What is Sinusitis?
For those of you who do not know what Sinusitis is, it is the inflammation or swelling of the sinus tissues which are hollow spaces in between the bones around the nose. The sinuses are healthy when there is constant flow in the air but when the portion gets blocked it fills with bacteria and viruses. This causes mucus and other unhealthy elements to remain blocked inside the nose.

Symptoms-
The symptoms of sinusitis are common and not critical or dangerous in nature. Over 40 million people get affected by this common disease every year.

Swelling or inflammation inside the nose because of a mild fever or common cold can cause the sinuses to get blocked and result to sinusitis.
If the drainage ducts inside, the nose gets blocked the health passage of air gets halted or disrupted.
A runny nose with a constant flow of water and the nose might also get blocked by pus inside.
Structural problems inside the nose which may lead to the narrowing of the nasal tract through which the air passes and comes back.
Deficiency in the immune system can lead to such a problem.
Allergies are also a common contributor to the cause of sinusitis because the nasal chamber gets blocked in the result.
Treatment-
Treating a condition of sinusitis is very common. Let us have a look :

The first thing which a doctor will prescribe you is an antibiotic doze of 7-8 days, which will help you to fight the blocked bacterias and viruses.
Warm compresses will help the nasal cavity to remain warm and wet, keeping it clean from pus and germs. Thus clearing the way for healthy inhaling of air.
Saline nose drops are also used to clear out the blockage in the nose and fight the germs building inside the sinuses.
Sometimes surgeries are also performed when no other medications work properly. It helps to widen the natural pathway which helps in draining between the sinuses and nose, resulting in the congested mucus to come out and again start a fresh process of taking air in. 

Sinusitis - Signs & Symptoms You Must Not Ignore!

Cotton swabs or cotton buds, are commonly used in our daily lifestyle. Many people use it for various purposes, such as make-up, bacterial culture, and most commonly for extracting wax and debris from the ear. Even though they are sometimes handy in our busy schedule, they usually cause much more harm than benefits.

How are they misused?
Cotton buds are toothpick like pieces made of wood, plastic, or rolled paper, which have cotton stuck at both ends with a roundish edge. It came into existence during the 1920s for a safe purpose of ear cleaning by Leo Gerstenzang, when he saw his wife cleaning their baby s ear with a toothpick. They are until now used by the general population for ear cleaning, but these hardly remove the outer debris which are stuck near the outer edges. Impressing it inside the ear canal only does further damage, by forcing the inner wax further inside Sometimes extensive force also causes damage to the ear drums.

How does it cause the damage?
Applying a tool like the cotton bud inside the ear with hands usually creates a force that impresses upon the eardrum, also accumulating the surrounding earwax to that area, resulting in impaction of the wax. The force applied most often, if not always, causes a damage to the ear drums, which might cause severe pain, also leading to leakage, causing improper balance, deafness, and certain similar abnormalities.

Alternative measures
Although we are worried about cleaning our ears, it doesn t really require our notice, since our usual showers allow an adequate quantity of water to enter the ears and clean the accumulated debris automatically. The structure, in which our ear canal is designed, is usually naturally assisting in cleaning up the unusual wax around the ear.

If there is an uncontrollable build up of earwax that is not cleaned off normally, you can always consult an ENT or any general physician and get it cleaned under medical surveillance, which is best advised.
Doctors and medical practitioners all around the world have been trying to spread the message of preventing the use of cotton buds for ear cleaning. It is important that the message reach the greater part of the population. Spread it to your family, your closest friends, their friends, and as further, you can reach!

Cotton Buds - Why You Must Not Use Them?

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!

Are you feeling lightheaded, unbalanced or woozy lately? Are you having strange sensations in the ears and eyes? These indicate that you are suffering from dizziness, a condition affecting the body s sensory organs. It can cause fainting at times as well. It is not a disease, but a symptom of several disorders. Dizziness is caused by inner ear disturbances, effects of medication, motion sickness and underlying health conditions, such as poor blood circulation, infections or injuries.

Test and diagnosis
If you feel dizzy for a prolonged period of time or if the dizziness occurs and reoccurs, a special treatment is required. This is because dizziness may make you prone to several risks in everyday life. Several tests are carried out to find out the cause of the dizziness. If a stroke is suspected, an MRI scan or CT scan is carried out. A physical examination is undertaken in which the way you walk and balance are observed and the nerves of the central nervous system are checked. Hearing and balance tests may also be required, which are as follows:

Eye movement testing in which the path of the eyes is observed while tracking an object in motion. An eye motion test may be given where cold and warm water is placed in the ear canal.
Head movement tests are carried out when benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is suspected.
Treatment
Treatment of dizziness includes medicines, therapies and balance exercises.

Medicines

Water pills are prescribed when a patient has Meniere s disease, which helps in reducing dizziness.
Antihistamines provide temporary relief from dizziness.
Therapy

Head position maneuvers: A technique known as canalith repositioning helps in resolving dizziness quickly. It can be performed by a doctor, therapist or audiologist. The position of the head is maneuvered in the process.
Balance therapy: Several exercises help in making the body s balance system lesser sensitive to motion. This technique, known as vestibular rehabilitation, is used for people suffering from dizziness due to inner ear conditions.
Psychotherapy: This therapy may be used for patients who experience dizziness because of anxiety disorders.
Use of antibiotics: An antibiotic by the name of gentamicin may be injected in the inner ear for disabling the balance function. The unaffected ear performs that function.
Other procedures: A procedure known as labyrinthectomy may be used for disabling the vestibular labyrinth in the affected ear.
If you experience dizziness continuously, it is important for you to visit an ENT specialist. An ENT specialist deals with problems related to the ear, nose and throat and will be able to provide you with the best diagnosis and treatment for dizziness.

Dizziness - Can it be a Sign of Ear Disturbance?

If you are experiencing pain, irritation, or itchiness in your throat, the condition is referred to as a sore throat. It is likely for you to face difficulty in swallowing food and the pain worsens when you want to swallow. The primary symptom of a sore throat is throat pain. People of all ages can get affected by a sore throat.

Causes
There are several causes of a sore throat. The most common ones are as follows:

Viral infection
  Viral infections are the most common causes of sore throat.
  These are the infections that are caused by a virus, like the flu or cold.
  Measles, chicken pox, and croup are other viral infections that cause a sore throat.

Bacterial infection
  Several bacterial infections also lead to a sore throat.
  They may include strep throat, diphtheria, and whooping cough.

Environmental factors
  Several environmental factors also cause sore throat.
  Exposure to pollen, mold, pet dander, and several other irritants leads to postnasal drip.
  This causes throat pain and inflammation.
  Exposure to dry air, and smoking cigarettes are also common causes of a sore throat.

Diagnosis
  For the diagnosis of a sore throat, a physical examination of your throat is carried out, and your throat will be examined using a lighted instrument.
  Doctors usually look out for inflammations and white patches that indicate strep throat. Your breathing will also be checked.
  The back of your throat can be swabbed for examining samples in order to determine the virus.
  Certain blood tests may also be required to be undertaken.

Treatment
  The treatment of sore throat depends on the cause.
  In case your sore throat is caused by a bacterial infection, you will be prescribed antibiotics for killing the infectious bacteria.
  The medicines should be taken strictly according to a doctor s prescription.
  You should complete the course of 10 days to get effective results.
  If you stop the treatment at an early stage on noticing improvements, a sore throat can recur soon.

There are certain simple home remedies which are effective for curing the most common forms of sore throat. They include:
  Gargling with warm, salted water.
  Consuming warm fluids like soup, tea, and water.
  Having throat lozenges.
  Reducing the inflammation using ibuprofen and acetaminophen.
  Avoiding exposure to allergens and irritants.

In case your sore throat is caused by a viral infection, the virus should be left to run its course. During its course, you will be prescribed medicines like pain relievers and decongestants for relieving the symptoms. Antiviral drugs are also used in some cases for fighting the virus effectively.

Sore Throat - Factors That Can Put You At Risk!

The infection of the bone of the ear is Mastoiditis. This may be an acute infection needing hospitalisation and injectable drugs or may be in the form of slow bone eroding processes like cholesteatoma.

Let us learn more about this condition and its treatment

Understanding the mastoid bone: The mastoid bone is made up of air sacs and it looks a lot like a sponge. In this sense, it is different from the other bones that can be found in the human body. In order to function properly, this bone requires air from the other parts of the ear, including the Eustachain Tube which connects the middle part of the ear with the portion that lies at the back of the throat. If this tube gets infected due to any reason, the infection and bacteria can also travel to the Mastoid bone, leading to an infection in this area. Another form of the infection starts from the ear drum and a slowly progressive bone eroding process starts which spreads into the air sacs and can potentially spread to the brain.

Symptoms: Acute mastoiditis will present with earache, ear discharge and onset of fever and chills, as well as redness and inflammation behind the ear. Pain in the ear may be experienced along with headaches and swelling that may be experienced behind the eyes. At the very earliest sign, these symptoms must be reported to an ENT or ear throat nose specialist so that the treatment can happen at the earliest. Chronic mastoiditis may be due to repeated infections and bone eroding cholesteatoma which presents with repeated episodes of ear discharge which may be foul smelling and may even have blood.

Diagnosis: The diagnosis is mostly made on ear examination and may involve imaging tests like a CT scan as well as an MRI scan of the head and the ear. A simple X-ray of the mastoids can help in detecting the severity of the infection, and it spread.

Treatment: After diagnosing the problem with imaging tests as well as a detailed ear examination, the doctor will usually start the treatment by admitting the patient in the hospital. Antibiotic medication will be administered through intravenous methods, after which oral antibiotics will be prescribed for many days after the patient has been discharged from the hospital. Surgery may be required if the infection has not cleared up even after the use of antibiotics and is also done in cases of bone erosion. This surgery will be done to drain the infected fluid from the ear and remove a part of this Mastoid bone. Complications like facial paralysis and vertigo need to be discussed with the surgeon before the surgery.

Acute Mastoiditis - Symptoms, Diagonisis & Treatment

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