Do Reflux Medications Increase Risk of Esophageal and Throat Cancer?

Image by Steven Fruitsmakk from WikipediaOver the last 30 years, the incidence of esophageal cancer has been steadily rising in spite of increased use of reflux medications. In fact, one can almost say that there is an inverse relationship between risk of esophageal cancer and reflux medication usage.BUT, it is also a foregone conclusion that reflux increases the risk of esophageal and throat cancer too. So, why would there be an increased incidence...

Read More

Sinus Infection Leads to Skull Removal in Child

The UK reported a 9 years old boy who had an extremely rare sinusitis complication that ultimately resulted in the left skull being removed temporarily.Briefly, in Feb 2013, the child developed headaches and a droopy eyelid. Surgeons ultimately had to remove his left skull due to brain swelling and concern the bone itself was infected. Over the next few months, the child had to wear a bike helmet to protect his brain which was no longer protected...

Read More

Local Anesthetic Allergy

Rarely, a patient presents with a history of being allergic to lidocaine or another kind of local anesthetic. Often, the "allergic" reaction described (racing heart, light-headed, dizziness, etc) is more attributable to the epinephrine which is often used in conjunction with the anesthetic; therefore not a true allergy, but a not unexpected possible side effect.Also, if a true allergy is present, it may not be to the anesthetic itself, but the preservative...

Read More

Unhappy with Your Appointment Day/Time with your Doctor?

A common complaint for patients is how long it may take to get in to see a medical specialist. A new patient appointment may be 1-2 weeks away when an earlier appointment may be desired.What to do?Of course, one can call around to every single specialist office in the region to see who has the next earliest appointment.Other options which may work just as well include the following:• Do NOT limit yourself to a specific day of the week and time. Always...

Read More

What are the Risks for Throat Cancer? (Humor)

Check out this info-advertisement photographed by Twitter user @durf showing the risks of throat cancer.I truly think the American public is a bit smarter than this... though not perhaps in Ann Arbor, MI where this ad most likely got published (I suspect AATA is the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority). jk...

Read More

Facial Plastic Surgery Leading to Clones? Scandal? Divorce? Lawsuits?

Earlier this year, pictures of the 20 finalists for Miss Korea 2013 went viral due to the clone-like appearance of the women. Such clone-like appearance is due to suspected plastic surgery undergone by many if not all of the contestants towards the idealized "Korean plastic face look." Fueling plastic surgery in Korea is the acceptance and popularization of plastic surgery encouraged by celebrity worship culture. Check it out:Image Taken from MailOnlineOf...

Read More

Does Stridor HAVE to be Present for Diagnosis of Vocal Cord Dysfunction?

Laryngospasm, the most severe form of vocal cord dysfunction, does include stridor as a symptom. However, a patient can still suffer from vocal cord dysfunction and even laryngospasm without an obvious stridor present.In order to understand stridor's relationship to vocal cord dysfunction (VCD), one must first understand what exactly is happening anatomically... or skip to the bottom of the article if you already understand the basics.When a person...

Read More