It is a truism of microbiology that very small creatures have an evolutionary advantage over us. Their tiny size, rapid procreation and sky-high populations make germs ideally equipped to develop fortuitous mutations which render them immune to our defenses. This is as true in vaccines as it is in the body, which helps to account … Continue reading When Will We Get the Flu Vaccine Right?
View More >>We all know that pollen is a pernicious source of seasonal allergies, also known as rhinitis. For those who must contend with this miserable affliction on a daily basis, it can sometimes feel like wading through a cloud of steel wool just to get to the curb. This microscopic image may help explain why. As … Continue reading A Picture of Pollen You Will Never Forget
View More >>Let us get something out of the way first: we are not rats. Rat studies, which have been more or less the lingua franca of biological research for two generations, do not extrapolate consistently to humans. Countless headline-grabbing rat experiments have failed to deliver similar results in human studies – sometimes spectacularly. But rat research … Continue reading Lack of Sleep Kills Brain Cells
View More >>We know that sleep apnea is a dangerous condition which has shown causal links to a variety of severe medical problems, including cardiac disease and diabetes. Now a new look at a Taiwanese cohort has uncovered yet another correlation in a study of over 340,000 people: Among the sleep apnea group, 9.36 percent of participants … Continue reading Sleep Apnea Increases Chance of Pneumonia
View More >>Whenever a new procedure such as balloon sinuplasty appears, its rate of adoption tends to follow familiar contours. The coasts and major medical communities are likely to see the first practitioners, followed by urban communities across the nation. As one of the first surgeons in California to offer the balloon sinuplasty procedure, I have been … Continue reading Iowa Loves Balloon Sinuplasty
View More >>One of the most common things I hear about as a sinus doctor in Los Angeles is concern about patients traveling abroad – and concern from people stuck here at home about what those travelers might bring back. We live in a speedy and connected world, and countless news stories (not to mention some big … Continue reading Detecting Infectious Disease Early and Accurately
View More >>It is a truism in ENT that respiratory infections seem to consistently drive people to seek urgent or emergency care. In some cases this urgency is warranted, especially if a patient cannot breathe. But the vast majority of such cases fall under the rubric of common ailments such as cold, flu and allergies. This recent … Continue reading Respiratory Infections Continue to Drive ER Visits
View More >>I write frequently about sleep and breathing disorders, and often mention that sinus surgery can remedy some of the worst cases of interrupted sleep. One thing I rarely describe is the mechanism at work, namely how your sinuses can affect your nighttime breathing. This helpful article outlines the mechanics in their basic form. Here’s the … Continue reading How Sinus Symptoms Cause Snoring
View More >>Here’s a new finding that may give you pause: Sleep apnea, the scourge of public health which has been linked to depression, heart disease and mood disorders, also seems to affect people with Type 2 diabetes. Because apnea interrupts the deepest stages of sleep, it may also interfere with the body’s ability to metabolize blood … Continue reading Sleep Apnea Makes Diabetes Worse
View More >>This recent report of an athlete withdrawing from the Winter Olympics in Sochi is hardly the first of its kind. Several athletes have complained about the air quality in Sochi despite its reputation as a pristine redoubt for Russia’s rich and famous. The likely culprit is an accelerated construction effort that turned this seaside village … Continue reading Allergies in Sochi: The High Cost of Development
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