Smell Loss or Smell Distortions - Why and What Exactly Happens?

Animation goes over why and what exactly happens when the sense of smell changes, whether complete loss occurs (anosmia) versus phantom smells (phantosmia) or distorted smells (parosmia). Collective, these smell orders can be classified as types of dysosmia. The smell sense is due to about 400 different olfactory receptors. Quite a bit more than the 3 photoreceptors used in vision. A given smell perception is due to a specific combination of activated olfactory receptors just like how a par…

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One-Sided Hearing Loss Caused by Brain Tumor (Animations!)

Average hearing loss by gender and age. Normally, nerve hearing loss occurs at a steady symmetric rate as one gets older. One ear should NOT suffer hearing loss at a faster rate compared to the opposite side. The image shown to the side displays average hearing loss based on gender and age.  As such, if one ear is hearing significantly worse (known as asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss ), there is cause for concern that there may be something unusual going on (assuming no earwax or ear flu…

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What Causes Tinnitus and Treatment Strategies

Chances are you or someone you know suffers from tinnitus , a phantom sound described as a continuous ringing, buzzing or whistling. This sound is perceived within the ears or the head that occurs without any external source of sound. However, it is not the ear that is responsible for tinnitus though it may be one factor. Instead, the cause of a person’s tinnitus can be found in the brain. Check out the video to understand how the brain causes tinnitus and what treatment strategies can be use…

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How Do Reflux Medications Work? (PPI, H2 Blockers, Antacids, Alginates)

There are many different types of reflux medications . However, they all do not work the same way. This animation goes over how the different classes of reflux medications prevent reflux symptoms. For simplicity’s sake, the role of ECL cells, acetylcholine, gastrin, etc has been eliminated/ignored. Check out our online reflux store .

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12 Causes of Dizziness

This video goes over 12 different but common causes of dizziness . Conditions described include the inner ear to the heart and even the spine. Check out our online store for other ear/balance related products.

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Video of Feeding Or Swallowing Problems Due to High Plate or Tongue Tie

With a normal swallow , food and liquids move from the mouth into the esophagus directed by a precise sequence of coordinated muscle movements. However, in babies and young toddlers, the presence of a tongue tie and/or high palate disrupts this sequence by making it much more challenging for the tongue to initiate an efficient and effective swallow. Occasionally, it may even lead to choking or gagging. Watch the video to understand why this happens.

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Video Showing the 4 Stages of Swallowing: Biomechanics & Bolus Movement

With a normal swallow , food and liquids move from the mouth into the esophagus directed by a precise sequence of coordinated muscle movements. In order to adequately describe the biomechanics and bolus movement during swallow, the 4 stage model was developed: Oral Prepatory Stage, Oral Transit Stage, Pharyngeal Stage, and Esophageal Stage. The animation describes each of these stages which provides the necessary background knowledge in order to understand when swallowing is abnormal.

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Video of Pill Swallowing Difficulties: Cause and Treatments

Difficulty swallowing pills but not to foods and liquids is a very common complaint known as pill dysphagia. This condition is often due to a tighter than normal muscular valve at the top of the esophagus known as the cricopharyngeus muscle. Because the opening is tighter than normal, large pills often hang up in the throat leading to symptoms of the pill being stuck in throat sensation and even occasional choking or gagging. Further medical investigation of pill dysphagia often shows nothi…

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Epipen Activation in Slow Motion Video

A fun little project showing an Epipen needle ejection both at normal speed and in slow motion (240fps). Even in slow motion which I digitally slowed even further to 480fps right at the Epipen activation stage, I still was not able to capture a needle slowly being ejected from the cartridge. Just goes to show you just how fast the needle moves.

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Top 4 Causes of Swallowing Difficulties

Does food get stuck in the throat when you swallow? What about pills? Does swallowing liquids often trigger a cough? This video focuses mainly on swallowing difficulties or dysphagia in the throat region, whether to solids, liquids, or to both. Conditions described include physical obstructions, delayed cricopharyngeus opening, tight cricopharyngeus, esophageal motility disorders, and aspiration. Treatment is discussed only to a limited extent. For more info on swallowing problems, click here…

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Top 7 Causes of a Clogged Ear (But Minimal to No Pain)

Most people can think of 2 or maybe even 3 different causes of a clogged ear. However, there are actually at least 7 different top causes of a clogged ear with minimal to no pain that is described in this video . Such causes include: 1: Earwax   2: Eustachian Tube Dysfunction   3: Middle Ear Fluid   4: Eardrum Rupture  5: Sudden Nerve Hearing Loss   6: TMJ Disorder  7: Cochlear Hydrops

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Video Showing How Rapid Mono Tests Work

A  new video  has been made describing how a rapid mono test is performed to check for mononucleosis or kissing disease caused by the epstein bar virus (EBV). Not only is the procedure explained, but also how the testing itself is carried out to determine whether a patient is mono test positive or not. For those inclined, the science behind rapid mono testing is described at the latter half of the video. Hint! It's called a lateral flow immunoassay incorporating both cow proteins and mouse …

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Black Hairy Tongue Causes and Treatment Video

A new video has been created describing black hairy tongue . Black hairy tongue is a relatively rare acquired condition that can literally turn the tongue's color black. It is considered harmless and self-limited. In the video, we will go over what it is as well as what can trigger this condition and what can be done to potentially resolve this problem. Many of the treatment suggestions mentioned in the video can be purchased on Amazon: First-Line Treatments: • Tongue Scraper: https:/…

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How to Perform a Sinus Rinse Video Demonstration

Performing a sinus rinse is a safe and simple way to clean the nose and sinuses for patients who suffer from allergies or recurrent sinus infections. There are many different devices available to rinse the nose, but they all essentially work the same way. In this video , we demonstrate using a Neilmed bottle. First, fill the bottle to the line with lukewarm distilled water or previously boiled water. Mix in one premeasured salt packet. Alternatively, you can add 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp o…

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How to Make a Homemade Sorbet That May Alleviate Flu Symptoms [VIDEO]

My wife loves to make homemade ice cream and came across this recipe called "Influenza Rx Sorbet" by Jeni Britton Bauer in her homemade ice cream cookbook . The sorbet contains easily obtained kitchen ingredients known to help alleviate symptoms due to a viral URI like the flu or common cold. The recipe includes lemon and orange juice for Vitamin C. Ginger and cayenne to help clear nasal passages. Honey and liquid pectin to help soothe a dry, itchy throat retain moisture. …

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Ear Piercings (How They Are Performed in a Doctor's Office)

Our office has created a new video demonstrating how ear piercings are performed. This procedure is performed both in adults as well as kids over the age of 8. Although ear piercings are generally performed without any sedation, it is not unusual that we also perform ear piercings while a child is sedated while undergoing another different procedure whether it be ear tubes or tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy . In these situations, ear piercing can be performed at any age while sedated. We a…

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10 Different Sleep Apnea Surgeries Video

This animation quickly goes through 10 different surgical techniques to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): 1) Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy , 2) UPPP , 3) Modified UPPP, 4) Expansion Sphincter Pharyngoplasty, 5) Lateral Pharyngoplasty, 6) Lingual Tonsillectomy, 7) Midline Partial Glossectomy, 8) Submucosal Base of Tongue Reduction , 9) Thyrohyoid Approximation, and 10) INSPIRE device. There are many different surgeries to treat OSA given the many different anatomies and causes for sle…

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Causes of Lump Sensation in Throat (Globus) Video

Given how often I see kids and adults with a persistent lump sensation in the throat (aka, globus) that has been going on for months if not years, I decided to make a  short video  going through all the different possible causes as well as testing required in order to make the correct diagnosis. Diagnosis is key because once you correctly know what is causing the globus, treatment is actually straightforward. But diagnosis is difficult because there are so many different possible reasons. …

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What is CAPD? Video Explainer...

Central auditory processing disorder or CAPD is a neurological deficit that affects how the brain processes spoken language and is estimated to affect about 5% of the human population. This condition makes it difficult for affected adults and children to understand verbal statements or filter out background noise when listening to somebody talk. Indeed, such individuals may complain of being able to hear fine, but have trouble understanding. CAPD, also known as auditory processing disorder…

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Animation of Botox Injection to Treat Spasmodic Dysphonia

A new animation has been created in cooperation with Intronix Technologies that demonstrates the steps involved to treat spasmodic dysphonia with EMG guided botulinum toxin. Spasmodic dysphonia is a neurologic condition characterized by vocal breaks during speech due to spasms of the vocal cord muscles. The most common type of spasmodic dysphonia is adductor spasmodic dysphonia where the vocal cords suddenly and involuntarily comes together causing the person’s voice to suddenly break off…

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