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February 27, 2015

Early Exposure to Peanuts May Reduce Peanut Allergies, but Choking Risks Remain!

Image from Wikipedia In response to peanut allergies and children being in the news this week (Feb 2015), the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery is cautioning parents and caregivers about choking risks especially posed to young children and infants by peanuts, tree nuts, and nut fragments. The 2015 NEJM study on peanut ingestion and allergies in children suggested that exposing infants to peanuts before age 1 (even as young as 4 months) actually helped prevent pea…
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February 26, 2015

Are ENT Endoscopes at Risk for Infecting Patients?

Note the instrument port which is the inner channel In the media, there have been reports of contaminated endoscopes that have been incompletely sterilized causing life-threatening infections in patients. The endoscopes that have been implicated in these unfortunate infections transferred from one patient to another are known as duodenoscopes or EGD scopes. The main concern that patients have are whether similar (non) sterility issues are also found in endoscopes used in the ENT world. T…
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February 22, 2015

Personal Steam Inhalers/Humidifiers to Treat Cough and Congestion

People with an upper respiratory infection with cough have found that taking a hot steam shower is often helpful for their symptoms. It can ease the nasal congestion and calm the coughing down. Due to these beneficial effects and the fact that dry airways can make a cough worse, a humidifier is a helpful device to have in a room. Beyond a humidifier, one can also purchase personal portable steam inhalers designed to put over the face. Cost can run anywhere from $20 to several hundred …
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February 11, 2015

Video of Cochlear Hydrops (What Happens in the Inner Ear)

This video  demonstrates what is thought to occur in  Cochlear Hydrops  within the inner ear. It is hypothesized that  Cochlear Hydrops  is due to an excessive amount of fluid buildup within the endolymphatic chamber causing symptoms of  tinnitus  and  ear fullness . No dizziness is present.
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February 08, 2015

A Study on Nose-Picking (You Know You Do It)

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at  FreeDigitalPhotos.net I could write a lengthy blog about why we pick our nose... but I think the results  below speak for themselves. In this particular study on rhinotillexomania (or compulsive nose-picking), 200 adolescents were surveyed. The conclusion is it's a common behavior. Interestingly, they study found 12% of the survey population picked the nose purely for pleasure.  Other interesting facts (from another study  on nose-picking) incl…
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February 07, 2015

Flonase Steroid Nasal Spray Now OTC

GlaxoSmithKline announced in July 2014 that the FDA has approved Flonase  steroid nasal spray  to be made available over-the-counter (OTC). It has now arrived! Flonase joins  Nasacort  which is has been available for purchase OTC for some time. Flonase is available to purchase on Amazon now as well. Flonase and Nasacort both are  steroid nasal sprays  used to treat  allergies  in patients. It is similar to prescription steroid nasal sprays like nasonex, omnaris, ceramist, etc. It is …
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February 06, 2015

Video of Meniere's Disease (What Happens in the Inner Ear)

This is the sixth and last in a series of videos our practice has produced on inner ear dizziness.  This video  demonstrates what is thought to occur in Meniere's Disease within the inner ear. It is hypothesized that Meniere's Disease is due to an excessive amount of fluid buildup within the endolymphatic chamber causing symptoms of tinnitus and ear fullness . When this chamber ruptures, spinning dizziness , also known as vertigo, results. Once the rupture has healed, hearing and b…
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February 04, 2015

Acupuncture to Treat Allergy Symptoms (Where are the Spots?)

There has been increasing number of research and even support by the AAO-HNS Clinical Practice Guideline 2015 that acupuncture may help control allergies. According to the 2015 Guideline: "STATEMENT 13. ACUPUNCTURE: Clinicians may offer acupuncture, or refer to a clinician who can offer acupuncture, for patients with AR who are interested in nonpharmacologic therapy. Option based on RCTs with limitations, observational studies with consistent effects, and a preponderance of benefit o…
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February 03, 2015

3D Printed Vase Rotates to Reveal Hidden Profiles of Loved Ones' Faces

A kickstarter project called Fahz aims to create custom vases that reveal facial profiles of anybody as it rotates. According to their website, "The vase begins with facial profile photos that are converted into vector geometry. Most images taken from the side will work, although higher contrast images produce more predictable results. The outlines from the photos become the scaffolding for a 3D model that merges the distinct profiles into a seamless sculptural form." Check out …
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February 02, 2015

Is There an Anatomic Basis for Exploding Head Syndrome?

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at  FreeDigitalPhotos.net Exploding head syndrome is defined as "a sudden loud noise or an exploding sensation in the head, either at the wake-sleep transition or upon waking at night, and abrupt arousal or fright after the event." Exploding head syndrome or EHS is thought to be due to a neurologic or psychiatric disorder, but I've always wondered if there's actually an anatomic explanation that can be physically corrected result…
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February 01, 2015

Top 10 Myths in Diagnosing and Treating Tethered Oral Tissues (Tongue Ties and Lip Ties) in Breastfeeding Infants (Guest Blog Post by Dr. Kotlow)

Dr. Chang's Note: Dr. Kotlow is a pediatric dentist who has done much to advance the understanding of infant factors leading to breastfeeding difficulties. This is a guest blog post by Dr. Kotlow. by Lawrence Kotlow, DDS www.kiddsteeth.com "Breastfeeding and human milk are the normative standards for infant feeding and nutrition. Given the documented short- and long-term medical and neurodevelopmental advantages of breastfeeding, infant nutrition should be considered a public …
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