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January 31, 2014

Dr. Chang Makes Front Page News in Local Newspaper with Practice Merger

On January 31, 2014, Dr. Chang made front page news of the Fauquier Times local newspaper with his planned practice merger with Blue Ridge Orthopaedics and Spine Center to become part of the Greater Piedmont Medical Association. With this merger, he will be also joining Dominion Internal Medicine (Drs. Robert Lin and Michael & Jennifer Ackerman) as well as Urological Associates of the Piedmont (Dr. Pfeffer). In spite of this merger, the practice name, addres, location, staff, phone num…
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Aspirin Slows Brain Tumor Growth (Acoustic Neuroma)

Image from Wikipedia There is a type of benign brain tumor called acoustic neuroma or vestibular schwannoma that causes progressive hearing loss on just one side. This non-cancerous tumor which arises off the balance/hearing nerve (cranial nerve 8) typically grows larger in size over time leading to not only hearing loss, but also dizziness, facial paralysis, and even death if large enough. Harvard researchers, however, have recently reported that aspirin may  appear to slow and perhaps…
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January 29, 2014

New Ragweed Under the Tongue Pill Instead of Allergy Shots Recommended by FDA Panel

Yesterday, the FDA Allergenic Products Advisory Committee supported approval for a new sublingual allergy tablets (Ragwitek) that work 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. Given this is only a panel recommendation, final "official" FDA approval may not occur for another year or so for sale/distribution under prescription in the United States. Ragwitek is made by  ALK-Abello  and  Me…
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January 22, 2014

Lisa Marie Presley Throat Cancer Scare

Image from Wikipedia The National Enquirer reported 1/20/14 that Lisa Marie Presley suffered a throat cancer scare when she was told by a medical expert that "the 45-year-old singer’s throat is so severely ravaged that ... the damage could lead to deadly esophageal cancer!" [ link ] The National Enquirer, which is not know for stellar journalism, goes on to report that she has been pushing her voice hard in order to succeed as a singer like her more famous father Elvis. In spi…
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January 17, 2014

Is Your Metal Implant MRI Safe? There's a Website for That...

Although one could always contact the manufacturer or surgeon who performed your metal implantation directly to determine whether it is MRI safe or not, there's also a website that contains a comprehensive database of metal implants and how compatible they are with MRI scans. Who knew that certain metal implants are compatible with MRI scans up to a certain strength? Who knew a metal implant that may not necessarily be compatible with MRI, but given enough time after implantation (us…
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January 16, 2014

Dr. Chang Contributor to New Textbook on Singing

Released on January 6, 2014, a new textbook on singing "The Ultimate Guide to Singing," was published with numerous contributors ranging from singing stars, engineers, and even Dr. Christopher Chang . Most of Dr. Chang's contributions to the textbook are in Chapter 11: Staying Healthy. You can buy the textbook on Amazon.com !
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January 15, 2014

ENT Question Bank iPhone App for Physicians and Residents

The AAO-HNS has released a nifty iPhone app that contains 400+ Q&A to test one's knowledge in the field of otolaryngology. Called AcademyQ , it is free for 10 sample questions, but $49.99 to access the entire question bank. Although anybody can download the app ( link to app store), it's really meant for busy ENT surgeons. This app may be worthwhile to quiz oneself on esoteric ENT trivia in between surgical cases and patient office visits where one might have a minute or two to …
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January 14, 2014

NFL Player Derrick Coleman Has Been Deaf Since Childhood [video]

Derrick Coleman , who plays fullback for the Seattle Seahawks, was born with a genetic mutation that  caused his deafness since he was a toddler. Even with powerful hearing aids, he still needs to lip-read in order to understand what is being said. [ link ] Although the exact genetic mutation is not known thru media reports, it is most likely a connexin 26 mutation which is the most common genetic cause for early onset hearing loss and can be tested for through a simple blood draw. He is a…
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January 12, 2014

Soft Teddy Bear that Measures Pulse, Temperature, and Oxygen Saturation When Held

At the CES 2014 , a company introduced a soft, plush teddy bear that children (and even adults) all over would love. For physicians who care for children, it's not so much on the outside that matters, but what is in the inside as apparently, it is full of sensors that enables the teddy bear to pick up essential vital signs of the child who is playing with it. Called " Teddy the Guardian ," it is unclear from reports exactly how pulse, temperature, blood pressure, and oxygen …
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January 11, 2014

Bracelet that Measures Your Sun Exposure

June is being worn on this model's wrist. At the CES 2014 , an interesting bracelet made an appearance that purportedly is able to measure sun intensity in real time and monitor total daily sun exposure. Even better, it is able to provide sun protection advice via smartphone app based on your habits and skin type, get notifications when you need to apply SPF, wear a hat, or put on sunglasses… Made by Netatmo , the bracelet is called " June " and may be beneficial for those i…
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January 10, 2014

Risk of Death From... Is...

Image courtesy of noomh / FreeDigitalPhotos.net When it comes to risk of death from surgical procedures, it is illustrative to compare it to more common experiences. Patients often become unduly concerned with certain risks including death without any true understanding of how rare the risk may be. Unfortunately, such rare risks may be THE reason why a patient may refuse a needed procedure in the erroneous belief that something rare has an unacceptably high chance of occurring to them. …
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January 09, 2014

Should Risk of Death Always be Part of the Surgical Consent?

Ever since reports of alleged medical negligence came up in the case of 13 years old Jahi McMath who suffered cardiac arrest and subsequent brain death after a "routine" tonsillectomy that occurred Dec 9, 2013, the question has come up whether risk of death should become part of every single surgical procedure's informed consent no matter how rare that risk might be. It also brings up the question whether patients would want to hear every single possible conceivable risk that m…
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January 04, 2014

Normal Appearance After Turbinate Reduction

Normal mucosal blistering (turbinate reduction done only on right side) Often, patients become disturbed with the way the inside of their nose looks after a  turbinate reduction to improve nasal breathing . However, many of the concerns are unfounded and the appearance though disturbing, is actually normal. It usually takes a FULL 2 weeks for the turbinate mucosa to heal to a more normal (and reduced) appearance. It is around 2 weeks that nasal breathing also markedly improves. In any c…
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January 03, 2014

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…
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