Smell Loss After Upper Respiratory Infection

Losing the sense of smell is not uncommon with upper respiratory infections (URI), typically with a viral common cold or flu. According to some studies, smell loss or decrease may occur between 18-45% of  patients who suffer from a URI. It is estimated that about 1/3 of such patients will fully recover their sense of smell with 2-3 years, most within the first year. Unfortunately, that leaves 2/3 of these patients who suffer from some degree of smell dysfunction. The key determining …

1/11/2018 0

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Does Mouth-Breathing Decrease Risk of Viral Infections?

Image by Magnus Mertens in Wikipedia The New York Times published an article looking into this very question on Nov 11, 2016. However, the provided answer ("possibly") was incomplete. In essence, the question of whether mouth-breathing decreases risk of viral infections is based on the idea that contagious viruses spread via the nose by inhaling coughed/sneezed out water droplets infected with viral contagions. Unfortunately, such viruses can also be spread if such droplets …

11/16/2016 0

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Oral HPV Can Be Transmitted by Kissing

HPV  transmitted by  oral sex  is the leading cause of  oral  and throat cancer now surpassing throat cancer due to tobacco products and alcohol. The main concern is whether kissing can also transmit HPV. A small John Hopkins study suggested that kissing did not increase risk of oral HPV transmission, but a more recent and larger study conducted at McGill University suggests that open-mouthed kissing actually does increase the risk of oral HPV being transmitted from one partner to the other…

11/12/2014 1

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Why Do Babies Hate Getting Their Nose and Face Wiped???

I have often been asked this question by parents... and even more so by my wife as we try to clean the snot off our little kids' noses as they shriek as if we're torturing them. Given it seems ALL young kids have this nose-wiping aversion across cultures and racial ethnicities, it would seem that this reflex reaction is hard-wired into human babies. But why would evolution favor this reaction? I tried to find an answer to this question to see if any bright researchers actually stu…

1/03/2014 1

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Nasal Spray Cure for the Common Cold?

Well maybe not cure per se, but at least effective treatment to reduce the duration and severity of the viral cold at least. Austrian researchers have reported on the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 211 patients suffering from early symptoms of the common cold. [ link ] Treatment of the non-placebo group involved using a nasal spray containing carrageenan (a sulphated polysaccharide found in red seaweed/algae) three times per day for 7 days. Cold…

12/07/2013 2

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Vaccine to Prevent Throat Cancer

Spread through oral sex, it is well established that human papilloma virus (HPV) types 16 and 18 cause the vast majority of throat cancer especially in men... even more than smoking and drinking alcohol. What was not known, but suspected, was whether in BOTH men and women the HPV vaccine Cervarix (made by GSK) or Gardasil (made by Merck) would help prevent throat cancer as effectively as cervical cancer for which it is FDA approved for. At least for the vaccine Cervarix, a randomized, co…

7/19/2013 1

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Can HPV be Caught by Kissing Someone with HPV Throat Cancer?

HPV transmitted by oral sex is the leading cause of oral and throat cancer now surpassing throat cancer due to tobacco products and alcohol. And for spouses/partners of patients diagnosed with HPV throat cancer, the main concern is whether it is "contagious". After all, if HPV is transmittable by oral sex , than it would seem that kissing can also transfer HPV to the partner as well. Well, a small Johns Hopkins study suggests that intimately kissing someone who has HPV orop…

6/02/2013 0

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Just How Contagious is the Flu (and Other Viral Infections)?

Everybody knows the flu and other viral infections are contagious, but did you wonder just how contagious??? Well, here are some facts gleaned from a few studies: • In just 4 hours, one sick worker can contaminate 50% of surfaces in a typical office • After 8 hours, one sick worker can contaminate 70%+ of surfaces • Non-sick workers have a 40-90% chance of getting infected after spending one day with a sick worker • A sneeze or cough can hurl virus 6 feet away from the mouth • A si…

2/02/2013 0

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Infographic: HPV from Oral Sex Causes Throat Cancer

I have blogged in the past regarding how HPV transmitted through oral sex (and potentially even French kissing) has now become the number 1 cause of throat cancer in individuals under the age of 50, even more than smoking and drinking alcohol [ link ]. Of course, smoking and alcohol further exacerbates this risk. Indeed, A 2007 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that younger people with head and neck cancers who tested positive for oral HPV infection were more likely to have …

1/26/2013 0

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How Long Does it Take for a Cough to Clear Up?

Hypothetically speaking, how long would it take for a cough to clear up if a person comes down with an acute respiratory infection ? According to a telephone survey of 493 adults, the lay-public expect the cough to clear up in 7 to 9 days. Now, is this one week guess actually true? Not at all... In reality, it takes about 17.8 days on average. This number was determined on a recent study that reviewed 19 prior studies that determined how long a cough lasts for. It should also be m…

1/14/2013 0

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Arena Stage 'My Fair Lady' Laid Low by the Flu with Performance Cancellations

It has been an early and bad start to the flu season in the DC metro area. It is just the beginning of the traditional 3 month flu season and flu numbers have already exceeded last year's . Although professional singers may feel they should have a special exemption from this debilitating illness which also adversely affects the voice, it is not to be... The flu has literally crippled performances of "My Fair Lady" at the Arena Stage this season with two show cancellations a…

1/07/2013 1

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"Bitter" Taste Sense Contributes to Immune Defense

As children, we all learned about the 4 different taste qualities the human tongue can appreciate: salty, sugar, bitter, and sour. Savory or umami was added in 1985. "Calcium" has been proposed in 2008 as well as more recently, "fatty" taste. However, we are slowly learning that "taste" is much more complex than simply the ability to perceive the taste qualities associated with food. That tongue map we all memorized in elementary school? It's a lie... Rea…

10/12/2012 0

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How Many Infections in a Child is "Normal" Per Year?

Kids get a lot of infections... but at what point should a parent be concerned on how often these infections occur, particularly upper respiratory infections? A German study went about to determine the answer to just that question... They prospectively followed 760 children born in 1990 and followed them for 12 years. Parents recorded the child’s illnesses in a diary and answered structured questions yearly up to age 12. This is what they found... The mean number of infections per year f…

3/21/2012 0

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Celine Dion Cancels Shows Due to Laryngitis

In late Feb 2012, Celine Dion who was to have performed in Las Vegas Feb 22, 2012, cancelled her show at the last minute at the Caesar's Palace due to laryngitis on the advice of her doctors. According to media reports , her doctors instructed her to rest for 7 days to ensure full recovery due to vocal cord inflammation caused by a virus. What does that mean exactly? When a virus infects the mucosa of the upper airway, it causes inflammation of the mucosa lining including the vocal …

3/04/2012 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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Possible Cure for Common Cold And Other Viral Infections

For real... at least in mice, but has potential for human application if the promise holds out! MIT researchers have developed a radical new approach to eradicating viral infections no matter what the virus may be... common cold, HIV, Ebola, polio, dengue fever, etc. The usual anti-viral antibiotics in use today target the viral replication process which unfortunately often fails with time as the virus adapts and develops resistance to the medication. The new medication dubbed "DR…

8/10/2011 0

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Oral Sex Causes More Oral Cancer Than Smoking!

HPV may now be overtaking tobacco as the leading cause of oral cancers in America in people under age 50. And HPV, otherwise known as Human Papilloma Virus responsible for gential warts and cervical cancer, finds it way into the mouth via oral sex. The latest data suggest that 64% of oral cancers are caused by HPV, which is more than tobacco causes. Furthermore, as the number of partners on whom you have performed oral sex goes up, the risk of oral cancer goes up. These findings were …

2/21/2011 0

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Link Between Oral Sex and Head & Neck Cancer

USA Today published a pretty accurate article regarding the rise of certain head & neck cancers with the increased popularity of oral sex and number of sexual partners. The factor that creates this link is the HPV virus which is associated with tonsil and tongue cancer. Alcohol and tobacco use is more highly linked with such oral cancers, but HPV does appear to be an independent risk factor. A 2007 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that younger people with head and n…

1/30/2011 0

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NYT: Blowing the Nose May Actually Make You Sicker???

On February 9, 2009, the New York Times published an interesting story regarding what happens if you blow your nose too hard. The story " The Claim: Never Blow Your Nose When You Have a Cold " reported that nose blowing generated enormous pressure — “equivalent to a person’s diastolic blood pressure reading,” — and propelled mucus into the sinuses every time. It was unclear whether this was harmful, but added that during sickness it could shoot viruses or bacteria into the sinuses, a…

1/07/2010 0

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