Swine Flu Information

Given the recent concern for a possible swine-origin flu outbreak, here is some information for concerned ciitizens from the friendly folks at the CDC and elsewhere: About Swine Flu Anti-Viral Recommendations Google map depicting swine flu cases in the US and World (the image below is just a picture and not linked).

Continue Reading

New Webpage on Tinnitus (Ringing in the Ears)

A new webpage has been added to our website regarding tinnitus otherwise known as ringing in the ears (or any other sound for that matter). There are 3 basic types of tinnitus for which evaluation and treatment differs and include: 1) Continuous 2) Pulsatile (Rhythmic) 3) Arrhythmic (the sound randomly occurs without any rhythm) Depending on how a person describes their tinnitus (because the physician often can't hear it), the following may be ordered: 1) Audiogram 2) Carotid Ult…

Continue Reading

Can I Take More Than One Allergy Medication???

The blunt answer is yes... but only if the medications are from different categories. What are the different categories? They include: • Anti-histamines (allegra, zyrtec , claritin , xyzal, clarinex, etc) • Steroid nasal sprays (flonase, nasonex, nasacort, rhinocort, etc) • Singulair • Anti-histamine nasal sprays (astelin, astepro, patanase) • Saline flushes ( Neilmed Sinus Rinse Kit ) • Mast cell stabilizer ( NasalCrom ) As such, a person can take one medication from each categor…

Continue Reading

Entertainer's Secret Now Sold in Our Office

We now stock and sell a special throat spray to treat the dry irritated throat called Entertainer's Secret . Sold in our office for $15. Amazon.com also sells this product.

Continue Reading

The Perfect Nasal Bulb Suction and Aspirator for Infants and Small Children

Regardless of the cause of a snotty nose in a young child, it is recommended that parents use a saline spray or saline bullets to the nose followed by nasal bulb suctioning as often as 3 times a day. The problem is finding the perfect nasal suctioning device with the following characteristics: • Make sure the nasal tip is rounded to prevent nasal trauma no matter how firmly you push against your child's nose • Make sure you can see into the bulb to ensure adequate suctioning as well as …

Continue Reading

New Webpage Listing Ear Specialists in the United States

A new webpage listing all the ear specialists in the United States has been created. We took this step as we have been getting inundated with emails asking for a recommendation of an ear specialist local to where they live. Ear specialists, otherwise known as otologist or neuro-otologists, are physicians who specialize in only ear problems. They may not even treat any throat or nose problems focussing purely on the ear. Click here to see the listing.

Continue Reading

New Webpage on the Evaluation and Treatment of Nasal Polyps

A new webpage has been posted describing nasal polyps and how they are treated. The most common cause of nasal polyps is allergies and though surgery may remove all nasal polyps, they WILL come back unless underlying allergies are aggressively contolled by medications and allergy shots. Click here to read more.

Continue Reading

New Webpage on the Evaluation and Treatment of the Snotty or Runny Nose in Kids

A new webpage has been created going over causes and treatment of the snotty nose or runny nose that kids less than 5 years of age often get. Treatment is often frustrating as young kids and infants do not know how to blow the nose. Read here to see what you can do about it!

Continue Reading

Ponaris Nasal Emollient Now to be Sold in Our Office

Given that not many local stores carry Ponaris in stock, we are now selling this product for $15 in our office for patient convenience. Ponaris is a wonderful product to alleviate the dry, irritated, and sometimes burning sensation in the nose, especially during the winter when the air is much drier than normal. It is also a great product to treat nosebleeds and nasal crusting. I like to think of Ponaris as chapstick, but made for the nose. To apply, it already comes with an eye-dropper. J…

Continue Reading

Dr. Chang Featured in Local Newspaper Talking About Surgical Treatment for OSA

Dr. Chang was recently featured in the Fauquier Times-Democrat (April 3, 2009) in an article discussing surgical treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Click the image for a larger view to read. You can also read the full text here .

Continue Reading

Voice On-Hold for Cheap!

I recently struggled with an un-named company to try and get a voice on-hold system working in our office. For those who don't know, a voice on-hold system allows there to be background music or service/product announcements to be made over the phone while a person is put on-hold. It is a captive audience good for marketing purposes. With this un-named company, we had to pay $499 to get it set up followed by a subscription of $89 per month thereafter to use a pre-recorded script made profes…

Continue Reading

New Webpage on Sialadenitis (Salivary Gland Infection/Stone) and Its Treatment

A new webpage has been created describing what sialadenitis is and how it is treated. In essence, sialadenitis is when one of the spit glands of the body (parotid gland or submandibular gland located on the cheek and under the jawbone respectively) becomes infected resulting in swelling and pain. Sometimes, the salivary gland may become secondarily infected due to a salivary stone. Click here to read more about it! Over-the-counter products that may be helpful to resolve sialadenitis:����…

Continue Reading

Sialendoscopy: Minimally Invasive Treatment for Salivary Gland Stones

There is a relatively new procedure called sialendoscopy which allows a surgeon to remove a stone that may be blocking the  spit gland  from draining saliva into the mouth. This situation is analogous to a kidney stone which blocks urine from draining from the kidney into the bladder resulting in painful swelling of the kidney (causing flank pain). How does a person know if they have a salivary gland blockage due to a stone? There is a painful swelling located right in front and/or below t…

Continue Reading