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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Hearing Loss May be Caused by OTC Pain Killers

The New York Times published a story on 12/14/16 describing research suggesting increased risk of hearing loss with increased intake of tylenol and NSAIDS (i.e., ibuprofen) on a prolonged regular basis. The risk was relatively modest, but present. The association of hearing loss with such pain reliever medications is actually not new news as there have been research papers documenting this phenomenon over the past decade. [ link ] Although the current paper reported aspirin was not assoc…

12/16/2016 0

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Narcotic Overdose Death After Tonsillectomy

This is a stock image. Here is a case  reported by media on 5/14/16 for which there is probably no right answer... The facts are not in dispute in which a 24 years old man underwent tonsillectomy 2/3/12 and died 9 days later from an overdose of narcotics, anti-anxiety meds, and cocaine. The main issue from an ENT perspective is whether the 145 narcotic pills that were prescribed for this patient was appropriate or not. You can read the media report here . Timeline: Feb 2, 2012:  Patient …

5/29/2016 0

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7 Signs of Helicopter Parenting in the Exam Room

Image courtesy of photostock at  FreeDigitalPhotos.net The Millennials are the primary beneficiaries (or victims) of parents who have the means and ability to obsessively guide, educate, and most importantly, over-protect them from the world/life. Such helicopter parents ultimately raise kids into adults who researchers feel at worst never learn to cope with adversity, lack the ability to make hard decisions, and are prone to anxiety disorders. It is from the education perspective that m…

10/04/2015 0

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Is Suppressing a Sneeze Bad For You?

Image courtesy of stockimages at  FreeDigitalPhotos.net Also known medically as the "closed-airway sneeze," it may be socially preferable, but healthwise may be harmful if not dangerous. With a sneeze, tremendous air pressure is created in the lungs which ideally should be released out the mouth... but if internalized to prevent release out the mouth, can cause immense pressure to buildup internally which may cause significant damage ranging from minor to severe requiring hosp…

7/30/2015 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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Acupuncture Helps with Tonsillectomy Pain

Back in 2013, I blogged how acupuncture may help with pain after tonsillectomy in children [ link ]. This was based on a study by Dr. Ochi published in Dec 2013 on 56 children. Another study has been published in April 2015 on 59 children by a different group of researchers which support Dr. Ochi's findings as well as another in 2019 found acupuncture helpful in adults. Although no significant differences in the amount of opioid medications administered or total post-anesthesia care t…

4/13/2015 0

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Weight Loss After Tonsillectomy in Adults

An adult undergoing tonsillectomy experiences some of the worst pain they could potentially encounter in their lifetime. Not only that, it may last up to 3 weeks. With such pain, it is not surprising that dehydration is one of the most common risks of this surgery. Along with such pain, weight loss is a not unexpected occurrence given oral intake substantially decreases for such a long time. Typically, I've told patients around a 10 pound weight loss is not unusual, but that's just…

4/10/2015 0

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Video on Breastfeeding Problems: Infant Factors

A  new video  has been uploaded to show infant factors that may lead to breastfeeding problems. Video goes over  tongue tie ,  upper lip tie , and  posterior tongue tie . Check it out!

8/19/2014 0

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Bee Sting Pain Worst on the Nose (Even More Than the Scrotum and Nipple)

Image by Waugsberg in Wikipedia A Cornell graduate student took upon himself to figure where a bee sting hurts the most. His conclusion was the nostril... even more than the penis, scrotum, nipple, and 22 other body locations. Each body location was stung 3 times for consistency. [ link ] He also determined that the three least painful locations to be the skull, middle toe tip, and upper arm (all scoring a 2.3 out of possible 10). The three most painful locations were the nostril, upper …

4/07/2014 0

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How Long Do Swallowing and Voice Problems Last After C-Spine Surgery ACDF?

I often see patients for swallowing and/or voice difficulties after cervical spine surgery (ACDF) . In the vast majority of cases, reassurance that such "side effects" are not uncommon is the only thing I need to provide after a complete exam. After all, both the voice box and swallowing tube are manipulated and pushed over to one side in order to perform cervical spine surgery from an anterior approach. Check out the video below that illustrates how this happens. Beyond reas…

12/29/2013 1

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Acupuncture Helps with Ear Surgery Pain

Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital has found that acupuncture may be effective in diminishing both pain and post-anesthesia agitation in children after ear tube placement determined thru a prospective randomized controlled trial . Typically, children are placed under general anesthesia in order to have this procedure performed and upon waking, are often tearful and agitated. In this study, acupuncture needles were placed at LI-4 and HT-7 immediately after anesthesia, but prior to …

12/18/2013 0

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Acupuncture Alleviates Pain After Tonsillectomy in Children

The study showed that acupuncture significantly decreased pain after tonsillectomy in children (2-17 years of age) with reported pain levels before acupuncture of 5.52 (SD=2.28) out of 10 which fell to 1.92 (SD=2.43) after acupuncture. This retrospective research was conducted in 31 patients who underwent a tonsillectomy within a 3 month period of time by Dr. James Ochi , one of only a handful of dual board-certified ENT and medical acupuncture in the United States. No study patients rece…

12/14/2013 0

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Hearing Loss May be Caused by Aspirin, Tylenol, and NSAIDS

Researchers from Harvard and Vanderbilt reported that men who regularly take aspirin , tylenol , or NSAIDS (like ibuprofen ) are at increased risk of hearing loss . This increased risk of hearing loss is significantly higher the longer the duration of regular use (defined as 2 or more times per week) and if regular use starts under the age of 50 years. For women, however, only tylenol and NSAIDS were found harmful to hearing (not aspirin). Indeed, the conclusion is that regular over-the-…

5/16/2013 1

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ENT Surgeon Sues Spine Surgeon for Wrong Sided Surgery

Wrong sided surgery is extremely rare occurring anywhere from 0.09 to 4.5 per 10,000 surgeries performed. It is almost unheard of when the patient is a surgeon as well. On Nov 13, 2012, media reported that an ENT surgeon (plaintiff) sued his spine surgeon (defendant) over wrong-sided surgery. The ENT surgeon had spine surgery in 2011 for low back pain which was allegedly due to pinched nerves. The treatment called for laminectomy surgery on the right side which entails bone removal t…

11/18/2012 0

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Deaths Associated with Codeine Usage in Young Kids

For decades, surgeons have provided young children with prescriptions for pain control after tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy surgery, most commonly tylenol with codeine (otherwise known as tylenol #3), but also related narcotics including morphine, lortab, hydrocodone, etc. Millions upon millions of such prescriptions have been filled and taken without any problems, but there is now a growing concern that such narcotics may be causing more harm than good in a small percentage of kids a…

10/14/2012 0

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Pacifier Use Increases Risk of Ear Infections in Infants

There are many reasons why an infant may suffer from ear infections ... parental smoking, not breast-feeding, daycare, etc. However, what many parents may not realize is that pacifier use is also an additional well-known independent risk factor for causing ear infections as well. Numerous studies have documented this association and depending on what study you look at, the risk can be quite significant. Furthermore, the longer and more frequently the pacifier is used, the more ear infec…

10/11/2012 0

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Ear Pain Causes Based on Acupuncture Principles

When a patient complains of ear pain or pressure , I wonder if an acupuncturist sees a problem with the whole body rather than a problem just around the ear itself...

9/17/2012 0

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Yoga Pose to Treat Ear Pain or Pressure

So here's something I learned about yoga... There is a yoga pose called Karnapidasana which can supposedly cure ear pain and pressure gradually over time. The term derives from "Karna" meaning ear and "Pida" which means pain, discomfort, or pressure. So... who knows? Give it a try... if you can physically do it safely. DISCLAIMER: Not recommended for those who are not flexible. Also, not something I personally recommend to treat ear pain and pressure.

9/10/2012 3

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Barometric Sinus Headache

MSNBC published a story on April 26, 2012 regarding headaches that come and go with pressure changes such as when flying in an airplane. The neurological researchers call it "airplane headache" and the story makes it sound like a newly discovered headache, but in actuality, it is something that has been known for a very long time. Human sinus cavities are air-filled cavities. When outside pressure changes relative to the air pressure within the sinus cavity, air pressure litera…

4/27/2012 0

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