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June 26, 2009

June 21, 2009

Neat ENT-Related iPhone Applications (Decibel Meter and Tinnitus Relief)

So I was browsing around the app store on iTunes and encountered a few applications that may be of interest to readers... The first is related to measuring in decibels the ambient noise level called "Volume Decibel Reader". I like it in that it has a handy chart that shows what can happen to your hearing if you remain in the environment. You simply open the application and hit start and hold up the phone up in the air. The other application purportedly provides tinnitus relief in a m…
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June 20, 2009

Fauquier ENT Now Available on Your Phone!

Fauquier ENT has deployed a website optimized for viewing on a cell phone. In essence, it is a stripped down version of the main practice website. The web address for phone users is: www.FauquierENT.mobi Check it out here ! This blog you are reading has also been converted to a mobile version which can be found here . For those curious, the mobile website was created using MobiSiteGalore with some additional tweaks using Dreamweaver.
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June 18, 2009

Itchy Ears

A common complaint we often see patients for are itchy ears. The don't hurt or drain... They just itch... a lot... There are a few common causes of such itchy ears including earwax , allergies , and a piece of hair in the ear canal. However, there are a few other etiologies which are not often considered. Ear Canal Dermatitis Yes... the skin of your ear canal can become dry and irritated (just like the hands after washing your hands too often). People sometimes complain of very dry f…
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NYT Article: Weight Loss By Manipulating Sense of Smell

There was an interesting NYT article on June 17, 2009 where some niche companies are claiming one can lose weight by saturating your sense of smell... either by enhancing or decreasing. Read the article here . Personally, I would think that decreasing your sense of smell would do more to help as this would decrease your sense of taste making food taste more like cardboard and/or sand. There is a medical condition called " anosmia " where a person has completely lost their sense of…
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June 16, 2009

Zicam Can Cause Permanent Loss of Smell!!!

CNN.com today reported that the FDA has come out with a warning to consumers that three popular Zicam nasal products can cause users to lose their sense of smell permanently, a medical condition called anosmia. Apparently, there has been over 130 reports of anosmia after use of these Zicam products since 1999. Specifically, the products are: Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, kids size Indeed, the FDA has stated that consumers should stop usin…
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New Member Added to the Voice Team at Fauquier ENT

Please welcome Sarah Maines, BM, MM who recently joined the voice team at Fauquier ENT as a singing voice therapist and fills the place of Jennifer Sharp and Mark Greenawalt who have left. Sarah is on faculty at the Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University as a Doctoral Student of Musical Arts. She is a trained classical singer who performed as the First Lady in The Magic Flute with conductor Jan Wagner and director Daniel Helfgot. She sang Euridice and Donna Elvira in the Lexington…
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June 12, 2009

Drinking Alcohol Increases Risk of Allergies!

Well at least in women and only for perennial allergies (not seasonal allergies) according to a study published in July 2008 in the journal "Clinical Experimental Allergy." The study entitled Alcohol consumption and the risk of self-reported perennial and seasonal allergic rhinitis in young adult women in a population-based cohort study found that in Danish women between the ages of 20-29 who drank more than 14 drinks/week were significantly more likely to develop around the year all…
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June 11, 2009

Allergies CAN Appear for the First Time in the Elderly!

Although most patients with allergies develop symptoms of allergy during childhood or young adulthood, allergies CAN appear for the first time even in the elderly population!!! This fact is important as many elderly with allergies are misdiagnosed with sinusitis and other conditions for which they are treated with a number of medications which do little to help. Some even fail to seek treatment since they attribute their symptoms to the aging process or other non-allergy problems. It is fe…
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June 10, 2009

What To Do With a Broken Nose?

The only reason to see a physician immediately after an injury to the nose is to assess whether a septal hematoma has formed. The septum is a wall that divides the right nasal cavity from the left. If a hematoma has developed (which is VERY rare), it needs to be drained in an approach similar to doing a deviated septum repair . Regarding the "broken" nose itself... I personally think getting an X-ray to look for an isolated broken nose is a waste of time and money. Perhaps th…
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June 09, 2009

June 08, 2009

June 07, 2009

Blogger Template Customization

A few people have recently contacted me on instructions on how I made the changes to the blog template beyond what blogger provides. Well, here goes and rather than providing a step-by-step instruction for each customization, I will provide the links to where I learned how to do it. Keep in mind that most require some programming in order to install! • Related Posts List at End of Post • Adding Navigation Buttons to Header • Add Tabbed Interface Widget (About Us, Ear, Nose, Throat) • Customize…
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June 05, 2009

Sharing Added to Website Pages and Blogs

We have recently upgraded our practice website and blogs with the ability to share. What do we mean? Perhaps the easiest way to explain is to go ahead and click on this icon here: -----> This icon has been added to each and every blog article as well as educational articles on our practice website to enable a person to easily share information found with others through a variety of social media outlets including email, facebook, digg, twitter, myspace, etc etc. Go ahead and give i…
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Cavaliers Forward LeBron James Underwent Parotidectomy

Reuters on June 3, 2009 reported that LeBron James underwent a 5 hour surgery to remove a benign cyst from his parotid gland. People may ask why it would take so long to remove a cyst. It's because the nerve that makes the face move goes through the parotid gland and if the nerve is not identified first prior to cyst removal, the patient may end up with a permanent facial paralysis. Read the story here . I would bet that it took 4 1/2 hours to identify and trace out all the facial nerv…
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June 04, 2009

Brains of People with OSA Similar to People Dying or Severe Stroke

Image From Gutenberg Encyclopedia in Wikipedia Sufferers of obstructive sleep apnea experience similar changes in brain biochemistry as people who have had a severe stroke or who are dying, research showed published in the May 2009 edition of Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism . Apparently, when oxygen desaturation >10% occurs, a significant and severe disorder occurs to the brain bioenergetics, even if transient. This research (determined by using MRI) does suggest that …
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June 03, 2009

Online Fan Overview: The Good and The Bad

Every once in awhile, I take a look and see how the online presence of our practice is doing... As of today, our numbers our astounding in some areas! YouTube : 382 subscribers Stroboscopy Video on YouTube: 7,030,395 views with over 1900 ratings (WOW!!!) Other YouTube Videos : Many of our other videos have over 50,000 views Practice Website : Average about 4000 hits/day However, there is room for improvement in other areas: Twitter : 9 followers (though we just started this up a few weeks ago)…
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ENT Problems Due to Toxic Drywalls in Homes Built/Remodeled After 2000

There have been a number of news reports in the past year reporting on the use of toxic drywall made in China in new or re-modelled homes built after 2000 that have caused a number of ear, nose, throat symptoms in families living in these affected dwellings. CNN Article #1 CNN Article #2 CNN Article #3 CNN Article #4 Such symptoms include: nosebleeds , headaches, coughs , upper respiratory or sinus issues , rashes. The Homeowners Consumer Center believes that exposure to toxic Chinese dr…
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Foul Smelling Earwax (and/or Armpits) Suggest Increased Potential Risk of Breast Cancer

Researchers in Japan recently published a research article in the June 2009 edition of The FASEB Journal that explains why females with foul smelling earwax as well as armpits may be at risk for breast cancer. Apparently, the secreting glands of the breast tissue are similar to the cerumen-producing glands of the ear canal and sweat-producing glands of the armpits. Apparently, one of the genes, ABCC11 WT variant, is responsible for causing breast cancer. This genetic variant is also responsibl…
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