ClariFix - Surgical Treatment for the Persistent Runny Nose

Our office now offers ClariFix, a surgical treatment for the persistent runny nose due to non-allergic rhinitis as well as severe allergies . This procedure is performed in the office under only local anesthesia. Watch the video above to see how it works. Patient who are candidates for this procedure include: • Be over 18 years old • Suffer from an intractable runny nose in spite of medications (or desire to reduce the number medications to treat the runny nose) • Have no significan…

10/16/2018 0

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Suction Powered Nasal Irrigation

Most sino-nasal irrigation systems currently in use require passive drainage after flushing... typically into a sink. You squirt the saltwater into one nostril and the flush drains out the other side passively. However, there is a new system called " Navage " made by RhinoSystems that adds suction along with the flush. The upper chamber is where clean water is held. There are two nasal pillows that goes into each nostril. By pushing a button, the water gets mixed with salt and fl…

9/25/2016 0

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Milk and Cookie Disease (Video)

A TEDx talk by Dr. Julie Wei on " Milk and Cookie Disease " which causes symptoms of chronic stuffy nose, nasal congestion, chronic runny nose, cough, sinus infections, sore throat, recurrent croup, allergies and asthma due to excessive sugar and dairy consumption in otherwise healthy children. Such a diet, especially in the evenings and bedtimes, trigger reflux leading to this wide constellation of ENT symptoms. Read more about this condition here . Julie L. Wei, MD , is a Ped…

12/04/2015 0

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Personal Steam Inhalers/Humidifiers to Treat Cough and Congestion

People with an upper respiratory infection with cough have found that taking a hot steam shower is often helpful for their symptoms. 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. Beyond a humidifier, one can also purchase personal portable steam inhalers designed to put over the face. Cost can run anywhere from $20 to several hundred …

2/22/2015 2

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Christmas Tree Allergy (Mold and Pollen Studies)

Ever wonder what a live Christmas Tree brings into a home other than happy holiday cheer? For those with Christmas Tree Allergy, a live conifer will also bring allergy and asthma type symptoms that manifest within a week and not uncommonly as soon as 24 hours after introduction into the home. It is estimated that about 7% of allergic patients suffers to some degree, Christmas Tree Allergy. Sneezing, wheezing, nasal congestion, and transitory rashes are the most common symptoms of Christma…

12/05/2014 0

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Does Sinus and/or Nasal Surgery Help with Sleep Apnea?

Bluntly, the answer is not really... Although it may make sense that improving nasal airflow should help with obstructive sleep apnea , the reality is that it does not make a profound difference. Indeed, there was a study in 2014 that looked into this question. In this study , 3 groups of patients were looked at divided into patients with mild, moderate, or severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). These patients underwent sinus surgery , septoplasty , and turbinate reduction . What was found …

7/08/2014 1

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Allergy Sufferers also Have More Severe Migraines

Many people suffer from migraines . Many people also suffer from allergies . What may have been suspected but is now clarified is that those individuals who suffer from BOTH allergies and migraines have much more frequent and severe headaches than those who do not have allergies. [ link ] Based on a survey response from 5,849 patients who suffer from migraines, over two-thirds also suffered from allergies. From this group, researchers found that the odds of experiencing more frequent headac…

11/27/2013 0

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Popular Nasal Decongestants Associated with Birth Defects

Researchers have discovered that there is a very small, but significant association between birth defects and use of nasal decongestants in the first trimester of pregnancy. Unfortunately, decongestants  (ie sudafed, afrin, etc) are also one of the most popular medications purchased over-the-counter to treat symptoms of nasal congestion , runny nose, and allergies . In particular, three strong associations were found: • Phenylephrine and endocardial cushion defects • Phenylpropanolam…

7/23/2013 0

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Does Milk Cause Increased Phlegm or Mucus Production?

For many individuals, milk and associated dairy products definitely seem to cause an increased production or thickening of mucus in the mouth and throat... the phlegmy throat . It certainly happens to me... Of course, perception is not always supported by research... "Milk and dairy product intake was not associated with an increase in upper or lower respiratory tract symptoms of congestion or nasal secretion weight. [...] We conclude that no statistically significant overall associa…

5/08/2013 3

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Does Acupuncture Help With Allergies?

Image from Acupuncture For All According to one study , it does... Performed by researchers in China and Korea, they divided 238 patients suffering from allergies into 3 groups: active acupuncture, sham acupuncture, and no treatment. They found that acupuncture, even if it was sham, did help significantly with nasal allergies. However, only active acupuncture helped with not just nasal allergies but also allergy symptoms beyond the nose! Of course, when considering all the other researc…

2/09/2013 0

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How Can Nasal Obstruction Cause Post-Nasal Drainage?

Before talking about the nose, consider the way some home humidifiers work. There is a sponge, water supply, and airflow. Humidification occurs by having a fan blow air though the sponge that is soaked by a constant water supply. As the air passes through the wet sponge, evaporation occurs resulting in air humidification. Well, the same thing occurs inside the nose. In a normal nose, about one liter of moisture is produced by the nasal mucosa every day (water supply). This nasal moisture p…

12/20/2012 1

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New Anti-Meth Sudafed (Pseudoephedrine)

As anybody who suffers from nasal congestion and runny nose knows, the nasal decongestant medication Sudafed  can only be obtained from behind the pharmacy counter after showing identification because Sudafed  can be made into meth. This restriction applies to not just sudafed, but any medication containing the active ingredient "pseudoephedrine" which is a precursor for most meth recipes. Well, coming soon to a drugstore near you, a new nasal decongestant has been produced tha…

12/16/2012 0

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Actress Jennifer Aniston Underwent Septoplasty Twice

Though not entirely recent news, actress Jennifer Aniston reportedly underwent septoplasty nasal surgery not just once, but twice. The first was done in 1994 and a revision septoplasty was performed in January 2007. [ link ] [ wiki ] This type of surgery is performed to help improve nasal breathing, an issue that Jennifer Aniston apparently had. Septoplasty , unlike rhinoplasty or nosejob, does NOT change the outside appearance of the nose. All the work is done internally. (Watch video h…

12/06/2012 1

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New Video on Treatment of Hyper-Nasal Speech by Injection

Our office has created a new video that we have uploaded that shows how hyper-nasal speech can be corrected via injection of filler agents under endoscopic guidance. Keep in mind that this procedure ONLY works with small velopharyngeal insufficiency . Hyper-nasal speech  occurs when there is too much nasal airflow during speech as opposed to hypo-nasal speech (ie,  nasal obstruction ) which occurs when there is little or no nasal airflow during speech. In either case, the voice sounds &qu…

11/13/2012 0

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FDA Approves New "Dry" Steroid Nasal Spray

On March 26, 2012, the FDA approved of a new type of steroid nasal spray  in the treatment of nasal allergies that puffs powder into the nose rather than a liquid. Liquid formulations such as nasonex, flonase, veramyst, nasacort, and rhinocort has been until now the only delivery medium of administration. This new spray made by Teva Pharmaceuticals is called QNASL which puffs a steroid beclomethasone dipropionate. For those who know pharmaceuticals, it is the same active ingredient as (l…

3/27/2012 0

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How to Make Sudafed from Meth

Given the increasing difficulty in obtaining "over-the-counter" sudafed  (pseudoephedrine) to the point where it is easier to obtain the illegal drug methylamphetamine, a chemist has written a paper describing how to make sudafed from meth using reagants found in any well-stocked chemistry lab. For those who have been living in a hole, sudafed is a good nasal decongestant medication often used for nasal congestion and allergies that is now only found behind the pharmacy counter…

3/07/2012 0

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Natural Remedies for a Sore Throat, Cough, and Viral Infections

Homeopathy and alternative medicine often get a bum rap, but they have come up with some treatments for sore throats and upper respiratory viral illnesses that actually have been proven to work. Here's a few... 1) Honey Sore throats (and coughing ) can be soothed by swallowing honey straight-up or slightly diluted with warm water with honey to make it easier to swallow. The best time to do this is at bedtime given it will stick around for awhile (eating/drinking will wash away the…

12/11/2011 0

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The Doctors TV Show Does Adenoidectomy

Dr. Nina Shapiro was the featured otolaryngologist when The Doctors television show discussed nasal congestion as well as large adenoids . A sanitized view of adenoid removal surgery was also shown. For a more detailed view of the surgery, click here . For more info on adenoids and its surgical removal, click here .

12/03/2011 0

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Why Does the Nose Whistle in Some People?

Though most people like the professional nose whistler shown here require an instrument to enable the nose to whistle, in others it occurs naturally due to unique anatomic features within the nose. Why might someone's nose whistle? Septal Perforation The most common reason it may occur constantly is due to a hole in the septum (septal perforation). The septum is a wall that divides the right nasal cavity from the left side. Normally, it should be straight and without any openings. R…

10/30/2011 1

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