Common Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Procedures you should know

Health is wealth, so goes the saying. Many-a-times one falls ill. But sometimes unexpectedly you need to undergo minor surgeries so that your health will be restored back to normal.

The first thing you ought to know is that with the advent of science and technology, surgical procedures have been simplified and is less risky now. Furthermore, surgeons prefer surgical methods after various medications have failed. And surgery is recommended only if and when necessary. 

The Ear, Nose, and Throat form an important category of the surgical procedures. The common ailments included in this are sinusitis, tonsillitis, vertigo and sleep disorders. There are some common procedures performed to treat various problems of the ear, nose, and throat:   

1.    Common surgeries of the throat:

Removal of tonsils or adenoids – Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy are performed to remove tonsils and adenoids respectively. These surgeries are recommended when the patient has persistent and repeated infection and inflammation. Additionally, sometimes tonsils and adenoids enlarge thereby giving rise to breathing and swallowing problems. They disturb the sleeping patterns too. 

Problems in swallowing or speech- For people who have vocal cord issues due to tumors, surgery is advisable. Tracheotomy is performing a cut in the windpipe so that the air reaches the lungs. Tracheotomy is performed when you need to remove secretions from the air passage or when a person in under ventilation for a long time.  

Surgery of the head and neck region – This is usually performed to remove tumors in the larynx, head or bone.

2.    Common surgeries of the nose:

Sinusitis – Also termed as Rhinosinusitis, this is an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the sinuses.  The air passage gets congested, and its most common symptom is the recurring headaches. Sinus surgery is performed to treat sinus problem.

Nose surgeries for nasal obstruction – Septoplasty is undertaken for the correction of the septum to ease nasal congestion. This procedure is done when the septum consisting of thin bone and cartilage deviates and blocks the air flow passage. 

3.    Common surgeries of the ears:

Rectifying ruptured ear drum – Tympanoplasty is the method of reconstructing the ruptured ear drum.

Cochlear implants – Here implants are inserted into the inner portion of the ear to stimulate nerve endings. This ensures that hearing is restored. This procedure which is still in its nascent stages is carried out on sensorineural hearing loss patients who have severe hearing loss.

Removal of tiny bones in the middle ear – Stapedectomy is performed to remove part of the stapes bone which blocks sound from entering the middle ear.

Insertion of tubes to drain fluids from infected ear- Tympanostomy or Myringotomy is a common procedure for the ear tube insertion to drain pus and fluids out from the infected ear. This balances the pressure and thus reduces the ear pain.  

Never panic when your doctor suggests a procedure. Always get a second opinion from the local reputed ENT specialist in Bangalore and act accordingly. 

And when you are under the supervision of expert ENT surgeons, there is no cause for worry.

7 easy home remedies with honey

Honey is indeed a magic elixir for healthy life. Here’s presenting 7 important uses of honey at home.

It is golden and pure and seriously yummy! But the humble honey is more than just a tasty liquid; it is one of nature’s potent forces against disease, ill health and infection. Read on to know more about the 7 benefits of honey:

1. It has antifungal properties. As you know, honey is prepared by bees. The bees add a useful enzyme to the honey when they create it – this enzyme creates hydrogen peroxide inside the human body. Hydrogen peroxide is a natural cleansing agent, which helps remove harmful microbes, toxins and fungal growth in the body. Honey should be taken regularly in warm water by those who show a propensity for thrush, Athlete’s Foot and fungal nails.
2. It helps you lose weight. Honey breaks down fatty cells and destroys them. When taken in warm water with a little lemon juice first thing in the morning, it kick-starts the metabolism and gets the digestive juices going. Thus, the body is able to digest its food faster and better, and calorie burning also takes place alongside – this keeps weight in check.
3. It is a natural healing agent. You can apply honey on a burn or a cut – though it might sting! – because honey contains natural healing substances. The biggest benefit of honey in wound care is that it creates an effective barrier against the entry of bacteria and germs into the burn or wound, and it starts the healing process alongside.
4. It is a useful carrier for medication. A big benefit of honey is seen in the way that it is able to penetrate the tissues better than other substances. This explains why many Ayurvedic medicines are prepared with honey as a base. It acts like a carrier for the medication, making it doubly effective.
5. It helps regulate blood sugar. Diabetics and those with hyperglycaemia are advised against eating processed white sugar, because it causes sudden spikes in blood sugar levels. If you are a diabetic and have a sweet craving, or if you wish to eat or make a dessert, consider using honey instead. The natural sugars in honey are processed slowly by the body, thus regulating sugar levels. You can even have a spoonful of honey if your sugar levels are dipping.
6. It keeps the skin and hair healthy. Honey is packed with antioxidants and cleansing agents, so regular intake of honey with warm water or milk keeps the skin and hair healthy. You can even apply a honey pack on your skin or hair for a natural shine.
7. It strengthens the immune system. Research shows that honey stimulates the production of immune cells and improves the blood’s capacity to retain oxygen. Thus, it helps strengthen the immune system. Ayurveda stresses on this benefit of honey, prescribing a tablespoon when the weather changes, so as to boost the immunity against cold and flu.

Give your child everything they need to grow

What are Development Milestones?

Developmental Milestone is the ability that is achieved by children at a certain age. It is a set of functional skills that is honed gradually by children over the time. It includes physical, cognitive, and social development. At this stage, the children tend to develop communication skills such as talking, expressing feelings or emotions, and comprehending familiar sounds.

All this development is age-specific each child may have different way and speed of coping with it.

The 4 Developmental Milestones:

1. Large-motor Milestone: The first milestone for children and a much visible one are the physical development. This consist of the large and fine motor skills. The large-motor skills help the child to crawl, turn over, sit, walk and stand. The fine-motor skills, as the name suggests, assist them in getting the precision while carrying various tasks such as eating with utensils, writing, and picking and placing objects in their due place, etc. 
2. Cognitive Milestone: The cognitive milestone is the second in the series of the developmental milestones. In this stage the child hones its ability to feel and distinguish one emotion from the other, learn, and think. This developmental milestone is evident when the child points out at the pictures and is able to correctly tell the name of object in the picture and its colour. Children at this stage also, tend to remember poems and do basic counting. 
3. Social and Emotional Milestone: Then comes the third developmental milestone – the Social and Emotional Milestones. Here, the child can express his/her emotion and engage in social interaction. This stage in an infant would consist of the ability to recognize familiar faces, sounds, objects, and even places. However, older children may feel the need to have friends and a playgroup to play with. 
4. Communication and Language Milestone: The fourth and by far the most critical developmental milestone is the Communication and Language development. During this milestone, the child develops both forms of communication skills – verbal and non-verbal. This stage may range from uttering single words to framing a correct sentence and holding a conversation.

What is the role of a parent in the Developmental Milestones?

Space for trial and error:

You may help your child from falling once but, not always. Let your child make his own mistakes and come out of it. All you need to do is support their thinking process with adequate information.

Simplicity:

Have simple conversations. Have them often. Let your child come to you for answer and in turn you help them seek the answers by themselves.

Cheerful environment:

It is important that you have light, cheerful environment at home. Stressful or domestic violence will hinder the process of development.

Education:

By this we don’t just mean academic education but, basic manners and etiquettes that needs to be observed at home and in social surroundings.

 

How To Manage Acute Pancreatitis?

Do you regularly consume alcohol or you have gall bladder issues? In either of the cases, you are more prone to develop pancreatitis. So, if you experience any pain, rashes in the skin of the abdomen or any other abnormalities, better consult a doctor at the earliest. Pancreatitis is a serious issue and if left untreated may result in greater damage.

What Is Pancreatitis?

Pancreatitis may be of two types- acute, which is a new and short term and chronic, where it is a long term affair. However, both type is equally dangerous and can even be life-threatening. Pancreatitis is the swelling of the pancreas, and over the period, the damage can progress further and affect the blood vessels and damaging the gland, thereby causing infection and bleeding. Once the pancreas swells, the digestive juices get trapped and start to digest the pancreas itself. In such situation, the gland will not be able to carry the normal functions.

The Underlying Cause

While in 80%-90% of the cases it happens due to alcohol abuse, 35%- 45% of cases, pancreatitis can occur due to some problem associated with gallstones. However, in 10%-20% of cases, pancreatitis develop as a result of chemical exposure, medications, trauma, surgical procedure, high-fat levels in blood, heredity and even genetic abnormalities with intestine and pancreas.

Symptoms- Acute Vs Chronic

While in the case of acute pancreatitis, the predominant symptom is abdominal pain, it is not always so in the case of chronic pancreatitis. The symptoms for both the types are mentioned below.

Acute Pancreatitis

•    Abdominal pain

•    Fever

•    Dehydration

•    Nausea

•    Rapid heartbeat.

•    Skin discoloration

Chronic Pancreatitis

•    Jaundice

•    Bleeding

•    Nutritional deficiency

•    Weight loss

•    Restricted insulin production is resulting in diabetes.

However, there is another type of acute pancreatitis known as necrotizing pancreatitis, which causes necrosis in and around the pancreas.

Management

In both the cases, the diagnosis procedure is same which involves serum lipase test, MRCP, Ultrasonography and Computed Tomography depending on the patient’s condition. In the majority of the cases, acute pancreatitis is treated in the hospitals depending on the cause. There, the doctors work on relieving the symptoms and help the pancreas to recover from the inflammation. Depending on the cause of the inflammation and if there is any form of infection at the same time, antibiotics is administered accordingly.

In some cases, even surgical procedures are enacted if the cause is associated with the gall bladder. Any abnormality or gall stones, if there, are removed from the patient is relieved of the initial symptoms.

The patient is given a low-fat diet which shouldn’t exceed 20g/day. While in the case of acute pancreatitis, sufficient fluid intake is a necessary thing; in the case of chronic, the patient may be kept for 24-48 hours with no food and only clear liquids.

Acute Pancreatitis can be easily cured if detected early. Consult any gastroenterologist in Bangalore, who will surely provide the right advice and treatment to cure all the symptoms associated with it as well as the severity of this condition.