Best OTC Antibiotic Ointment (Neosporin vs Bacitracin vs Triple Antibiotic)

There are many different over-the-counter antibiotic ointments available for purchase from pretty much any pharmacy or store out there. But which one is the best? Is there a best? What is the difference among them? In each gram of bacitracin ointment , there is 500 units only. Nothing else. For Neosporin , each gram contains the following: - neomycin 3.5mg - polymyxin B 5000 units - bacitracin 400 units For Triple Antibiotic , each gram contains: - neomycin 3.5mg - polymyxin B 5000 units - baci…

4/28/2021 0

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EarPopper versus Otovent... Which is Better?

Before describing which device is better to treat a clogged, muffled ear whether it contains fluid or not, first a short description of the problem itself known as eustachian tube dysfunction .  Although (most) adults can easily pop the ears to alleviate the ear pressure with a swallow , yawn, or blowing against a pinched nose, it is not unusual for most young children to not know how to do this. Some may not even know how to blow the nose. Even some adults may struggle after an upper respira…

4/13/2018 0

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Migraines Pretending to be Sinusitis

It is shocking to me just how many people suffer from migraine headaches. Even more surprising is just how many people present to an ENT clinic with complaints of a persistent sinus infection when really the sinus pain is actually due to a migraine . In fact, there are some estimates that up to 80% of patients who present to an ENT clinic with primary complaint of sinus headaches or chronic sinusitis ultimately are proven to be suffering from migraines instead. See references below. Thi…

10/15/2017 0

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Best HVAC Filters for Patients with Bad Allergies

For patients with bad allergies, management of symptoms include not just medications and allergy shots , but also avoidance. Avoidance entails not just physically avoiding allergy particulates, but also removing them from the air you breath as much as you can. Outside of a school or work environment, the home is where a patient may spend a great deal of time. The home is where one can easily take steps to improve the air quality and therefore reduce allergy symptoms and need for (more) all…

5/13/2017 0

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Facial Masks for Patients with Bad Allergies

Assuming a patient is already taking allergy medications and even undergoing allergy shots , the other component for good allergy symptom control is avoidance. You can certainly add good filters to a home's HVAC system , but what about outside??? What if avoidance is impossible? For example, if you need to cut the grass on your lawn and you have severe grass allergies or if you need to clean out a moldy basement and you have bad mold allergies? That's when wearing a face mask or r…

5/12/2017 0

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How Much Better are Antibiotic Ear Drops Compared to Oral Antibiotics?

Antibiotic ear drops deliver vastly higher amounts of antibiotics compared to oral and even IV antibiotics. There is no comparison. It is literally 300 times better than oral antibiotics. The catch is that the ear drops need to get down to where the infection is in order to work, whether into the ear canal (if dealing with otitis externa or swimmer's ear ) or through a hole or tube in the eardrum (if dealing with otitis media ). ( Watch video below to see how to properly administer e…

4/24/2017 0

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MRSA Ear Drainage or Ear Infection

It has been with increased frequency that I have been encountering children and even some adults with persistent ear drainage due to ear infections caused by MRSA . MRSA is basically a multi-drug resistant ear infection for which only a few antibiotics can kill the germ. (MRSA stands for M ethicillin R esistant S taphylococcus A ureus.) Typically this situation is encountered after ear tubes have been placed allowing for any pus from an ear infection to come out. Normally, antibiotic ear d…

9/08/2016 0

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Hearing Amplifiers That Work Almost as Well as More Expensive Hearing Aids

CS50+ High End Hearing Amplifier In my last blog , I argued that hearing amplifiers are not safe to use in patients with hearing loss . In fact, such hearing amplifiers can potentially cause further hearing loss given indiscriminate amplification of sound frequencies where hearing loss may be minimal/absent. Given that caveat, there are a new breed of high-end amplifiers that approach the quality and safety of hearing aids . Such high-end hearing amplifiers typically run $300+, can be pu…

8/05/2016 0

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Dyson Humidifier - Best Humidifier on the Market?

Hot steam showers are often helpful in alleviating symptoms of  upper respiratory infection  with  cough . It can ease the  nasal congestion  and calm the coughing down. Due to these beneficial effects and the fact that dry airways can make a cough worse, a humidifier is a helpful device to have in a room. Humidifier use when the air is dry during the winter can also help prevent upper respiratory infections from happening as well as minimize nosebleeds . Keep in mind that although humidi…

10/10/2015 0

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Many Different Saline Sinus Rinse Bottles

Who knew the humble Netti-Pot kettle would eventually mutate into so many different shapes, sizes, and designs which all basically do ONE thing... rinse/flush the nose with saltwater. Here's a few I have encountered with link to where it can be purchased. Given all it does is rinse the nose... I would take price into consideration.

9/27/2015 0

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Laser vs Scissor Technique for Tongue/Lip Tie Release

One of the most common questions I get is "Do you use a laser or scissor method to perform infant  tongue / lip tie release to help with breastfeeding problems?" My typical response is "both," but depending on several factors, I will be swayed to use one method over another. The key questions in my mind when deciding which method to use is: 1) How thick or deep is the tongue/lip tie? 2) How much bleeding is anticipated? 3) How quickly can the procedure be performed?…

6/09/2015 0

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Best Headphones for Kids

MacWorld did a nice review on the best headphones for kids which is important given the increasing use of electronic devices in the classroom. It should be noted that the best headphones for adults are not the best headphones for kids due to important discrepancies in size, durability, and absence of volume-limit controls. From an ENT perspective, volume-limit controls are the most important factor when picking a set of headphones for a child as such circuitry prevents the headphones from pl…

8/27/2014 0

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Surgeon's Point-of-View (POV) Video Recording

Learning how to video record vivid, stable, high-def, and focussed shots from my (surgeon's) point-of-view has not been an easy endeavor due to technology limitations, though things do appear to be slowly improving. There have been pros and cons with most video-recording systems to date which I have summarized below. The "perfect" video-recording system has yet to be developed which must include all these elements: • Wearable on headlight or glasses • Camera located between t…

2/02/2014 0

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Hearing Protection and NRR (Noise Reduction Rating)

For all hearing protection devices from ear plugs to ear muffs, there is a NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) score that informs consumers how much of a decrease in noise exposure to expect with use. For example, if an ear plug has a NRR score of 30, use of the device would be expected to reduce a 90 decibel sound by 30 decibels resulting in a noise exposure of 60 decibels. If two hearing protection devices are used, an ear plug inside the ear canal followed by ear muffs over the ear, the ultimat…

11/24/2013 0

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Surgeons Should be Good at Social Media

Not just surgeons, but also any procedural intensive medical specialties like interventional cardiology and radiology should be reasonably good at social media. Why? Because we have built-in time points within our daily routine schedule that enable such activities. Let me explain... Between every surgical case, there is downtime that lasts anywhere from 15 minutes to as long as 45 minutes. It is the time during which the operating room is being cleaned, sterilized, and new instruments…

10/11/2013 0

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What is the Best Antibiotic for Strep Throat?

The traditional answer for the best antibiotic to treat strep throat is penicillin. This antibiotic works astoundingly well... until it doesn't. Why is that? Although in the lab, penicillin is probably the most effective antibiotic against Group A beta-hemolytic streptococci (GABHS) or "strep throat" infection, when it comes to human beings, it doesn't always work. A recent paper out of Georgetown elucidates the reasons why that might be the case and also explains why …

9/25/2013 0

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What Reflux Meds are Best in Infants and Children?

Once a decision is made to start medications beyond the conservative ways of dealing with reflux, the most common reflux medications used to treat adults are also used to treat reflux in infants and children. They are the same exact medications, albeit at lower dosages. Although the effectiveness of such drugs are clear in adults suffering from acid reflux, it is less so in children. As is true with so much of medicine, there's no clear answer to the question of what the best reflux …

7/11/2013 0

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