Ah, spring — the season of renewal when shorter, duller days give over to longer days filled with sunshine and vibrant colors. For about 24 million adults and kids in the United States, however, spring is a time of sneezing, wheezing, watery eyes, and other unpleasant side effects that can come with...
About 50 million people in the United States experience allergies in any given year, and anything from airborne pollen to sesame seeds can trigger them. The best way to figure out whether you or a loved one has joined this group is by having us test for allergies. As the...
You’re having a conversation with someone at a party or restaurant, and, try as you might, you just can’t make out much of what they're saying. Instead of interrupting and asking others to speak louder or repeat themselves, you gamely smile and nod. Sadly, you’ve missed what they said and...
You have a dull throb around your eyes and/or cheeks, and the pain worsens when you move your head around. This type of discomfort is the hallmark of a sinus headache, which can be a very unpleasant condition to deal with. When you have a sinus headache, relief becomes a...
Infants are no strangers to ear infections — four out of five children develop at least one ear infection before their third birthday. While ear infections aren’t confined solely to children, they are far more common in kids than adults. If you’re a parent who wants to know more about ear infections...
You pop food into your mouth, chew, and swallow. While that all seems simple enough, swallowing is a three-phase process and each phase needs to function well for the act to come off without a hitch. When there’s a swallowing disorder present, it usually means there’s a malfunction in one...
Congestion, a little too much fun with friends over drinks, allergies — these are all common reasons people snore from time to time. Ongoing snoring, however, may signal a larger problem, such as sleep apnea, and the snoring aspect is the least of our concerns when it comes to this...
Of the 50 million people in the United States who have allergies, 32 million have food allergies, making it the most common type of allergy. While these numbers are already large, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team reports that food allergies are rising in the US — the number of people with food...
The prevalence of hearing loss in the United States is fairly significant — 15% of people over the age of 18 report problems with hearing — and the prevalence skews toward the older population. Losing your hearing can greatly affect how you navigate your world, so recognizing the early signs of hearing...
You want your child to be healthy and happy, but they’re struggling with frequent throat infections or they’re having breathing or swallowing difficulties. In these cases, your child’s adenoids and/or tonsils may have become more of a liability than an asset, and removal may be a good option. To help...
Approximately 50 million people in the United States have allergies — for some, it’s nothing more than a seasonal nuisance, but, for others, allergies can have a serious impact on their lives. If your allergies are interfering with your life and you want more than on-the-spot treatments or short-term management...
Do you seem to catch colds easily or suffer from respiratory issues longer than others? If so, you may be part of the 12% of adults worldwide who suffer from chronic sinusitis. Unfortunately, this condition can cause the development of nasal polyps. Although these soft bulbs of tissue are benign...
A lot is assumed, but little is known, about ear, nose and throat endoscopy. Many medical specialists use endoscopes to visualize areas that are difficult or impossible to examine with the naked eye. Most of the time, scopes are used to place the physician's eye directly at the site to...
What is epistaxis? It’s the doctor word for nosebleeds, because doctors have to have a special word for everything. It’s literally when, well, blood comes out of the nose. It’s a simple idea, but it can be a complex problem. Some causes of nosebleeds are obvious. When we operate on...
OK, first off, this is a daunting topic. There are many different causes of headaches, and to make matters more complicated, there are combination headaches of several types. Let’s start off by saying that many headaches, such as migraines, tension headaches and temporal mandibular joint syndrome are not of ear,...
Wait! I thought my driveway was black asphalt. Well, it is for most of the year, but suddenly, it has a distinct green sheen. What’s going on? It’s springtime in Southeastern Virginia, and the trees are pollinating. Now, every car, every screened porch, every piece of patio furniture, pretty much...
We are continuing to provide allergy shots and office visits during this peak allergy season. In an effort to help you maintain good health, we are minimizing the use of our waiting room. If you normally wait in the waiting room for 20 minutes following your shot, you may wait...
Hello, all! We hope that you are staying safe. We are still open and happy to continue serving your ENT and allergy needs. If you are not currently displaying coronavirus symptoms, we recommend that you continue your allergy shots. Face masks are available at our front desk if you wish...
One of the most common complaints seen in an ENT office is the reported sinus infection. Symptoms include congestion, headache, runny nose and post nasal drip. Oh, but wait. Those symptoms are also seen with colds and allergies. So, what’s the difference? How can you tell the difference between colds,...
In recent years, there has been a push to perform more surgeries in the office setting. Most of these are modifications of procedures performed in the operating room with IV sedation or general anesthesia. The advantages of in-office surgery are less anesthesia, greater convenience and lower costs. The potential drawback...
Few conditions are more annoying than urticaria, better known as hives. Not only can these little welts be uncomfortable and unsightly, they can also be a sign of a more serious medical condition. Fortunately, most cases of urticaria are benign and are usually caused by allergy. The allergens can be...
Some time ago, we discussed the nasal airway and ways to improve air flow. We covered both over the counter and prescription medications to help you breathe better. We presented both allergy shots and surgery to maximize the amount of air passing through your nose. Each of these treatments can...
I’ve often found it interesting when patients complain they have tonsil stones, considering that tonsil stones don’t really exist. Well, they’re not actually stones. The term is a misnomer. Unlike kidney stones or salivary stones, which are calcified and therefore hard, tonsil stones are soft and stinky, white or yellow...
One of the most annoying symptoms to ruin a patient’s day is the persistent cough. It is not limited to any particular time of the year. Some cases are acute and some cases are chronic, but the hallmark is that the symptom doesn’t go away as quickly as the patient...
As summer approaches, it’s a good time to learn about the problems that can affect your outer ear. If you’re going to the beach this summer, your outer ear is at risk for potential problems. These helpful hints can assist you throughout the summer, and the remainder of the year,...
