Questions & Answers
Is there something I can do about my plugged nose?
There are several reasons that can cause nasal blockage. To help you, someone needs to examine your nose and to ask you questions about your symptoms. In other words, be brave and make an appointment for an office visit. There are many horrible stories about nasal and sinus surgery, but come and double-check whether these stories are applicable to your condition or not. If you want to know more about your nose, see the section: What's wrong with my nose. Often we can surprise people with the improvement in techniques (septoplasty and turbinoplasty) that reduce the unpleasantness of surgery. Furthermore, you may simply have a problem with chronic allergies and not need surgery to breath better.
What can I do about my dizziness?
There are several different causes for dizziness. Before someone gives you another prescription of Antivert (meclizine), you may want to understand what is wrong with your balance system.
Can I do anything about my motion sickness?
Yes. This is a hypersensitivity of the balance system. There are some possible treatments of this chronic ailment. It may be worth a visit to learn more about this chronic condition.
Why would anyone want to have a tube in their ear?
“Ventilation” tubes are simply a tiny piece of plastic that keeps open a pinpoint opening in the ear drum. This way air can pass easily into the middle ear. The middle ear needs to be filled with air to work properly. Normally the ear gets fresh air from the back of your throat through the eustachian tube, but in many children and a few adults the eustachian tube does not open well. They suffer from pain when traveling in an airplane, hearing loss due to fluid replacing air in the middle ear and repeated ear infections. For these people the minor procedure of placing a ventilation tube is a great benefit.
When in place, a person usually is not aware of it and the tube is usually difficult to see. A person usually does not have to do anything differently when the tube is in place. That is, unless a person is swimming. Most people are aware that ear tubes are used routinely for children, but they are also used frequently for adults.
“For many years I suffered with ear infections at least twice a year. Finally, at the age of 49, I had tubes put in my ears and have had only one infection in 3 years.” -Michael Poccia
Do people still have their tonsils removed?
They sure do. But the reasons for tonsillectomies have changed over the years. 75% of these procedures are performed because the tonsils and adenoids have just gotten so big that they are blocking the back the nose and throat.
You see, tonsils are clumps of tissue located in the back of your throat and adenoids are clumps of the same tissue but out of sight, above the soft palate and at the back of the nose. This lumpy tissue in back of our throats causes 3 common problems: it can be a safe haven for bacteria; it can produce foul-tasting white pellets; most commonly, the tonsils and adenoids can swell enough to interfere with breathing and swallowing.
There is no effective medicine or gargle that can reliably fix these problems. Therefore, a T&A is still appropriate for people from young to old.
Some people wonder if it is a mistake to remove these glands. Aren’t they helping us fight infections? The short answer is no. It is likely that tonsils and adenoids helpful in the first 6 months of life as a point of contact between the new outside world and a newborn. But, once this tissue has helped to program the immune system, tonsils and adenoids are not known to be important to our health. In case this were not true, we also know that there is a good deal more of this same “lymphoid” tissue along the back of the tongue and elsewhere in the throat.
What should I do if I suddenly lose my hearing in one ear?
A sudden hearing loss may be a simple problem, such as too much ear wax, but it also can be a serious problem that can be best treated if the cause is identified with a few days of the loss. Please call for an immediate appointment and explain your problem to the receptionist.
What should I do about my cold?
A cold is when a virus attacks the lining of our nose or throat. Although Americans spend almost $2 billion a year on over-the-counter cold remedies, none of these products can stop a cold. At best, they simply relieve some of the symptoms of the cold. In fact, some of the side effects from the medicine can make you feel worse. There is some evidence that vitamin C is large doses can help the body fight a viral infection, but scientific proof remains elusive. Zicam is now advertising as a unique product which shortens the duration and severity of a cold, but zinc supplements are reported also as potentially harmful to our sense of smell.
The best strategy is to prevent colds by minimizing exposure to viruses. Our hands are likely the most common method of spreading viruses. Therefore, the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be effective. Remember that alcohol kills viruses as it evaporates or dries. This is equivalent to washing one’s hands with soapy water which will also destroy viruses.
What can I do about snoring?
Snoring can have a tremendous effect on your family’s quality of life. While you “saw wood”, your spouse may be tossing and turning…in the guest bedroom or couch. And you may be suffering more than you think with a poor quality of sleep. Take a quiz and learn more from your doctor (make an appointment).
There are many commercial products recommended for controlling snoring. But, since snoring is most commonly caused by the fluttering of the tissue in the back of your throat (the soft palate and uvula), most nonsurgical treatments, such as a mouth spray, are likely to be ineffective. If you want to try some products, we would recommend either an externa nasal dilator, such as Breathe Right nasal bandage (although they may cause nasal skin irritation) and specialized pillows that try to keep one from sleeping on his or her back (www.brookstone.com).
We recommend the Repose palate implants (www.restoremedical.com). They are small (one inch) nonabsorbable synthetic battens that stiffen the soft palate, like the pieces that are added to a boat’s sail. Snoring is largely caused by the vibrations of the soft palate and uvula at back of the throat. All of the best treatments of snoring involve some reduction in the movement of the soft palate. These implants are least invasive technique but also highly effective way to reduce the movement the soft palate. There have been studies to show that they can reduce the severity of snoring in 80% of patients and this is also about the same number of bedmates who find the snoring more tolerable.
The other attributes of the Repose palate implants is that the three implants can be inserted during a short office visit under local anesthesia. Unlike laser or other surgical procedures, the recovery may involve a few days or weeks of mild discomfort. The reduction in snoring may be immediate, but usually takes maximal effect in 6-8 weeks. There are very few complications (1%): infection or extrusion of the implant. There are studies to prove that the effectiveness of the implants is usually long-lasting. For those whose snoring is not corrected, it is possible to insert more implants. The Repose palate implants have also been proven to reduce the severity of mild sleep apnea.
The bad news is that the medical insurance companies in Rhode Island are not, at this time, covering the cost of this procedure.
Another strategy is purchase customized ear plugs for your bedmate. These can be created in our office.
Is there any surgery that really helps sleep apnea?
YES!! The goal of surgery is to reduce sleep apnea and, even when it does not cure, it may allow someone to lower the CPAP pressures and make this treatment more tolerable.
What can I do to help fall asleep?
- Retire within 2 hours and rise within 1 hour of the same time every day, even on weekends
- Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol, which suppress deep sleep, within 3 hours of bedtime
- Avoid heavy meal within 3 hours before bedtime
- Use your bed for resting or sleeping, not for office work, watching television or playing video game (unless it helps you to doze off)
- Deep the bedroom quiet, dark and cool
- Make the bedroom unique. Add aromatherapy or linen sprays scented with lavender or rose.
- If you fail to fall asleep within 25 minutes, get out of bed and read for a while, selecting soothing material.
I am a new mother. What do you suggest if I am having trouble sleeping?
- Changes in sleep occur in many women in the first trimester and increase by the third trimester. In general, nausea can be experienced early whereas general discomfort may disrupt sleep later in the pregnancy.
- Consider participating in cognitive therapy. Cognitive therapy helps people with insomnia identify and correct inappropriate thoughts and beliefs that may contribute to insomnia. In addition, cognitive therapy can give people the proper information about sleep norms, age-related sleep changes, and help set reasonable sleep goals, among other things.
- As might be expected, mothers of newborn babies experience a lot of sleeplessness and daytime sleepiness, which may contribute to the "postnatal blues" experienced by most new mothers.
- Pregnant women who have never snored before may begin doing so.
- A number of pregnant women develop Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) during the third trimester.
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