Family Guy Nasal Spray Addiction

Peter Griffin on Family Guy A patient came to my office one day with a chief complaint of being addicted to an over-the-counter nasal spray called Afrin . When asked why he started using it in the first place, he mentioned about that "one episode on Family Guy when Peter uses a nasal spray and feels invincible because he can breath so great through the nose and smell everything." Watch video below. The implication being that he bought and used the nasal spray so he can breath a…

8/19/2016 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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Normal Appearance After Turbinate Reduction

Normal mucosal blistering (turbinate reduction done only on right side) Often, patients become disturbed with the way the inside of their nose looks after a  turbinate reduction to improve nasal breathing . However, many of the concerns are unfounded and the appearance though disturbing, is actually normal. It usually takes a FULL 2 weeks for the turbinate mucosa to heal to a more normal (and reduced) appearance. It is around 2 weeks that nasal breathing also markedly improves. In any c…

1/04/2014 0

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ENT Sued for Wrongful Death from Airway Closure

Media reported on a malpractice case whereby in October 2010, a woman presented to the emergency room at Ochsner Medical Center (Louisiana) with symptoms of sore throat, neck pain, and painful swallowing. A CT neck performed at that time revealed "swelling in her neck and a narrowing at the top of the throat" [ link ]. Patient was given a strong pain medication to help with her discomfort (presumably a narcotic), admitted into the hospital, and ENT consulted for further evaluatio…

4/22/2013 0

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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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Nasal Congestion or Obstruction During Pregnancy

When a woman becomes pregnant, it is not unusual for the nose to become quite congested ... uncomfortably so, even to the point of being unable to breath through the nose. This condition known as "rhinitis of pregnancy" affects as many as 30% of pregnant women and can start in the second month of pregnancy; it tends to worsen later in pregnancy. The nasal congestion should ease up soon after giving birth and be gone completely within two weeks after delivery. The nasal congest…

8/08/2012 2

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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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Nasal Congestion Affected By How Well the Nose is Able to Cool Itself

Researchers at Monell Chemical Senses Center have figured out that nasal congestion is influenced by more than just nasal airflow. Apparently temperature and humidity influence the perception of nasal congestion just as much as how physically obstructed the nose is. By having volunteers breath air with variations in temperature and humidity, they have determined that cool and dry air minimizes nasal congestion without any change in how open the nasal cavity is. By taking into account …

10/14/2011 0

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Man Chokes to Death During Air Flight... Preventable?

Image courtesy of digitalart /  FreeDigitalPhotos.net News media reported on Sept 5, 2011 about Robert Rippingale who choked to death during a flight from Singapore to New Zealand. He was with his girlfriend who noted he was shaking and turning blue after eating an in-flight meal. A doctor and two nurses attempted to save him though unsuccessfully. The article reports that CPR was performed to try and save the man, but the obvious question is whether a Heimlich maneuver was done. Obvious…

9/05/2011 2

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Septal Stapler for Septoplasty Surgery

Septoplasty is a surgical procedure whereby the septum, which is the wall that separates the right and left nasal cavities, is straightened out. Read more details of the surgery here . During this surgical procedure, it is not uncommon for ENT surgeons to place splints and/or packing to bring the septum back together after the procedure is performed. Other surgeons avoid placing splints/packing by suturing the septum together. A relatively new device called the ENTact Septal Stapler is ye…

2/28/2011 0

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New Video on Septoplasty to Correct Nasal Obstruction Due to a Deviated Septum

A new video has been created and uploaded onto our YouTube channel depicting how a deviated septum causing nasal obstruction is corrected by a septoplasty surgery. Watch the video below or on our YouTube channel .

12/13/2010 0

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Being a Hairdresser Can Destroy Your Nose!

On Oct 14, 2010, there was a story out of England about a hairdresser whose nose slowly collapsed due to damage sustained from breathing in hair clippings for 35 years. Apparently, over a period of 20 years, the small hair clippings slowly caused damage to her septum to the point it caused a perforation. The perforation than led to infection which further weakened her nose structure to the point it started to collapse... a type of nasal deformity called a saddle nose. Of course, it just …

10/19/2010 0

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Nasal Surgery Helps With Snoring

Researchers have found that surgery to improve nasal breathing in setting of nasal obstruction, congestion, and/or resistance can also help with snoring . Depending on the study, surgical relief of nasal obstruction improves snoring in a range from 35% to as high as 86%. Unfortunately, complete CURE (ie, no snoring whatsoever) is less likely occurring in <15% of patients. What are the possible nasal surgeries one can undergo to relieve nasal obstruction and potentially achieve snorin…

8/30/2010 0

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