Nosebleeds can be frightening and dramatic. Luckily, most cases of nosebleeds can be dealt with fair ease. Nosebleeds can be classified into two types depending upon the origin of the nose bleed, namely anterior and posterior.

Anterior bleed is the most common, and the bleeding is from a blood vessel which is present in the front part of the nose. These bleeds can be easily controlled by simple measures taken by doctors or at home.
Posterior nose bleeds are usually indicative of something more complicated and occur mostly in adults or elderly. The bleed can be caused by a rupture in arteries in the posterior part of the nose. These nosebleeds can get severe and may require admission to a hospital for treatment and management. They are the most common in kids in the range of 2 to 10 years and adults older than 50 years.
What can cause nosebleeds?

The most common cause of a nosebleed is probably trauma or an injury to the nose. External trauma includes a sharp blow to the nose, whereas internal injury comprises of injury from picking your nose continuously or irritation from cold.
Less frequently, an underlying condition can also result in nosebleeds. These conditions include diseases that make clotting difficult. The inability of blood to properly coagulate and clot can be contributed by blood-thinning agents like aspirin and warfarin. 
Disease in the liver can also cause problems in the clotting of blood. Rarely, cancer in the nose or abnormal blood vessels present in the nose can contribute to bleeding. Another cause of nosebleeds can be high blood pressure, but it is rarely the only reason.
What are the symptoms of nosebleeds?

Nosebleeds usually occur from one nostril. Sometimes, if the bleeding is excessive, the nostril can get filled with blood and it can cross the nasopharynx and overflow into the other nostril and result in bleeding from both nostrils. The blood can also go into the throat and one may spit out blood from the mouth or vomit out blood (hematemesis).
Excessive blood loss can cause dizziness, confusion, lightheadedness, and can also cause fainting. Excessive blood loss from nosebleeds is not very common.
Although, nosebleeds are rarely a complication, it is advised to consult a doctor if the occurrences are too frequent.

Nose Bleeding - Things That Can Cause It!

A broken nose is any crack or fracture in the bony portion of the nose. This is usually a result of external trauma.


Nasal fractures are often cited as the most common type of facial fracture, accounting for approximately half of all facial fractures in several studies.


Broken Nose Causes:


Common sources of trauma include the following:


Sports injuries
Personal fights
Motor vehicle accidents
Falls
In children, nasal fractures are most commonly due to falls.




Broken Nose Symptoms:


Tenderness when touching the nose
Swelling of the nose or face
Bruised nose
Bruising under the eyes (black eye)
Deformity of the nose (crooked nose)
Nosebleed
Pain and difficulty breathing out of the nostrils 


Broken Nose - 7 Signs You are Suffering from it

Hearing is an essential process in everyone's life. Be it your social life or professional activities, hearing influences every aspect of your life. You can thus, never ignore the health of your ears to enjoy a healthy life. But there are several hindrances to obstruct effective hearing. One of the problems is the accumulation of a natural substance called cerumen produced by the glands present in the ear canal. The accumulated cerumen is medically referred to as Earwax. Over production of cerumen is mainly triggered by the deficiency of Omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and magnesium.

The basic function of the wax is to protect the ear canal from invasion by foreign particles like bacteria and dust particles. This is necessary for the smooth functioning of the ear and its protection from invaders. However, it becomes an irritating problem when the earwax is produced in excess. The problem aggravates when the ear canal is blocked due to accumulation of earwax. In such cases, we use certain objects such as bobby pins, Q-tips or cotton swabs to clean the accumulated earwax from the ear canal. What we do not realise is that pricking the wax using these objects can sometime cause significant damage to the ear. These objects push the wax deep inside the canal, leading to blockage.

The most common symptoms of excessive earwax are as follows:

Earache
Developing a fullness feeling in the ears
Loss of hearing on temporary basis
Noises inside the ear
Itching
Here are the preventive measures to remove ear wax blockage:

In order to prevent blockage of ear wax, try keeping it moist by frequently running water into your ear while taking a bath. This will prevent the ear wax from getting dried up so that it doesn t get blocked in the ear canal. Make sure, you drain the water from the ear after running it for some time.
Don t use any pointed objects inside the ears as it can cause ear infection while pushing the wax deeper.
Avoid inserting cotton swabs or ear buds into the ear canal. You can use them to remove exposed ear wax at the ear opening, but don t push them deep inside the ear canal. It can push the excess ear wax inside the ear canal, thereby resulting in to an impact.
Don t use candle ear wax remover. Ear candles are another method to remove ear wax, but it can be really dangerous as you need to hold the lighted candle very close to your ear. It can even burn your ear.
Don t use cold water or a strong jet to drain out the excess ear wax. Strong jet can lead to the damage of the ear drum while cold water may result into dizziness.
Avoid using any other method to remove ear wax at home, such as suction.
Don t use any type of acidic liquid in order to soften the ear wax.
Omega 3 fatty acids are good for mitigating the problem of ear wax. So, include walnuts, avocados, salmon, albacore and ground flax seed in your diet.
Consult a doctor if the problem persists even after using home remedies.

 Ear Wax - How To Get Rid It?

Remember how Shrek literally pulled out a candle from his ear for the dinner table? Ever tried doing it yourself? Well, the stuff in your ears may be called wax, but it can t really be used to make a candle. However, it certainly can signify a lot about your health. Though the idea of discussing earwax is rather disgusting, it actually plays a pivotal role in keeping your ears healthy and functioning. Earwax protects your eardrums by barring the entry of insects, fungi, bacteria, dust and bacteria. In clinical terms, earwax is also known as cerumen. 

Studies indicate that children typically produce more earwax than adults. The earwax in your ear is a combination of alcohol, shed layers of the ear, unsaturated and saturated long-chain fatty acids and squalene. In order to clean earwax, you should not insert objects too deep in your ear, instead, you can just wipe it off with a cotton swab.  The color and texture of the earwax removed can actually indicate your overall health condition, stress level, genetic ancestry, etc.

Know what your earwax color says about your health 
Pale yellow to yellow earwax: It is the most common type of earwax and indicates overall good health. Children typically produce soft, pale yellow earwax and in case of adults, the color should remain the same, but the texture tends to be sticky. 
Wet vs. dry earwax: Wet and dry are the genetically determined earwax types, wherein, the 'wet type' is dominant and the 'dry type' is recessive. A research, conducted on Biologic variation in health and illness: race, age, and sex differences (1985) by Overfield, Theresa, established that dry-type earwax indicates East Asian and Native American ancestry, while wet-type indicates African and European. 
Thick, dark and black colored earwax: The production of earwax is also influenced by your stress level i.e. when you are stressed out, the glands that are responsible for the production of earwax work overtime and produce excess amount of earwax. As this earwax collects, it can turn thicker and darker thus, this type of earwax is a sign of increased stress level. And, black colored earwax indicates that it has been accumulating in your ears for quite some time and has not been cleaned. To avoid this, it is essential to clean your ears from time to time and in the right way. 
Dry, gray earwax: The gray color of the wax is an indication of dust build-up and must be cleaned properly at regular intervals. However, if your earwax suddenly seems dry and brittle, it could be the sign of a skin infection. Dry earwax accompanied by itchiness in the ear is usually a sign of eczema.
Bloody earwax: Blood in the earwax should never be ignored. This could be caused by an ear infection or can be a sign of ruptured eardrum and you must consult your doctor immediately. 
Thus it is important that you take proper care of your ears so as to ensure that your hearing is maintained and although earwax protects your ears against infections and problems, it must be cleaned from time to time. It is advisable that you get your ears cleaned professionally, in case you are suffering from certain ailments such as Diabetes.

Earwax - Did You Know Its Color Can Say A Lot About Your Health?

Acute sinusitis (acute rhinosinusitis) causes your nasal passages (sinuses) to become inflamed and swollen. This interferes with drainage and causes mucus to build up. It is difficult to breathe, area around your eyes and face may be swollen. Acute sinusitis is most often caused by the common cold. Other triggers are allergies, bacterial and fungal infections.

These self-help steps can help relieve sinusitis symptoms:
1. Get good rest. This will help your body fight infection and speed recovery.
2. Drink plenty of fluids: Like, water or juice. This will help dilute mucous secretions and promote drainage. Avoid beverages that contain caffeine or alcohol, as they can be dehydrating. 
3. Sleep with your head elevated. This will help your sinuses drain, reducing congestion.
4. Moisten your sinus cavities: Drape a towel over your head as you breathe in the vapour from a bowl of hot water. Or take a hot shower. This will help ease pain and help mucus drain.
5. Apply warm compresses to your face. Place warm, damp towels around your nose, cheeks and eyes to ease facial pain.

Click on consult privately to ask me any questions regarding Sinus or other ENT-related issues.

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Top 5 Sinus-Relief Home Remedies 

Throat cancer is a broad term used to cover cancer across a number of organs in the oronasal passage   right from the nasopharynx, oropharynx, glottis, epiglottis to supraglottis. Minus the medical terms, it means anywhere from the back of the nose and throat to the where the neck ends. The mucous cells along this path can undergo changes and begin multiplying rapidly, leading to cancer. The following are some additional risk factors:

Cigarette smoking
Tobacco abuse
History of human papilloma virus (HPV)
Alcohol abuse
Poor dental hygiene
Family history
Cigarette smoking is the most important of all, and a person can significantly reduce the risk by cutting down smoking. The throat has different types of linings and gland tissue, and depending on the cell type affected, the type of cancer could vary.

Symptoms: Throat cancer diagnosis can get delayed as the symptoms are very similar to a throat infection.

Sore throat: A sore throat that lasts for weeks together is often a cause for concern and requires ruling out underlying serious problem. Having associated risk factors is a good way to see if ruling out cancer is needed.
Cough: A cough that does not go away is a cause for concern. This is often associated with other symptoms mentioned here.
Voice change: Usually hoarseness of the voice, which is painless and not accompanied by a throat infection, is an indication of throat cancer.
Difficulty swallowing or breathing: Depending on where the cancer is located, there could be problems in either free breathing or swallowing. The developing mass gets in the way of free air and/or food movement.
Lumpy feeling in the throat: If the developing mass is along the length of the throat, then there could be a lumpy feeling, as if something is caught in the throat and not going down.
Bleeding: There could be bleeding either through the nose or the mouth, depending on the place of the cancer. Again, this is one of the late symptoms and not seen in the beginning.
Unexplained weight loss: As with any cancer, throat cancer also leads to unexplained weight loss.
Depending on the area affected, the symptoms can point to the location. For instance, voice changes are often associated with laryngeal cancer. A combination of risk factor assessment and symptoms will help in pinning down the diagnosis. Reach out to the doctor as soon as you notice something is wrong, as early diagnosis is very good for timely intervention and improving prognosis.

Throat cancer - Symptoms to watch for!

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