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Professional Singers Continue To Damage Their Vocal Cords

On Sept 16, 2011, the Stone Temple Pilots had to cancel their tour because their lead singer Scott Weiland was placed on voice rest due to damaged vocal cords at risk for permanent damage. Specifically, the doctors at University of Cincinnati Voice Health Center determined that he had scarring on his left vocal cord and a tremendously inflamed right vocal cord.

The left vocal cord scarring is likely from past vocal trauma that did not heal properly and is now permanently damaged whereas the right vocal cord is at risk of also becoming permanently damaged if not aggressively managed. The picture shown here is an example with inflammation involving both vocal cords. Compare this with Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Fauquier ENT Blog*

Should Surgery Be Considered For A Persistently Hoarse Voice?

I was informed about this interesting concept on ABC news

With many aging baby boomers tapping into cosmetic surgery in order to look younger, some are taking it a step further to “sound” younger as well with a “voice lift”.

For some, it’s not right to look 10-20 years younger after a facelift but still sound like 70 years old.

A hoarse voice with aging is not unusual, but a surgical “voice-lift” is not necessarily the first step that should be taken.

First things first… Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Fauquier ENT Blog*

Video Outlines Testing For Reflux Or Abnormal Esophageal Muscle Activity

Our office has created a new video describing what a patient goes through when they undergo esophageal manometry as well as 24 hour multi-channel pH and impedance testing.

This test is often ordered when a patient is suspected to be suffering from reflux, whether acid or non-acid, or is possibly suffering from abnormal muscle activity of the esophagus.

Symptoms that a patient may experience that may lead to such testing include: Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Fauquier ENT Blog*

Heartburn Bugs Have Become Antibiotic-Resistant

H. pylori dominated the GI news in the 1990s, and despite it disappearing from the front pages, it remains a common and important clinical problem. The dominant recommended initial treatment strategy has been a clarithromycin-based PPI triple therapy, with either amoxicillin or metronidazole as the third drug. This approach was based on clinical studies, ease of use, and tolerability factors. Bismuth-based quadruple therapy (a bismuth agent, metronidazole, tetracycline, and a PPI), despite demonstrating excellent activity, was usually relegated to second-line therapy because of the complexity of the dosing as well as compliance and tolerability issues.

However, duringthe last decade, the widespread use of macrolides in the general population has led to rising resistance to clarithromycin (by 30% or more of H. pylori strains in some areas), and when clarithromycin resistance is present, the efficacy of clarithromycin-containing triple therapy falls from about 80% to 50% or even lower. However, clarithromycin resistance does not affect the efficacy of bismuth-based quadruple therapy, and that efficacy of those regimens remains at about 90% when patients are compliant with the treatment.

So the questions for you to consider are:
1) Do you know what the clarithromycin resistance rate in H. pylori is in your community?
2) What first-line H. pylori treatment regimen do you use?
3) Are you planning to change your H. pylori treatment strategy now that clarithromycin resistance rates are rising?

Let us know what you think.

*This blog post was originally published at Gut Check on Gastroenterology*

Book Review: Colic Solved

colicsolvedHave you ever been seated next to a screaming infant in an airplane? If so, you know that even short flights can feel like an eternity. But the question is: why is the baby so miserable? Is there something that can be done to ease their discomfort?

According to pediatric gastroenterologist Dr. Bryan Vartabedian, the answer is a resounding “Yes!” In his new book, Colic Solved Dr. Vartabedian (or “Doctor_V” as he is known on Twitter) describes why unexplained fussiness may often be caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease. Doctor V explains that “colic” is an old-fashioned term to describe the behavior of uncomfortable babies. Colic is not a medical diagnosis anymore than “crying” is… and fortunately the underlying cause of “colic” has been discovered so that it can also be treated.

I met Doctor V at a conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico a couple of months ago. Before our introduction I had no idea that he spent all of his clinical time examining and treating screaming babies – but once that fact was revealed, I understood immediately that he was the right guy for the job. Doctor V is a tolerant, affable man with a tremendous sense of humor and a voice made for radio. He is not easily flustered and has a genuine curiosity about others and their life stories. In fact, there’s something soothing about Doctor V – something that makes you feel that everything’s going to be ok.

And so it’s no surprise that Colic Solved is a written expression of Doctor V’s winsome personality. Every chapter is filled with empathy and reassurance, yet with a clear path forward for teasing out the real cause of a baby’s misery. In most cases, “colic” is actually caused by milk protein allergy or infant reflux (a painful burning sensation caused by regurgitating stomach acid). Doctor V carefully explains how to tell the difference, and what to do about it. Interspersed are amusing vignettes called “Tales From The Crib” in which parents with difficult-to-soothe babies navigate their way towards a resolution.

But best of all, Doctor V does not hesitate to do some good old fashioned myth-busting when it comes to exaggerated claims not based on scientific evidence. Infant formula makers, baby bottle makers, and baby product manufacturers are notorious enablers of magical thinking – moms and dads purchase all kinds of products in a desperate attempt to soothe their babies. Unfortunately, most of these solutions do not treat the root cause of the problem – though businesses thrive on colic cures for desperate parents.

Here’s an excerpt of Doctor V’s exposé of a common soy formula myth (p. 117):

Soy Formula – Do You Feel Lucky?

One of the first impulses for parents with a screaming baby is to reach for soy formula. It sounds all natural and easy to digest. But the role of soy formula in the milk-allergic baby is very misunderstood…

The real problem with soy formula comes with the belief that it’s a reasonable cure for the allergic baby. But up to 50% of babies who are allergic to cow’s milk will react to soy protein in a similar way, so if you or your pediatrician chooses to treat your allergic baby with soy formula, you should consider it a gamble…

Colic Solved is a gem of a book. It’s witty, wise, and well written – a must-read for any parent of a chronically fussy baby. I also think that pediatricians and family physicians should strongly consider prescribing this book to parents of unhappy infants. There’s probably no better way to solve colic once and for all.

Latest Interviews

IDEA Labs: Medical Students Take The Lead In Healthcare Innovation

It’s no secret that doctors are disappointed with the way that the U.S. healthcare system is evolving. Most feel helpless about improving their work conditions or solving technical problems in patient care. Fortunately one young medical student was undeterred by the mountain of disappointment carried by his senior clinician mentors…

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How To Be A Successful Patient: Young Doctors Offer Some Advice

I am proud to be a part of the American Resident Project an initiative that promotes the writing of medical students residents and new physicians as they explore ideas for transforming American health care delivery. I recently had the opportunity to interview three of the writing fellows about how to…

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Latest Book Reviews

Book Review: Is Empathy Learned By Faking It Till It’s Real?

I m often asked to do book reviews on my blog and I rarely agree to them. This is because it takes me a long time to read a book and then if I don t enjoy it I figure the author would rather me remain silent than publish my…

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The Spirit Of The Place: Samuel Shem’s New Book May Depress You

When I was in medical school I read Samuel Shem s House Of God as a right of passage. At the time I found it to be a cynical yet eerily accurate portrayal of the underbelly of academic medicine. I gained comfort from its gallows humor and it made me…

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Eat To Save Your Life: Another Half-True Diet Book

I am hesitant to review diet books because they are so often a tangled mess of fact and fiction. Teasing out their truth from falsehood is about as exhausting as delousing a long-haired elementary school student. However after being approached by the authors’ PR agency with the promise of a…

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