7 TIPS FOR AVOIDING A SORE THROAT

SOURCE: ENTHEALTH.ORG

Want to do all you can to avoid developing a sore throat? Try these seven tips:

1. Avoid smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke. Tobacco smoke, whether primary or secondary, contains hundreds of toxic chemicals that can irritate the throat lining.

2. If you have seasonal allergies or ongoing allergic reactions to dust, molds, or pet dander, you’re more likely to develop a sore throat than people who don’t have allergies. Treatment of seasonal or environmental allergies can decrease this risk.

3.Avoid exposure to chemical irritants. Particles in the air from the burning of fossil fuels, as well as common household chemicals, can cause throat irritation.

Wearing a mask may be helpful to decrease exposure, in certain situations.

4. If you experience frequent sinus infections or have chronic post nasal drip, drainage from your nose or sinuses can cause throat irritation as well. Rinsing the nose with salt water may help decrease this drainage.

5. If you live or work in close quarters such as a child care center, classroom, office, dormitory, prison, or military installation, you may be at greater risk of sore throat because viral and bacterial infections spread easily in environments where people are in close proximity. Minimizing contact with persons who are, or may be, sick and washing your hands frequently can help prevent the spread of infection.

6. Maintain good hygiene. Do not share napkins, towels, and utensils with an infected person. Wash your hands regularly with soap or a sanitizing gel for at least 10 – 15 seconds.

7. If you have reduced immunity (from HIV or diabetes, steroid treatment or chemotherapy, a poor diet, or extreme fatigue, for examples), you may be more susceptible to infections in general.

SINUS HEADACHES UNLOCK THE MYSTERY

Not every headache is the result of sinus and nasal passage problems. For example, many patients visit an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialist, or otolaryngologist, to seek treatment for what they think is a sinus headache, only to learn they actually have a migraine or tension headache.

The confusion is common, as a migraine can cause irritation of the “trigeminal” or fifth cranial nerve, a nerve with branches in the forehead, cheeks, and jaw. This may produce pain and nasal symptoms in or near the sinus cavity.

Pain in the sinus area does not automatically mean that you have a sinus disorder. “Sinus headache” is a common term used by patients and some healthcare providers to describe pain or pressure in the face, over the cheeks or forehead, or between or behind the eyes (where the sinuses are located). “Sinus headache,” however, is not a medical diagnosis, but rather a description of symptoms of headaches.

What Are the Symptoms of Sinus Headaches?

Patients with migraines or tension headaches commonly have sinus and nasal symptoms during their headaches, including sinus pressure, sinus pain, nasal congestion or runny nose. Studies of patients who have self-diagnosed or been diagnosed with “sinus headaches” were found to have migraines or tension headaches in more than 80 percent of cases; only three to five percent of these patients had sinusitis.

How do you diagnose "Sinus Headaches" caused by "Migraines" ?

Symptoms of sinusitis and migraine headaches can be similar, which can be confusing about what is causing sinus pain and pressure. Migraines and headaches can cause the following nasal symptoms:

Pain and pressure around the eyes, across the cheeks, and the forehead, Nasal congestion, Runny nose, Eye redness, tearing, or eyelid swelling, Symptoms on one or both sides of the face

Sinusitis is associated with nasal congestion or obstruction and a thick nasal discharge, sometimes with facial pain, pressure, or a feeling of fullness. However, facial pain or pressure or fullness without cloudy or colored nasal discharge is most likely not a sinus infection.

Sinus headaches are most likely due to migraines or tension headaches. Migraines are diagnosed by symptoms, including the frequency and severity of symptoms, family history, and by physical exam. Migraines can also include nausea and vomiting. These episodes may be triggered by hormonal changes, lack of sleep, certain foods or alcohol or caffeine, stress, or environmental changes like weather, altitude changes, or allergens. Many patients with migraines have family members who also experience migraine headaches.

If you have unusual or severe symptoms, additional tests such as an MRI of the brain may be ordered to rule out more serious conditions that can cause headache pain, such as tumors or bleeding around the brain. If you have repeated episodes of sinus pain and pressure, a nasal endoscopy (a pencil-sized scope used to see inside the nose and sinuses) or imaging such as an MRI or CT scan can determine if sinus pain or pressure is due to a sinus infection or other sinus pathology. A normal sinus CT scan while you have symptoms could help rule out sinusitis, and determine if migraines, headaches, or other causes of facial pain and pressure are causing the sinus symptoms.

Other causes of facial pain and pressure can include temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome, clenching or grinding your teeth, trigeminal nerve pain, temporal arteritis (associated with scalp pain, pain in the temple, jaw pain, and vision changes on one side), dental infection, or other neurologic causes of facial pain.

https://www.enthealth.org/conditions/sinus-headaches/

Scientists Test New Therapy for Hearing Loss

Approximately 25 percent of the United States population between ages 55 and 64 have some degree of hearing loss, according to the Mayo Clinic. About 2-3 of every 1,000 U.S. children are born with a detectable level of hearing loss, too.

There’s no single treatment or intervention that works for everyone, according to Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though hearing aids, cochlear implants and assistive listening devices are commonly used to improve conditions.

But research recently approved for publication in the European Journal of Neuroscience reveals there may be a possible new therapy that can repair hearing.

Scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center and Harvard Medical School’s Massachusetts Ear and Eye Infirmary tested a previous theory involving the epidermal growth factor (EGF), which is “responsible for activating support cells in the auditory organs of birds,” according to a news release about the study. “When triggered, these cells proliferate and foster the generation of new sensory hair cells.”

Most hearing loss occurs when either those sensory hair cells or auditory nerve cells are destroyed.

To test the theory, researchers investigated several methods to activate EGF signaling pathways, one of which involved using a virus to target ERBB2 receptors, found in cochlear support cells (or the inner ear).

Activating the ERBB2 pathway, they found, resulted in the generation of new cochlear support cells — and new sensory hair cells.

“The process of repairing hearing is a complex problem and requires a series of cellular events,” University of Rochester Medical Center researcher Patricia White said. “You have to regenerate sensory hair cells and these cells have to function properly and connect with the necessary network of neurons. This research demonstrates a signaling pathway that can be activated by different methods and could represent a new approach to cochlear regeneration and, ultimately, restoration of hearing.”

Authors also found evidence that activating the cochlea’s ERBB2 pathway may help sensory hair cells integrate with nerve cells. Cells in the cochlea help convert sound waves into neural signals, which are passed to the brain through the auditory nerve.

Article appeared on Atlanta Journal.