Vocal Cord Botox Injections to Treat Asthma???

Yup... It's true...A clinical trial is under way in Australia to see if botox injections to the vocal cords can improve the shortness of breath some asthmatics have. Though nobody disputes that asthma is a pulmonary problem, it is not uncommon that the vocal cords in asthmatics may be dysfunctional exacerbating the breathing problem.What is meant by dysfunctional? It's when the vocal cords come together when the person is trying to breath. It...

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Miss USA Beauty Pageant's Take on the Theory of Evolution

I was quite disheartened to see only a small minority of contestants fully supportive of evolution. In fact some outright stated evolution is wrong.The Miss USA pageant was recently held on June 19, 2011. Hear the answers...

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Xylitol (Natural Compound) to Prevent Recurrent Sinus and Ear Infections?

Image by Lauri Andler from WikipediaI only recently became aware of a natural sugar compound called "Xylitol" from a colleague's blog, BoogorDoctor, managed by Dr. Russell Faust. I certainly have never heard of it during medical school or surgical training.This naturally-occurring sugar substitute apparently has all sorts of anti-bacterial as well as anti-fungal properties and has been known to doctors and scientists but hardly marketed or promoted...

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Why Are You Looking in My Mouth When It's My Ear Hurting?

One June 20, 2011, NPR aired a great story about how a person may not "see" a person getting beat up on the side of a jogging path when they are focused on a task (pursuing another jogger)... even if they pass RIGHT BY THE FIGHT!!!In fact, only a third of the subjects reported seeing this mock fight when the experiment was conducted at night. Even more surprisingly, broad daylight didn't improve the statistics (only 40% noticed the fight).Though...

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Dr. Chang Quoted in Nationally Circulated Monthly Magazine

In the June 2011 edition of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery monthly magazine (AAO-HNS Bulletin) delivered nationally to otolaryngologists, Dr. Chris Chang was quoted for a story published on page 43 in an article titled "Technology Offers Physicians Opportunity, Peril".In the article, Dr. Chang discusses use of social media including Twitter, Facebook, Blog, and YouTube.Click on the image to read the artic...

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Spit Analysis Can Reveal Person's Age

There are certain compounds in a person's spit that can reveal their age to within 5 years. No kidding. There are certain things we know about DNA. We know that DNA gets methylated (like ornaments on a Christmas tree). We also know that the methylation pattern on the DNA changes with age. So the hypothesis was whether looking at the methylation pattern of the DNA can reveal a person's age? And guess what... it does according to a recently published...

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Steroid and Anti-Histamine All-In-One Nasal Spray!

Meda Pharmaceuticals has announced a new nasal spray "Dymista" that contains both a steroid and an anti-histamine active ingredient. Why is this significant? It's because it's the first and only one to do so. Of course, it's not available yet until the FDA approves it, but at least it has shown effectiveness in Phase 3 clinical trials.At this time, nasal sprays as it relates to nasal allergies come in two separate flavors:1) Steroid Nasal Spray (flonase,...

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Kids Exposed to Fido or Fluffy in the First Year of Life Decreases Risk of Becoming Allergic to Them

There have been a number of studies in the past investigating whether it is healthy for a baby to be around pets and whether such exposure increases or decreases risk of becoming allergic to them later in life.In a recent study (published online June 2011), the researchers found that among males, those with an indoor dog during the first year of life had half the risk of becoming allergic to dogs at age 18 compared with those who did not have an...

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Innovative Research to Treat Tonsil Stones by Dr. Chris Chang Accepted for Publication

There are some unfortunate individuals who suffer from an annoying problem called tonsil stones. This aggravating problem is when the tonsils produce tiny stones that extrude into the mouth resulting in chronic bad breath and throat discomfort. When it does pop out into the mouth, the stone itself tastes terrible. For many individuals, this may occur every few weeks. In others, it can happen on a daily basis causing significant quality of life issues.In...

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Speech Therapy Found to be of NO Benefit for Spasmodic Dysphonia

A recent study was published that has found that speech therapy had minimal if any significant beneficial effect on spasmodic dysphonia (a spastic vocal disorder) in a study cohort of 31 patients.The study was divided in 3 patient treatment groups:- One-third received no further intervention after botox injection which is considered standard of care in the treatment of spasmodic dysphonia- One-third received a standard 5-week course of voice...

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Dr. Chang to Give Lecture on Spasmodic Dysphonia in Richmond, VA

Dr. Christopher Chang will be a guest lecturer on the topic of spasmodic dysphonia in Richmond, VA on June 11, 2011. Dr. Chang was invited to give a 3 hour long talk to the Central Virginia SD Group at the CJW Medical Center Johnston-Willis Campus in the Board Room starting at 12PM.Dr. Chang is a Yale and Duke trained, board-certified otolaryngology-head and neck surgeon with fellowship training in laryngology. He is considered an...

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Sleep Apnea Can Turn Your Child Into a School Bully

Image courtesy of Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.netThis statement is supported by a published study indicating that poor sleep, whatever the cause, can be a factor leading a child to bully or display other aggressive behaviors. Among 341 kids who were evaluated, 23% had conduct problems. Of these kids with conduct issues compared to those without, a significant number had symptoms suggestive of a sleep disorder indicated by sleepiness scoring...

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What Exactly Does a Generic Drug Mean (Opposed to Brand Name)?

Some patients are very confused by what the difference between a generic drug versus brand name drug is.From the patient perspective, they are thinking, how in the world can the same drug be called different things?Doctors answer by talking about active ingredients, patents, and copays which sometimes confuses patients even more. Well, here's to set the record straight using an analogy.So let's talk about orange juice.I consider Tropicana Orange...

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Anti-Histamine Eye Drops

Allergies often cause eye symptoms of itching, swelling, redness, and tearing.If other allergy symptoms are also present involving the nose and skin, it is best to try an oral anti-histamine as a first step.This one oral drug may be able to resolve all these symptoms. As I am fond of telling patients, oral medications affect the whole body as the medication goes to the stomach after swallow, gets digested, and spreads to the big toe just as much...

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Steroid Inhalers for Asthma Can Cause Fungal Laryngitis

It is a big bummer to be an asthmatic. Not only is breathing a problem, but even the treatment for asthma can cause problems.Take for example steroid inhalers like advair, symbicort, fluticasone, etc.All asthma patients know to rinse their mouth out after inhaler use due to risk of oral thrush, but what about from the back of the mouth down to the vocal cords??? This nether region can't be gargled very easily. One can swallow water to rinse this...

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