October 4th, 2011 by HarvardHealth in Better Health Network
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At one time or another, almost everyone experiences a ringing in their ears. It’s common after sitting through a loud concert or an exuberant football game, or after taking aspirin or an antibiotic for a while. But as many as 50 million Americans have chronic tinnitus (pronounced tih-NITE-us or TIN-ih-tus)—a constant ringing, whistling, buzzing, chirping, hissing, humming, roaring, or even shrieking. (If you don’t have tinnitus, you can get an idea of what people with the condition hear at the American Tinnitus Association’s Web site.)
Chronic tinnitus can be caused by a variety of things, from impacted ear wax to medications that damage nerves in the ear, middle ear infection, and even aging. Damage to hair cells in the ear’s cochlea (see the illustration below) are suspected as a common pathway for these causes. As I write in the September issue of the Harvard Women’s Health Watch, chronic tinnitus can also be a symptom of Ménière’s disease, a disorder of the balance mechanism in the inner ear. (You can read the full article here.)
Managing tinnitus
When chronic tinnitus is caused by a definable problem, like Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Harvard Health Blog*
June 23rd, 2011 by John Di Saia, M.D. in Opinion
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Reader Question:
I want to get the [labiaplasty] surgery because I’m really embarrassed about the way I look… but I’ve read online that some experienced really bad results and ended up having pain for the rest of their lives… due to nerves getting trapped and stuff… how common is this? Do you make sure that no nerves get trapped? Because I believe that sensitivity is more important than the look… and how much do you usually remove? the bare minimum or…? I’m afraid of being embarrassed that I got this operation if I go through with it.
Labiaplasty is a serious consideration. The online reflections of all patients who have had surgery however encompass a multitude of different operations.
It is my belief that Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Truth in Cosmetic Surgery*
May 13th, 2010 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Humor, Medical Art, Opinion, True Stories
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Back to the subject at hand.
To those who are relatively new to this blog, one of the most popular…uh…tolerated series of posts has been my series on the physical exam. If you haven’t done so already, you may want to go back and read the posts to get in the proper mindset (or destroy enough brain cells).
Astute readers will note that doctors are not the only professionals to examine the hand.
Long before we knew anything about carpal tunnel syndrome or the thenar eminence, we had Madam Linda and her cohorts looking at the hand for signs of what the future will bring for the individual that happens to be connected to the hand in question. Just as stars and planets can have a peculiar interest as to whether a person will run into money, the lines on a person’s hand can foreshadow a person’s future. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
