ENT specialists lay down the treatment options for hearing loss

Hearing loss is the most common ear problem in human beings today. WHO predicts that in India, more than 75 million individuals will be suffering from significant auditory impairment by the end of 2020. These astounding numbers amount to severe loss in productivity, both physical and economical. Unfortunately, even larger numbers are linked to milder degrees and unilateral (one sided) hearing loss.

Types of hearing loss

1. Conductive Hearing Loss occurs because of difficulty in the middle ear. In a normal ear, the sound hits on an integral eardrum. The increase in movement is backed up by three small bones, working simultaneously in which the third bone works as a piston to deliver the increased vibrations to the fluid system of the inner ear. Fluid in the ear, eardrum tear, and damage to the working of the three bones may cause hearing loss. If the inner ear is enthused directly by the nerves, hearing organ and hearing is normal. This is known as conductive hearing loss.
2. Sensory-Neural Hearing Loss refers to damage to the inner ear or the auditory nerve which is the signal bearer to the brain. This type of condition occurs when there is physical harm to the end organ or the nerve. In most cases, sensory-neural hearing loss is irreversible. Using a hearing aid is only the solution as surgery itself is baseless in this case. Sensory-neural hearing loss is linked to blockage of blood supply or the sudden arrival of viral infection.

Safeguarding newborns from hearing loss is now recommended. In young ones, hearing impairment can lead to further problems such as slow growth, slow learning capabilities etc. By detecting problem in the initial stages, suitable measures can be taken to avert any of the aforementioned types of hearing loss.

How hearing loss is diagnosed?

The best available examination to determine an individual’s hearing abilities is an audiometry test. Before commencing the test, the ENT specialist may conduct a general screening test to know the extent of the condition. He/she may ask patient to cover up one ear at a time to see how well his/her ear responds when exposed to different sets of volume.

During a thorough test called audiometry, the patients are asked to wear headphones and hear sounds directed to one ear at a time. The ENT specialist presents an array of sounds of various tones and asks him/her to indicate each time. Each tone is repeated different times at different levels.

Special hearing tests including speech tests give a clear idea whether hearing loss is conductive or sensory-neural.

What are the treatment options for hearing loss?

The treatment for hearing loss varies according to the severity. Hearing aid is the only possibility if the damage is to the inner ear.

1. Hearing Aids: The ENT doctor can discuss the probable advantages of using a hearing aid. Hearing aids cannot help every patient with hearing impairment, but they can enhance hearing for many people. However, getting adapted to it can take some time. Since, the sound coming through the hearing aid is amplified, it will take some adjustments before a patient gets used to it. Hearing aids should always be purchased after doing extensive research.
2. Cochlear Implants: Cochlear Implants are considered when hearing aids fail to deliver. These implants are inserted into the inner ear but can cost you a fortune. They have their own set of complications. It is advisable to have healthy discussion with an ENT specialist before going for such implants. 

The dreadful malaria: The insight

India accounts for more than 70% of malaria patients in the South East Asian region. Yearly, Indian doctors cater around 2 million patients and 100 deaths. The forest regions of Orissa, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh are where malaria is prevalent. Globally, malaria affects 36% of population and around 2020 million people in 107 countries.

What do we understand with malaria?

Malaria is a non-communicable infectious disease which is caused by plasmodium parasite that attacks the RBC’s (Red Blood Cells) accompanied by high fever, chills, shivering, body pain and sweating. There are four species that are responsible for causing malaria (plasmodium malariae, plasmodium vivax, plasmodium falciparum and plasmodium ovale) out of which consultant physicians consider plasmodium falciparum as the worst, capable of causing extreme complications. Unfortunately, a patient can get affected by two species concurrently.

How an individual gets malaria?

Malaria is a complex disease involving both human being and mosquito. When female anopheles mosquito bites, the parasite enters the blood. It travels and forms base in the liver. The parasite then multiplies in the liver. However, some of them stay there while other go out of the liver and attack red blood cells. Then it stays in the RBC’s and reproduces. 48-72 hours after the bite, more parasites are released into the blood. This is the reason why malaria chills are seen normally after 2-3 days after the release of the parasite in the blood.  

What are the warning signals of malaria?

Once bitten, the disease stretches up to around 2 weeks. Common symptoms include fever, chills, puking, headache, body ache, diarrhoea and cough. Generally, chills and fever replicate after 48 hours and during this time, a patient may develop anaemia due to breakdown of red blood cells. The spleen enlarges and is felt in the stomach.

The treatment for malaria

After a diligent research, The National Institute of Malaria Research has laid the course of action on diagnosis and treatment of malaria:

• Chloroquine is prescribed to the patient and the dosage depends on the person’s weight.
• Always give the first dose under the doctor’s supervision and not on an empty stomach.
• Drink plenty of fluids backed up by fruit juices.
• Call your general physician if no sign of improvement is seen.

Prevention is better than cure

• Mosquito's’ favourite breeding place is stagnant water- be it nearby ponds, a water puddle, pots, bird baths or fountains. Get them cleaned as soon as possible. Water in the swimming pools too needs cleaning.
• Use mosquito repellents, nets, fibre glass mashes for your windows if you live where mosquitoes are found in abundance. Cover up your body so that you are less exposed to mosquito bite.
• Indoor insecticide spray is also recommended to be on the safe side. 

Voice Disorders - How can you avoid them?

Many people having issues with their voice and are not able to speak clearly normally go to a general practitioner for treatment. Often your doctor may provide the right treatment, in most cases, he/she may recommend an appointment with an ENT doctor. An ENT doctor is a healthcare practitioner who has acquired training in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose and throat problems, and is the perfect doctor to treat the underlying cause of your voice disorder.

As a voice problem can lead to immense repercussions, it is important to take the right preventive measures, and reduce your chances of developing them.

How can you prevent voice disorders from happening?

• Say no to alcohol or caffeine: These substances act as diuretics, which cause the body to lose water. According to leading ENT doctors, this loss of fluids can dry out the throat, and result in problems such as hoarseness, laryngitis and paralysis of the vocal cord.
• Increase consumption of fluids: It is suggested to consume at least eight glasses of water per day to prevent dehydration. One should also drink other healthy liquids such as fruit juices, milk shakes and soups. In many cases, dehydration has proved to be the main cause of a voice problem.
• No smoking: This includes inhaling second-hand smoke as well. Cancer of the vocal folds is a severe throat problem that manifests, most often, in individuals who smoke.
• Don't use mouthwash that contain alcohol or other harsh chemicals, as these chemicals may irritate the throat.
• Practice good breathing techniques: When you are speaking or singing, it is important to support your voice with deep breaths from the diaphragm. This form of breath control helps lessens the strain on one's voice, and reduces voice problems.
• Cut down on spicy foods: Foods with too much spice may cause stomach acid to travel into the throat or oesophagus (reflux), resulting in a variety of symptoms. This may include hoarseness, throat pain or swallowing problems.
• Humidifier can be a handy tool: It is advised to have at least thirty percent humidity in homes or offices. This is particularly important in winter or in areas with a dry climate. If your surroundings are not humid enough, you should consider purchasing a humidifier to increase the humidity level.
• Stay away from noisy places: Talking loudly in noisy places can have an impact on your voice. If you really need to speak in front of a noisy crowd, consider using a microphone to amplify your voice.

What to do when faced with burns, bites and rashes (healthcare urgency)

It is always helpful to have first hand information on how to effectively treat problems like burns, rashes and bites when they suddenly occur. However, there may be some cases when home remedies do not come to the rescue and it is necessary to get immediate medical treatment.

Following are some sure-shot methods to treat these conditions so that the patient can recover swiftly and appropriately.

What are the treatment options for a burn?

There are three 'degrees' of burns that one should know.

First degree burn is only impacts the topmost layer of the skin. In a first degree burn, the skin will probably turn pink in the affected area and there can be formation of blister over there. For the treatment, creams containing aloe or antibiotics can help minimise the burning sensation and make it heal faster.

Second degree burn is occurs between the first and second layer of the skin. In a second degree burn, the skin will turn shiny and red in the affected area.

Third degree burn is the worst and there are instances when the skin is completely burnt off and the bone is visible.

In second and third degree burns especially, it is very important to urgent professional assistance so that it can be treated properly.

What are the treatment options for a bite?

Sadly, there are no home remedies for a bite. If someone has been bitten by a snake, an insect or an animal, it is quintessential t get medical help urgently. For any kind of bite that leads to an unusual inflammation or if the skin is slightly ripped off, you should get it checked immediately so that any poison doesn't spread to other parts of the body.

What are the treatment options for a rash?

Rashes primarily occur because of factors such as dust, pollen, moulds etc. If any of these irritants come in contact with the skin, the skin may start to itch and a rash may appear. Rashes may occur only once or they may reappear periodically. If you suspect the reason behind the rash is an allergy, it is best to visit an allergy specialist so that an anti-allergen can be administered. If it is a minute rash then you can try home remedies by first discarding the irritant and then using prescribed ointments on the rash to rectify the itching.

Why a mobile application will improve your medical practice

Mobile internet usage is growing rapidly, and is only going to continue to grow as more and more people buy smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. As a business in today's world, it is almost expected of you to have some form of mobile website or application available so that your customers can quickly and easily access your businesses information, social media pages and much more. If you think that a mobile application is not right for your practice, consider this fact, people around the world are using smartphones to search doctors, book diagnostic lab tests, purchase medicines and much more. With that in mind, here are seven reasons why a mobile app will help improve your practice.

Patient and Office Engagement

As interaction between businesses and customers becomes easier than ever before courtesy of mobile devices and social media, it is important that healthcare professionals realise the opportunity that a mobile application could have for their practice. By creating a quick and easy way for patients to reach your office, a mobile application saves your patient time while also providing them with company information and directions to your location via an interactive map.

Patients Prefer Mobile Apps over Mobile Websites

Whether you realise it or not, patients prefer mobile apps over websites. While a website is built for larger screens and can carry more information, patients today are looking for an app that is functional, interactive and optimised for their fingers and the touch screens that they have with or near them 24 hours a day.

Direct Pipeline to Patients

Looking for ways to share news/specials/promotions with patients but don't want to spend money on flyers and direct mail? A mobile application with push notifications can help to do it without the printing costs. A mobile app will allow you the ability to send push notifications or "alerts", to users who have downloaded the app quickly and easily, saving you time and money.

Keep Ahead Of Your Competition

As mentioned earlier, very few if any of your competitors are utilising a mobile app for their practice, so why not give your practice the competitive edge? A customised mobile app will help you appeal to the ever increasing majority of mobile patients, build and engage relationships with them and turn them into lifelong patients.

Cost Efficient Marketing

When considering a mobile application for your practice, it is important to look at the long-term value of the application. By creating a mobile app that allows you to do all of the things mentioned above, as well as having the ability to upgrade/change the overall look of the application at anytime to fit your office's image, you can begin to see the application as a base for all other marketing campaigns.

Attract More Referrals

As more consumers switch over to smartphones every day, it is important to create a mobile brand image and presentation that accurately represents your business to help gain more referrals. A mobile app that is easy to use for patients will not only help with customer relationships, but also lead to potential referrals from existing customers to potential new customers.

Save Time with In-App Appointment Requests

Not too long ago, phone calls were the main way to schedule an appointment for patients. This often led to offices needing someone by the phone for hours on end, answering calls and interacting with customers. With the creation of mobile devices and text messaging and mobile applications, offices can now simply offer up an appointment availability calendar within their app and customers can send a quick text, email or voicemail to the office to schedule their appointment, freeing up staff time and creating an almost effortless scheduling system.

Effects of Unhealthy Eating Habits

Food in all its forms, be it sugary topped cupcakes, chocolate fondant covered cakes, or a sizzling hunk of steak with a side of cheesy fries - our senses are vulnerable, and our stomachs scream out in anticipation. So where do we draw the line between what's healthy, more than enough, or terribly wrong to overindulge ourselves in? Our minds work on one principle - when food looks good (automatically inviting), ours minds program those perceptions to understand that what we see, will most definitely taste heavenly.

An instant turnoff for people is when one mentions the words 'vegetable' or surprisingly, 'fruit, or even 'nuts', as a healthy snack option. Why have we tuned our minds to take in what is pleasing to the senses, without giving healthy options a try?

Kids especially, are brought up eating the unhealthiest of foods. Parents don't really put much thought into what they place into their kids' mouths, because it seems easier than having to cook up a wholesome meal.

The effects of unhealthy eating habits will catch up with us soon enough, where it won't be very amusing when you go through the repercussions. Parents, young adults and the elderly need to understand that their bodies are fragile, and can at any given moment, succumb to the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle.

Risks of Unhealthy Eating Habits

Decreased Metabolism

Your metabolic rate is what allows you to burn food, where the higher it is, the faster it is likely to empty out your stomach. That way when you keep your metabolic rate running with 6 mini sized meals (healthy mind you), you allow it to stay up and pulsing within a span of two hours from the last meal to the next. Combine that with exercise, and you have a strong metabolic rate that allows you to burn fat and stay in shape without adding on any unwanted calories. When you eat the wrong foods, your metabolic rate is interrupted by the inflow of toxins and chemicals that packaged foods contain. The liver, in an attempt to filter these out, slows down its functioning and lets fat accumulate in the body over time.

Obesity Issues

The world's number one problem and much battled against issue, is obesity. Kids, young adults, and the aged, all suffer from this, where some try to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle, while the rest throw caution to the wind and continue onward. So what exactly is obesity? It is when one overeats to a point where their stomach becomes quite accommodating to the food load, as a thick fat layer forms on the outside the stomach lining. Encasing your stomach is a fatty deposit that builds over time, thickening and spreading to other parts of the body. One then has cells coated with fat, along with a set of clogged arteries that make it hard for blood and oxygen to freely pass. Problems you will face; delayed menstruation (women), breathing problems, heart diseases, diabetes, weakened bones, loss of muscle, and so on.

Immunity Takes a Toll

As the bad eating habits escalate, one's immunity takes a backseat, and the system is an open ground for infection and other disease-causing agents. The body loses its ability to ward off these oncoming presences, making one fall ill often, where it takes a lot of time for the body to heal and get over a sickness. Eating the wrong foods can force the system to degenerate slowly, since when the body is young, the body can handle the burden. It is important to eat right, and to go on a scheduled diet to get one's health back in line before it's too late.

Problems with Conceiving (for women)

A woman when overweight cannot conceive a child because of the enlarged abdomen's pressure atop the uterus. She is then prone to experience miscarriages, or will not be able to witness a positive pregnancy test. Hormones in the body aren't balanced out, and this can have an effect on a woman's ability to bear a child. Obese women are told by doctors that they need to lose weight, in order to be able to have children.

Developing Eating Disorders

The problem with not eating right is when one convinces him/herself that they need to desperately lose weight, thus resorting to unhealthy methods to achieve this. Anorexia and bulimia are two dangerous eating disorders that hamper one's health, and can ultimately lead to death. Women will experience a change in their menstrual cycles, will not have a healthy set of eggs for fertilisation, and will often suffer from miscarriages, as a result of unacceptable eating habits.

The effects of unhealthy eating habits can easily be avoided if one were to eat wisely, live a life of being active, and get involved in living it to the healthiest. There are so many ways on how you can switch to healthy eating. You could start by signing up for a yoga class, taking your problems up with a dietitian / doctor, and taking a hard look at your life on areas that need improving. Not only will you look great, but you'll feel great too.

Common signs and symptoms of dengue viral infection

Dengue refers to a tropical disease caused by four different types of virus. It is usually transmitted by an Aedes mosquito that is infected with a dengue virus. There is no vaccine for dengue and the only way to reduce infections is to improve hygiene levels so as to prevent mosquito bites and prevent mosquitoes from breeding. It’s particularly difficult to create a vaccine because it’s caused by different viruses and there are no animal models available for testing. The disease kills thousands of Indians every year and is a seasonal threat, particularly during the monsoon seasons. Immediate diagnosis and treatment is essential to prevent this condition and its possible complications.

Warning signs and symptoms of dengue fever in detail

High fever: Clinically known as high grade fever. It is one of the primary symptoms of dengue. Easily confused with fever due to other causes like viral fever, doctors suggest testing a patient with high grade fever for dengue immediately to prevent any further complications. A fever of about 104 degrees Fahrenheit is a common indicator of dengue.

Joint and muscle pain: Another name for dengue fever is break bone fever - a name that explains how severe the joint pain can be! A symptom that is confused with viral fever and other forms of malaria, joint and severe joint and muscle pain combined with other symptoms can indicate dengue.

Enlarged lymph nodes: Another trademark symptom of dengue as described by the World Health Organisation - enlarged lymph nodes.

Pain behind eyes: Also known as retro-orbital pain, this symptom is one that is quite common to viral fever and can be easily confused. But when seen in conjunction with other symptoms, it can indicate dengue fever.

Headache: Due to the sudden drop in platelet count, headaches are common in patients with dengue fever.

Diarrhoea: Accompanied with abdominal pain, diarrhoea is also another symptom.

Rashes: Seen all over the body, rashes caused due to dengue are easily discernable and easily diagnosed.

Extreme fatigue: The World Health Organisation categorises this symptom as one indicating severe dengue. Caused due to the drop in platelet count, patients suffering from dengue often suffer from extreme fatigue. Combined with high fever, this symptom is an indicator of severe dengue.

Low blood pressure: Thought to be due to the rapid drop in one's platelet count, low blood pressure is another symptom of severe dengue that requires immediate treatment.

Vomiting: While vomiting and nausea is a common symptom in people with dengue fever. According to the WHO, vomiting blood is a symptom of severe dengue that requires immediate medical attention.

Bleeding gums: Another symptom of severe dengue fever according to WHO, bleeding gums is a sign that the patient's platelet count has dropped to dangerous levels and he/she needs immediate medical attention. That being said, this symptom only when combined with other symptoms should be treated as a medical emergency.

Because dengue fever is a viral infection, there is no specific treatment for the condition. The patient should seek medical advice and drink plenty of fluids. For severe dengue, medical care by experienced physicians can frequently save lives. It is important to maintain the fluid volume of the patient for recuperation of the patient. Also, a patient can suffer from dengue for a second time if the viral strain is different from the initial infection. Moreover, the second infection can be more serious than the period one.