Here’s a startling finding out of Taiwan: Chronic sinusitis has been correlated with a higher risk of stroke. Those of us in the ENT community have seen some evidence of this connection before, leading many to speculate that the link between sinusitis and stroke could run through the intracranial vessels, those blood-carrying conduits which appear … Continue reading A Link Between Sinusitis and Stroke?
View More >>I am fortunate to participate in the research stage for a number of promising developments in ENT medicine and sinus surgery. Recently I have been selected as one of the few sinus surgeons in the nation who can offer a new technology for sinusitis surgery known as the PROPEL implant. How does it work? This … Continue reading Is PROPEL a Breakthrough for Sinusitis?
View More >>Because I was one of the first pioneers to bring balloon sinuplasty to Southern California, I often receive referrals and questions about this revolutionary procedure. Longtime readers will recall that I have explained the procedure before, but the questions keep coming and the interest never seems to flag. Maybe this is because balloon sinuplasty is … Continue reading My Balloon Sinuplasty Video
View More >>Nothing is better at sniffing out inefficiencies than capitalism. In this spirit, a number of upstart companies and social media mavens are trying do for healthcare what Yelp did for restaurants (but never quite pulled off for doctors). Many of the most successful new companies are built around the idea that finding medical care is … Continue reading Need a Doctor? There’s an App for That
View More >>My specialty in sinus surgery is generally limited to adults, but I follow the news with some interest when a new correlation is uncovered in the field. Such was the case with a recent study that highlighted yet another in a long line of side effects associated snoring and sleep apnea: ADHD and other behavioral … Continue reading Sleep Apnea Leads to Cranky Kids
View More >>In my continuing quest to share with you the fascinating and occasionally checkered history of ENT medicine, I came across this article outlining some of the truly horrific things doctors recommended to cure the snore back in 1917. Yes, there are medieval objects and inexplicable gizmos on the list. But what’s most fascinating is that … Continue reading A Catalog of Snoring Torture Devices
View More >>There has been some chatter in recent years about how Google could be used as a barometer for major epidemics. The thought is that the world’s most popular search engine is able to do something few physicians can: build a fairly reliable snapshot of what humanity is thinking about at any given time. Sometimes this … Continue reading The Limits of Dr. Google
View More >>I wrote about the health issues with azithromycin about a year ago, after the New England Journal of Medicine warned that an unexpected number of patients who took the medication – also known as the Z-pack (or Z-pak) – experienced cardiac symptoms. The FDA has now joined the fray, adding some warnings of its own … Continue reading Further Bulletins on the Z-Pack Scare
View More >>If you’re like most Americans, you have experienced the distinct horror show of dread and confusion that is the cold remedy aisle. Today’s options for dealing with cold and flu symptoms are practically limitless, encompassing dozens of brand names, countless promises and a veritable alphabet soup of active ingredients. How do you decide? Most people … Continue reading The Best Antihistamine You Can Buy
View More >>As our planet warms and major weather events become implacably more common, one rarely mentioned consequence is a rise in the occurrence of allergic rhinitis – also known as allergies. Now some scientists are expecting this year’s production of pollen and dust to exceed any in recent memory: The changing climate has brought early spring, … Continue reading 2013 Should Be a Banner Year for Allergies
View More >>