If you are suffering from a recurring ear, nose or throat problem that is not responding to medical treatment, your ENT specialist may advise surgery, for which the skills of a specially qualified ENT-surgeon will be required. An ENT surgeon is also known as an otolaryngologist or otorhinolaryngologist. The medical term ‘otorhinolaryngologist’ is derived from the Classical Greek words ‘ot’ meaning ear, ‘rhino’ meaning nose, ‘laryng’ meaning throat, and ‘logy’ meaning study. It literally means ‘the study of the ear, nose and throat’.
ENT-surgeons specialise in performing surgery for the treatment of various conditions, diseases and deformities, related to the ears, nose, throat, head and neck. They are basically medical doctors with undergraduate degrees (MD, DO, MBBS, MBChB), who have completed at least one year of general surgical residency, and at least four years of ear, nose and throat surgical residency. In addition, some ENT surgeons complete special training programmes to specialise in fields such as pediatric ENT, laryngology and otology. On an average, ENT surgeons receive a total of fifteen to sixteen years of training in the field, before they begin practicing.
In a modern ENT clinic, an ENT surgeon is usually supported by ENT doctors as well as trained nurses, anaesthetists and other medical assistants. Some common types of surgery performed by ENT surgeons are:
• Tonsillectomy: This procedure is one of the most common surgeries performed by an Ear Nose Throat surgeon. It is usually advised when a patient experiences recurrent infections of acute tonsillitis. Tonsillectomies can result in discomfort for a few days, and may sometimes require a hospital stay. Patients usually recover in about two to three weeks.
• Rhinoplasty: This procedure can be performed for aesthetic reasons, as well as for functional or reconstructive purposes. The procedure usually lasts between one to four hours, depending on the complexity of the particular case. In some cases, bone and cartilage is grafted from other parts of the patient’s body, and transplanted to the nose.
• Adenoidectomy: This procedure involves the removal of the adenoids, which are a single clump of tissue, located at the back of the nose. Some of the reasons for which removal is suggested are chronic infections, impaired breathing and earaches. Adenoidectomies are usually performed on an outpatient basis, under general anaesthesia.
• Removal of swellings: ENT-surgeons may often have to remove cysts and swellings in the ear, nose, throat, neck and head area. In addition, they may also sometimes have to remove cancerous or non-cancerous tumours, as well.
• Hearing loss: Individuals may sometimes lose their ability to hear properly, due to an accidental injury, infection, old age or other factors. In some cases, they may hear strange noises in their ears, like a buzzing, tinkling or squeaking. If the patient’s hearing does not get corrected through medicines or therapy, they may be advised ear surgery.
If you have been advised to consult with an ENT surgeon by your doctor, you should choose a highly experienced ENT surgeon, whom you trust and are comfortable with.
Many people do not know that I have clinical depression. I was on Buproprion for many years, and it worked well, but I decided that there must be a better way than taking a pill everyday to feel normal. I knew that serotonin played a key part in mood, so I decided to try and find ways to combat my depression naturally.
Since then, a number of people have asked me how I manage my depression without medication. Rather than answer each one individually, I created this article. Below, I will outline the strategy that I have been using for about five years now, to remain both depression and prescription free:
1. Sunlight is a great way to combat depression naturally. Get at least 15 minutes of sunlight a day. Sunlight is instrumental in the synthesis of vitamin D in the body. Vitamin D has been linked to keeping serotonin levels elevated in the brain. In addition, the pineal gland is extremely sensitive to light and through this mechanism, regulates both serotonin and melatonin production. Stimulated by sunlight, serotonin levels are what you want to keep elevated during the day to keep depression at bay.
2. Regular exercise is a great way to combat depression naturally – Exercise plays an important role in regulating mood and sleep quality. And conversely, getting quality sleep is important for your mood and overall well-being. There is so much evidence supporting the beneficial effects of regular exercise that I’m only going to summarize briefly: During and after exercise the body releases chemicals that are associated with “feeling good” and this effect carries over throughout the day into your sleep cycle. The important thing is to pick an activity that you enjoy and do it regularly. Even on days when you don’t feel you can go “all out” just make sure to do your workout. It’s the pattern and the habit that will carry you through in the long-term and that is really what your goal is here.
3. Eating dark chocolate is a great way to combat depression naturally. Besides containing healthful anti-oxidants, chocolate is a known mood and serotonin elevator. However, most people only think about consuming it in candy form. It is much better to get dark, unsweetened, chocolate powder and then add it to various foods. I like to mix one teaspoon into my daily coffee. You can also make a mole sauce with it, or dip fruit into it before eating it. This way, you can get your daily chocolate without all the unhealthy amounts of sugar and unnecessary calories.
4. Eating dairy is a great way to combat depression naturally. At latitudes further away from the equator, the sun is not as intense and sunlight alone may not be enough to meet your vitamin D requirements. Here, dairy plays a key role in supplementing them. Dairy also contains whey protein which contains tryptophan which the body makes into serotonin. It has an added benefit of keeping you feeling satisfied longer. I eat all natural fat-free yogurt daily. I love it!
5. Eating carbohydrates which rank low on the glycemic index is a great way to combat depression naturally. Foods that rank lower on the glycemic index take longer to reach the bloodstream in sugar form and therefore keep you from getting hungry longer. This also helps avoid energy crashes by giving you a steady supply of energy rather than the spikes and crashes caused by eating foods that hit the blood stream quickly. Keeping my energy level steady throughout the day definitely helps me keep my mood in check.
6. Don’t forget music is a great way to combat depression naturally. We all have a few songs that get our blood pumping, our minds racing, or simply remind us to look at the bigger picture. Even before that first chorus hits, we feel that we can take on the world! Music has such a powerful influence on our mood that simply playing one of these songs can pull you out of a slump and put you on top of your game as if by magic. Keep your playlist of these songs close by and don’t forget to explore new music, you never know when you’ll find that next bit of “uplifting awesome” to add to your collection!
As you can see, I don’t go overboard in any one area; I use the sum of many small steps in order to combat depression naturally, and I hope that you will find some of these tips will work for you.
Depression affects millions of people every year. I suffered from depression for many years, trying to feel “normal” again was a daunting task. I spent thousands on doctors, therapy, hospitalization and medications, which helped but it just wasn’t enough. I never really felt happy, like I had at a younger age, until I incorporated simple day-to-day changes in my routine that I was able to break the cycle of depression.
Changes you can make in your life to help break the cycle of depression:
Avoid triggers that cause negative thoughts and emotions – Sounds simple, but it takes hard work. First, start a journal. Write down all the negative thoughts and feelings you had during the day, try to remember what triggered them. Ask yourself who you were with? Where were you? Look for patterns, common denominators. When you find these triggers to negative thoughts try to avoid them, or work to come up with new ways to think about them.
Change – Find new hobbies, ones that make you feel good and help to take your mind off the negative thoughts associated with depression. Set new rules for yourself to stay away from bad habits that keep you stuck in the cycle of depression. Find these habits by journaling. If you’re stuck in a cycle of depression, change your environment. Try to paint your rooms with brighter colors, take a different route to work, try a different restaurant, or find new hobbies. Change can help shake off the old stale ways of doing things that keep you in a pattern of negativity.
Schedule your activities around bad and stressful experiences – Don’t let life’s difficulties derail your achievements. When life throws you a monkey wrench, such as a death of a friend or family member, financial loss, or divorce; Schedule positive and relaxing activities around the event. Don’t let yourself slip.
Laugh - Find something that makes you smile, or laugh everyday. Make it a routine to do this and stick with it. You’ll find that not only will you feel better, but also the people you interact with will react more positively to you.
Exercise and diet – Develop a daily exercise plan and stick to it. The chemicals released when you exercise help to promote positive thought and feelings. Positive thinking is one of the best ways to break the cycle of depression. Make sure that you eat right, drink lots of water, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and complex carbohydrates and proteins.
Don’t isolate – Stay connected with friends and relatives. But be wary of whom you associate, stay away from negative thinkers and anyone that reinforces the negative thinking patterns that you’re trying to break. If you are like me and have associated yourself with negative friends, try taking a class, or volunteering, talk to a therapist, but get positive feedback and stay away from negativity.
It took years of trial and error for me to break the cycle of depression. If I had known how effective these simple changes would have been to my overall well-being, perhaps I would have recovered and stayed happy sooner. It took many years of failures, trial and error before I finally achieved the happiness I feel today. The important thing is to keep trying, making changes in your daily routine and staying positive and healthy.
How to Prevent Ingrown Hairs?
Ingrown hairs are caused by hair that curls back on itself and burrows beneath the skin. By growing under the skin, the hair can cause an unsightly bump and often become infected. The good news is, that provided there is no infection, you can often remove them quite easily with a warm compress and sterilized tweezers.
In order to get the most useful advice, we spoke to a doctor about how to treat and prevent this common problem.
Ingrown Hairs Prevention
You might think it’s nice to get a good, close shave, but sometimes shaving too closely can irritate the skin and cause ingrown hairs. It is also important to make sure you shave in the direction the hair grows and not against it.
If you wax at home, make sure you regularly exfoliate the areas to enable the hair to exit the skin’s surface freely.
Looser clothing can also help. Tight clothes often press against the skin impeding the natural growth of the hair.
How to Get Rid of an Ingrown Hair
The easiest and most common way is with a warm cloth and a pair of sterilized tweezers. If the hair is visible and quite close to the surface of the skin, simply apply a warm cloth to the area for ten to fifteen minutes to soften the skin and then use the tweezers to gently pull out the hair.
Slightly infected ingrown hairs should be treated by applying a suitable antiseptic to prevent further infection. Tee Tree Oil and Witch Hazel are both excellent natural antiseptics that work really well but if in doubt, seek the medical advice.
There are now many products for treating and preventing ingrown hairs that a lot of women, and men, swear by.
Specialist Products
First off, study the product details and instructions thoroughly to be sure that the product is right for you and that you are fully aware of how to apply it effectively. Many products irritate the skin as they are a mixture of moisturizer and an acid that is commonly used for cosmetic skin peels.
The next step would be to test the product on a small area. If you get good results, you can then more confidently apply it to the rest of the area.
Using these product regularly can dramatically reduce the amount of ingrown hairs you get and prevention is always better than cure.
It is important to note that these are just general ideas on how to take care of ingrown hairs. If you end up with an infection or suffer from chronic ingrown hairs, it is important to seek professional medical advice – if in doubt, get it checked out!
5 Tips to Get Super Shiny Hair
Something that catwalk hair styles and celebrity hairdos have in common is shine. Yet transforming dull, dry hair into sleek, smooth, shiny tresses isn’t easy. Unless, of course, you’re armed with the expert tips, hair advice and shiny hair products that actually work!
Shine has a lot to do with hair health, which can also include you your own health and wellbeing. So in answer to the question “how to I get shiny hair?” it’s not just a matter of trialling numerous shine-booting hair products, you need to take a holistic approach too.
Sounds a bit new age? It needn’t.
Here are 5 Tips to Get Super Shiny Hair.
Focus on your diet
Dry hair can be a result of vitamin A and E deficiencies as vitamin A helps generate natural oils in the hair and scalp, while vitamin E contributes to blood circulation, helping with hair growth and boosting moisture. Boost your vitamin A and E intake by snacking on raw nuts and seeds and green leafy vegetables.
Are you getting enough water?
Water is not only great for skin, it’s beneficial for hair too. Drinking enough water each day will help prevent dull, dry hair.
Over-heating
If you use a hair dryer or straightener on a daily basis you’re likely to be causing heat-damage. Make sure you apply a heat styling protectant product and if possible, forego heat styling a few days a week.
Chemical hair treatments
Colouring and chemical straightening treatments can severely dry your hair. Try to allow your hair time to re-nourish in between treatments and make sure you use products specifically designed to care for coloured hair or chemically straightened hair.
Product build-up
Over styling, over shampooing or using too much conditioner (especially if you don’t rinse your hair well enough) can lead to product build-up. This leaves your hair feeling limp and looking lackluster. Try a clarifying shampoo once a week or cut down on the amount of styling product you use. Bed head can be bang on trend after all!
In general, try to remember that your hair does not have super powers. It needs a break just like the rest of us. Care for your hair with a weekly deep conditioning treatment, limit the amount of product and chemicals you put on your hair and try to avoid unnecessary heat styling. If you drink plenty of water and eat a healthy diet rich in essential vitamins and nutrients you should be sporting super shiny hair in no time!
For more tips on how to get shiny hair read beautyheaven.com.au
