Med First ENT Centre

  One of the common causes for a parent to rush a child to a medical emergency is ear pain. Once we recollect our knowledge of the anatomy of the ear it is easy to understand that ear infection in children which causes ear pain could be affecting either the external ear or the middle ear.  EXTERNAL EAR INFECTION (OTITIS EXTERNA) Anyone who has experienced ear pain knows how excruciating it can be- this is because the external ear, as well as the eardrum, are richly supplied by sensory nerves.  Causes 1. Furuncle (boil) in the external ear canal- usually caused on account of misguided attempts to clean the ear with earbuds or fingernails, etc. This is a simple bacterial infection that is very painful. The ear is painful to touch. Treatment is usually with ear packing to reduce pain and swelling, local antibacterial cream, analgesics, and if not responding an antibiotic may be needed. 2. Swimmer's ear - usually after swimming in non-treated waters like lakes and ponds. It i...

Sore throat, throat irritation, or, using its medical term - Pharyngitis, is a common year-long medical problem. A sore throat is fortunately short-lasting and temporary but sometimes if it persists there may be an underlying sinister pathology. SYMPTOMS There are many common symptoms of sore throat Desire to clear the throat, hawking Soreness/ pain in the throat Foreign body sensation in the throat The feeling of a lump- Globus Cough Difficulty in swallowing Postnasal drip Excessive saliva/ mucus in the throat CAUSES 1. Allergy - Throat irritation is quite often caused by an allergy to something in the environment (like dust, pollen, pollutants, smoke) or to something that we eat or drink. There is usually a clear history of eating indiscretion like too much ice in the beverage, very spicy food like chutneys and pickles, etc. 2. Virus - There are many viruses that cause a sore throat. Viral sore throats last for a short while and are usually self-limiting. There may be accompanying pa...

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...

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...

  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.  Indi...

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 tr...