Simple "Sticker" Treatment for Patulous Eustachian Tube?

In a normal human middle ear, there is a tunnel that connects to the back of the nose. When pressure builds up in the middle ear such as going up in an airplane, an individual is able to "pop" the ear thereby releasing the pressure and alleviating the clogging sensation. When this tunnel, called the eustachian tube, becomes swollen shut, an individual is unable to pop the  ear causing a persistent  clogged ear sensation . This particular scenario is called  Eustachian Tube Dysfunction…

6/11/2021 0

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Top 7 Causes of Nasal Clogging

Nasal clogging, nasal congestion, and/or nasal obstruction is a very common complaint patients have when presenting to a ENT office. This video goes over the top 7 causes of nasal clogging. 1: Allergies 2: Deviated Septum 3: Large Inferior Turbinates 4: Large Adenoids 5: Nasal Polyps 6: Narrow Nose 7: Decongestant Nasal Spray Abuse

10/18/2020 0

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New Videos on Reflux and the LINX Surgery to Surgically Correct Reflux

Reflux is a very common disorder that affects many patients. Although most suffer from heartburn, a not insignificant number of patients suffer from symptoms affecting only the throat including globus , phlegmy throat , throat-clearing , and sore throat. Reflux causing throat only symptoms is called LPR or laryngopharyngeal reflux. With permission from Ethicon who created some very nice animations regarding reflux and the LINX surgery, I have re-edited the original animations to be more patien…

9/29/2020 0

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Smell Training to Help Restore Lost Sense of Smell

It was recently brought to my attention that olfactory training may help restore a lost sense of smell particularly after a viral upper respiratory infection or head trauma where no physical nasal obstruction is present. Olfactory training is analogous to physical therapy used to help restore limb movement after a stroke. Much of the basis found over the possible benefit of olfactory training stems from German research published in 2009 and later supported by a 2020 meta-analysis . One group…

6/21/2020 0

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Can Cholesterol Statin Drugs Prevent Sinus Infections?

Lipitor is one example of a common statin drug Prior to 2020, I would have said that it would be preposterous to think that cholesterol medications can influence chronic sinus infections in any way. But a 2020 study published in Laryngoscope determined that statin drugs actually decrease the frequency of chronic sinus infections. Nobody understands why that may be. The effect is relatively small, but definitely present. The population based study found that in those taking a statin, ch…

6/03/2020 0

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New Drug to Treat Nasal Polyps - Dupilumab (Dupixent)

Patients who suffer from nasal polyps suffer from significant nasal obstruction, smell loss, and congestion. This condition is not normally "curable" and requires medical management for long-term symptom control. Traditional treatment includes surgical removal , leukotriene inhibitor (ie, singulair ), intranasal steroids , allergy shots (if applicable), and oral steroids. In the majority of patients, this treatment management usually controls nasal polyp recurrence/growth such t…

7/18/2019 0

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Can a Deviated Septum Cause a Septal Perforation?

Over the years, I have been asked by a number of patients with  deviated septums  what problems may occur if un-corrected, especially if such patients are also suffering from recurrent  nosebleeds . In particular, can a deviated septum be the underlying trigger that causes a septal perforation to occur (purple arrow below)? Well, this blog article is to answer that very question. But first off, a little anatomy... A nasal septum is a wall that separates the right nasal cavity from the …

6/24/2019 0

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Neck Mass Came Back Cancer... Now What?

It is not uncommon that an adult patient presents with a neck mass to an ENT clinic. Unfortunately, upon workup which typically includes a needle biopsy, the neck mass comes back showing cancer, usually, a type of cancer called squamous cell carcinoma, although lymphoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, etc occasionally occurs as well. In this blog article, we will focus specifically on the case of the neck mass being squamous cell carcinoma. At this point, the patient's main concern is wha…

5/01/2019 0

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Drinking Honey Reduces Throat Damage after Swallowing Button Battery

Button batteries swallowed by children cause significant damage to the lining of the throat and esophagus and has the potential to cause significant swallowing difficulties both in the short-term due to mucosal injury as well as long-term issues from scarring. Serious damage can occur within 2 hours of battery ingestion and deaths have also occurred due to button battery ingestion. As such, any intervention that can be done to minimize mucosal damage from the moment of swallow until the butto…

11/24/2018 0

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Allergic Laryngitis (Hoarse Voice Due to Allergies)

I've finally taken the time to video-record a patient suffering from laryngitis due to allergies  both before and after successful treatment. Check out the video below of a singer who suffered from severe untreated allergies both before and after treatment (shown in the latter half of the video). Note the thick clear mucus on the vocal cords. Several strong throat-clears were required to remove this thick mucus from her vocal cords (incidentally, she did have some mild right vocal cord…

8/25/2018 0

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Possible Solution to Excessive Facial Sweating?

Image by artur84 on freedigitalphotos.net Every once in awhile, I see a patient with a chief complaint of excessive facial sweating. Treatment for this condition is quite limited with options that have unfortunate downsides. But one new recently FDA approved treatment may change the landscape for this particular complaint. But first, let's go over current treatment options: •  Botox injections . It helps not only wrinkles, but also helps prevent sweating from skin wherever botox in…

6/30/2018 0

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Odactra - Under the Tongue Immunotherapy for Dust Mite Allergy

Website for Odactra The FDA formally approved Odactra , the fourth new sublingual allergy tablet to be sold in the United States that works the same way  allergy shots  do... but instead is dissolved  under the tongue  at home instead of a shot in the arm in a medical office. Odactra is specifically used in the treatment of dust mite allergy. The other sublingual immunotherapy tablets currently available include: • Ragwitek used to treat ragweed. •  Oralair  and  Grastek  are two o…

5/31/2018 0

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Patulous Eustachian Tube - A Rare Ear Problem

In a normal human middle ear, there is a tunnel that connects to the back of the nose. When pressure builds up in the middle ear such as going up in an airplane, an individual is able to "pop" the ear thereby releasing the pressure and alleviating the clogging sensation. When this tunnel, called the eustachian tube, becomes swollen shut, an individual is unable to pop the  ear causing a persistent  clogged ear sensation . This particular scenario is called  Eustachian Tube Dysfun…

5/27/2018 0

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Hot Pepper Nasal Spray Treatment for Migraines and Sinus Headaches

Image by  Tomascastelazo Capsaicin is the ingredient in hot chili peppers that gives it the heat and burn. It is also known to be effective for a variety of pain relief uses. The capsaicin nasal spray version (see below) available over-the-counter, is thought to work for sinus headaches, migraines , cluster headaches, and even severe nasal congestion by desensitizing the trigeminal nerve (which is accessible through the nose) and reduces CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide), thus reducin…

5/10/2018 0

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Burning Tongue or Mouth Syndrome Treatment

Patients with burning mouth or burning tongue syndrome have essentially two major findings: one, a burning sensation in their mouth and two, a normal appearance of the tongue and mouth. Glossopyrosis is burning limited to the tongue whereas oropyrosis is burning  in the entire mouth, including tongue, lips, palette, gums and pharynx. There unfortunately is no universal understanding nor treatment to address this uncomfortable sensation which suggests a multifactorial etiology. As such, tr…

5/09/2018 2

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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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New Video on EarPopper or Eustachi Therapy to Treat Clogged Ears

A new video has been published demonstrating how the EarPopper or Eustachi  can be used to help young children (and even some adults) pop their ears to resolve ears with fluid , clogging , or pressure. Although (most) adults can easily pop the ears 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. As such, these devices allow a parent to help a child pop the ears an…

3/02/2018 0

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