Tag Archives: sinusitis
The Joy of Breathing
Many stories about balloon sinuplasty involve long tales of suffering and relief. This one involves a patient with a sense of humor. As he described his own life-long struggle with sinus symptoms, the man in question put his experience thusly: “The clearing of my throat…*ahem*…all day long.” That sums up the experience as well as … Continue reading The Joy of Breathing
View More >>One More Balloon Sinuplasty Story
Those of you who are following along at home may have just come from reading my prior post on balloon sinuplasty, in which I described a local news team’s take on the watershed procedure. This post zooms in a bit to discuss one woman’s experience with debilitating sinus pressure and pain – and how balloon … Continue reading One More Balloon Sinuplasty Story
View More >>Halitosis, Meet Sinusitis
The effects of sinus infection can be far-reaching and insidious, and can include everything from pain and fatigue to an impaired sense of smell. But bad breath? That’s correct – whenever a bacterial population takes up residence in your respiratory system, it can produces gaseous byproducts which are, in a word, objectionable. So that’s the … Continue reading Halitosis, Meet Sinusitis
View More >>What Kind of Sinusitis Is It?
Sinusitis is one of those fuzzy terms that is often more descriptive than diagnostic. Many lay people know that the suffix -itis refers to irritation or inflammation, and does not speak to any particular cause or culprit. Sinusitis bedevils doctors for precisely this reason: when a patient presents with severe pain and pressure, it isn’t … Continue reading What Kind of Sinusitis Is It?
View More >>How Sinusitis Leads to Polyps
Sinusitis is a form of inflammation, which can lead to a host of secondary symptoms such as impaired breathing, pressure, headaches and further infection. One of the more severe symptoms associated with sinusitis is the development of nasal polyps, which are fluid-filled sacs that form inside the nose. I have described the process that can … Continue reading How Sinusitis Leads to Polyps
View More >>One More Sinusitis Video
There is a comforting sameness to all the news coverage about balloon sinuplasty, a minimally invasive procedure that opens the sinuses in about an hour. The videos are similar because they comport with statistics in the field: more than 90% of balloon sinuplasty patients report relief from the process. This latest video is just another … Continue reading One More Sinusitis Video
View More >>The Propel Stent Gains More Fans
The PROPEL sinus stent is one of the newer medical devices in the ENT toolbag: a tiny, flexible spring that holds open nasal passages following surgery, promoting drainage and healing. Although the mechanical action of the spring is important, equally important is a new technique to coat the spring with steroids that are slowly released … Continue reading The Propel Stent Gains More Fans
View More >>A New Voice for Antibiotic Sanity
Much has been said and written about the topic of antibiotic resistance, especially the role played by ENTs in the overprescription of these powerful drugs. The primary concern is isn’t simply waste or expense; it’s that too many antibiotics in the populace has spurred the rise of superbugs which are evolving to resist our best … Continue reading A New Voice for Antibiotic Sanity
View More >>Does Sinusitis Come with a Different Biome?
A biome refers to the population of microorganisms that call your body home. A growing body of scholarship has begun to zero in on human biomes to understand their diversity and medicinal properties, and determine whether changes in the biome may cause changes in human health. One theory has been floated about chronic rhinosinusitis, which … Continue reading Does Sinusitis Come with a Different Biome?
View More >>Another Balloon Sinus Surgery Case Study
Local news stations continue to document the march of balloon sinuplasty across communities nationwide. The latest story focuses on a patient from North Carolina, who had tried sinus surgery once to no avail: As the video says: “It causes small micofractures, which can be heard during the procedure . . . The tiny bones and … Continue reading Another Balloon Sinus Surgery Case Study
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