocal cord dysfunction and though this condition does exist, I do believe it is over-diagnosed. Another common cause of stridor with exercise is due to non-organic stridor where the vocal cords are so pliable, they vibrate even when they are widely apart, especially in young female athletes. The key for diagnosis is to perform a fiberoptic laryngoscopy when symptommatic. Previous patients of mine know that I make them run laps around our office building …

2/11/2007 0

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Article in USA Today on Spasmodic Dysphonia

On January 15, 2007, an article appeared on spasmodic dysphonia in USA Today. Click here to read the article. Dr. Chang treats patients with spasmodic dysphonia using BOTOX every Friday afternoon. To watch a video of how exactly her performs this procedure in a patient, click here . Books on voice therapy found to be a useful ADJUNCT to botox injections :

2/11/2007 0

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Nasal Steroids DO Help Resolve Sinusitis More Quickly Than Antibiotics Alone

Not sure why more doctors don't prescribe nasal steroids (ie, flonase, nasacort, rhinocort, nasonex, etc) in addition to antibiotics to treat sinusitis, especially those in which it is recurrent or chronic. It's been shown that nasal steroids do help more than antibiotics alone. The study I'm most familiar with is the one published in JAMA in 2001. Reference: Comparison of cefuroxime with or without intranasal fluticasone for the treatment of rhinosinusitis. The CAFFS Trial: a r…

1/31/2007 0

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Decongestants and Antihistamines Found Not to Help with Serous Otitis Media

There has been a recent Cochrane review regarding whether serous fluid in the middle ear improves with decongestants and/or anti-histamines which are commonly prescribed by both pediatricians and ENTs for this condition. This review which analyzed the results from 7 studies revealed that these medications had NO impact on the resolution of serous otitis media. In fact, there were significant side effects detected in 1 out of every 9 children prescribed these medications without any significant …

1/17/2007 0

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Possible Treatment for Tinnitus in a Pill???

One of our patients today brought us an article describing a drug, acamprosate (Campral), used to treat alcoholism that was found to also help with tinnitus in 86.9% of patients in a placebo-controlled drug study. Our practice is open to trying this medication for those interested. More info can be found here .

1/05/2007 0

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Potential New Nasal Spray for Patients Suffering from Chronic Sinusitis

This blog is an OPINION and not medical advice. If there are any questions, please see your physician. Accentia Pharmaceuticals is in the process of testing a new nasal spray called SinuNase which contains the active ingredient Amphotericin B. Why is this medication of interest to an ENT? Well, it would be one potential treatment for patients with chronic rhinosinusitis in which airborne fungus is the underlying cause of persistent sinusitis in spite of adequate antibiotic and surgical treatm…

12/20/2006 1

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