When The Doctor Becomes The Patient: A New Perspective On Sinus Surgery
As a physician at CornerStone Ear, Nose & Throat, whenever I discuss sinus surgery with patients, I tell them to only consider the procedure if their symptoms are actually affecting their quality of life. Recently, I had to take my own advice and undergo sinus surgery myself. Although I’ve performed sinus surgery for the past 15 years, becoming a patient gave me an entirely new perspective.
More to Treating Hearing Loss than Better Hearing: The Link Between Untreated Hearing Loss and Dementia
There is a growing body of evidence supporting the claim that treating hearing loss not only improves hearing but also improves quality of life. Various types of hearing loss can be treated using hearing aids, cochlear implants, assistive listening devices, and/or medical intervention. By treating hearing loss, not only are there improvements in the aided ability to understand speech with ease, but there are also demonstrable improvements in that person’s emotional, mental, and social aspects of life. Earlier this year, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical…
Hope for Chronic Sinusitis Sufferers: A Patient Success Story
Characterized by long-lasting and stubborn symptoms of thick, yellow to greenish nasal discharge, post nasal drip, nasal stuffiness, facial pain and possibly swelling, chronic sinusitis can be a frustrating condition for both patients and physicians. According to the Centers for Disease control, an estimated seven million Americans suffer with these and other symptoms related to chronic sinusitis, giving it its position as one of the most prevalent health problems in the country. When Treatment Fails So, when U.R. (initials used for patient privacy) had endured…
Sports Related External Ear Injuries: Auricular Hematoma & Cauliflower Ear
Wrestlers, football players, boxers and other participants in contact sports often suffer sports related injuries to the soft tissues of the face and head that can lead to a lifetime of disfigurement. Don’t miss this great information for athletes, coaches, parents, and others who might have experience with cauliflower ear or other sports injuries to the external ear. Learn how to identify a potentially serious injury, understand treatment options, and most importantly, how to avoid the injury in the first place.
Zenker’s Diverticulum – Tough to Swallow
According to research, the average person swallows between 600 and 2,000 times a day. Swallowing is a complex process that involves numerous muscles and nerves. We rarely consider this process until swallowing becomes difficult, called dysphagia, or painful, called odynophagia. These symptoms may then lead to additional signs that swallowing is impaired, such as choking, gagging, drooling and coughing. The causes of abnormal swallowing function can range from having a piece of food or bone stuck in the throat to a narrowing or weakening of…
Cochlear Implants – What to do when hearing aids don’t help anymore
A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted hearing device that helps people with significant bilateral sensorineural hearing loss hear when traditional hearing aids provide little benefit. In some cases of severe and profound hearing loss, hearing aids may be of limited benefit due to little or no residual hearing to work with. Instead of amplifying sound, as would a hearing aid, a cochlear implant bypasses the outer, middle, and damaged part of the inner ear to directly stimulate the hearing nerve. There are two parts…
Can Your Child Hear You?
May is Better Speech and Hearing Month which is directed at raising awareness about the importance of newborn hearing screening and developmental milestones for children. No one knows your child better than you. If you ever have any concerns about your child’s hearing, speech or language development, please contact our office at 704.752.7575 to schedule a full audiological evaluation with one of our Doctors of Audiology. Hearing and Speech Milestones Children born in North Carolina are screened for hearing loss before they go home from…
Across America Hearing Check Challenge
To help people understand the serious impact that hearing loss can have on their lives, the Better Hearing Institute has developed and validated a simple 15-item online test that individuals can take in the privacy and comfort of their own home. The test is designed to help people better understand just how serious their hearing loss is, and to determine whether or not they need further help. Across America Hearing Check Challenge Please realize that this online hearing test is not equivalent to a professional…
Dizziness: Lightheadedness and Vertigo Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
Dizziness is a common term that is used to describe a wide variety of symptoms. The term can mean many different things to different people and potentially can have many different causes. Typically dizziness refers to an abnormal sense of motion. It can also be imbalance, lightheadedness, feeling like you are going to pass out, weakness, and other sensations. The experienced physicians and doctors of audiology at CornerStone Ear, Nose & Throat, PA, are highly trained in the evaluation and treatment of symptoms of dizziness…
Understanding Your Hearing
In order to understand hearing, or the auditory system, and the ability to perceive sound and understand speech, it is best to consider the ear as being divided into 3 parts: the external ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The external ear consists of the auricle and the ear canal. These structures direct sound towards the eardrum. The middle ear is the space that lies between the external ear and inner ear. The middle ear is made up of the eardrum and the…
Subscribe to our RSS Feed