Med First ENT Centre

Hearing Loss is a common symptom.  Once patients come with a history of hearing impairment, the simplest and most common hearing test that is carried out is the Pure Tone Audiogram (PTA).  It is so-called because an instrument (Audiometer) is used to produce Pure Tones at different frequencies - these are then presented to the subject at different sound levels (Volume) and the patient's hearing is recorded. TEST METHOD The test is carried out in a soundproof chamber to elicit an accurate response. It is preferably carried out in a two-room setting with the Tester and the Tested in a different room. Two different responses are tested   Air Conduction - tested with Headphones Bone Conduction- tested with a Bone Vibrator The Bone Vibrator and the Headphones are snuggly fitted and the test is started by producing sound - usually starting at 1000 Hz at 25 dB. The tested is instructed to press a button when a sound is heard.  The frequencies are then tested one by one and a graph is plot

Vertigo, Dizziness, Giddiness are common symptoms that are poorly understood by the patient as well as physicians. It has been my experience that patients who suffer from a sudden episode of Vertigo reach the emergency unit of hospitals where they are admitted and subjected to a whole range of investigations, including a cardiac evaluation and an MRI of the brain. After a few days, the patient is discharged without reaching a conclusive diagnosis. It is well known that sudden episodes of Vertigo that incapacitate a patient usually arise out of an Ear pathology.  The cause has to be determined. For a patient suffering from Giddiness , a detailed history is very important - when do the giddy spells happen,  how long do they last,  any accompanying symptoms like nausea, vomiting, headache, or visual disturbances, what precipitates the attack - like turning in bed, going out in the hot sun, after a period of viral infection?   what medicine do you take to make it better? For patients in w

  It has been understood by health workers for a long long time that prevention is better than cure and that any health initiative that seeks to prevent disease has a far greater impact than an initiative to cure a disease. Public health measures that seek to provide good sanitation, safe drinking water, and universal Vaccination, etc are much more beneficial in raising a community's health standards than setting up tertiary care facilities at the cost of ignoring basic health issues. In this respect let me highlight some direct impacts of the Union Budget 2021 regards our health. I will not deal with financial outlays or percentage changes from previous allocations but deal purely with the impact of these initiatives on our health. Clean Drinking Water 1. Clean drinking water Long ques in front of water tankers are a common sight throughout the country. The ambitious target of providing drinking water through taps to every household by 2024 is laudable and much desired.  India sti

Spring is around the corner, and though welcome in large parts of North India which went through a harsh and cold winter, it does bring its own problems. Spring season is typically Allergy Season as winter recedes we begin to step out and this exposes us to outdoor allergens As flowers bloom and pollen is shed our allergy symptoms rise It is now generally well known that the air inside our homes is quite often more toxic than the air outside. HOW TO ALLERGY PROOF OUR HOMES? carpet 1. Furnishings and Carpets Avoid thick upholstery (which gathers large amounts of dust and can prove troublesome) Get rid of carpets - these are filled with dust particles and other harmful substances like animal dander and soot from traffic pollution etc - wooden or marble flooring is preferable. You may use thin easily washable linoleum sheets etc for flooring if you like. If you cannot do without a carpet, at least avoid wall to wall carpet that is stuck to the floor- use carpets or rugs that can be washed

 Mouth ulcers, also known as canker sores or aphthous ulcers or benign oral ulcers, or recurrent aphthous stomatitis, are common and painful lesions of the oral cavity. A lesion is an abnormal area of tissue inside or outside your body that may get bigger or change appearance, and may or may not be cancerous.  Mouth ulcers generally develop inside your mouth or at the base of your mouth and are painful. They are mostly seen in women and adolescents (individuals between ages 10 and 24 years). Mouth ulcers usually go away within one to two weeks. If you have a mouth ulcer that is extremely painful, you should seek advice from your ENT specialist. Causes of Mouth Ulcers Although mouth ulcers have been known for a long time, the exact cause of a simple aphthous ulcer has never been determined. However, certain triggers and factors that can cause mouth ulcers include: 1. Stomach disorder/digestion problems.  Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the digestive tract. Crohn

One of the fat-soluble Vitamins, Vitamin E is readily available in many food sources and deficiency in the diet is rare. Common Sources Vitamin E is readily available in the following foods - Cooking Oils - sunflower oil, olive oil - Cereals - Meat, chicken, seafood (shrimp and trout) - Fresh Vegetables including spinach (and dark green vegetables), bell peppers, avocado, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomato, shalgam. - Fruits including mango, kiwi,  - Nuts including peanuts, almonds, hazelnut, sunflower seeds So, as we can see, unlike Vitamin D which is available only in limited food items, Vitamin E is available in plenty from a variety of food sources. Function Vitamin E is important for some critical functions in the human body.  Antioxidant- It removes free radicals and prevents premature aging. Skin and hair health- it is vital for the maintenance of healthy skin and hair Prevention of sunstroke Maintain immunity Inhibits blood clotting Prevent Alzheimer's disease and Parkinsonis

K for Koagulation (Coagulation), Vitamin K is an essential component of our diet that helps to maintain some important and vital bodily functions. Types of Vitamin K Vitamin K occurs in two forms, available from different sources Vitamin K1 - from green leafy sources, largely responsible for blood clotting Vitamin K 2 - manufactured by human gut bacteria as also found in some fermented foods - this  Vitamin K is vital for bone and heart health.   Functions   Maintain bone health - Vit K along with Vit D takes available calcium in the blood and layers it in bones. Assist wound healing Help in the clotting of blood - Blood has the unique ability to clot after an injury or trauma. This prevents the body from losing this precious fluid. Vitamin K assists in informing many of the proteins that help in the process of clotting, including Prothrombin. Prevent heart disease - since it channels out calcium from the blood to bones and teeth it prevents plaque formation in blood vessels- a major c