TV Show "Glee" Character Rachel Has Laryngitis? Tonsillitis?

On May 11, 2010, Glee aired its eighteenth episode titled "Laryngitis". In this episode, Rachel suffered from a lost voice which was attributed to tonsillitis or is it laryngitis.

It was a bit confusing as it would seem her lost voice was attributable to laryngitis (title of the episode), but than she was diagnosed with tonsillitis by the TV doctor which really has nothing to do with laryngitis. I guess it is possible that she had TWO conditions going on at the same time even though she did not mention a sore throat at any time.

I can say for certain that the TV doctor was not portraying an otolaryngologist mainly because he was wearing a stethescope around his neck (our profession does not carry a stethescope on our person).

In any case, I doubt Rachel had tonsillitis. The main complaint with tonsillitis is a sore throat and not a lost voice. As such, she probably had a mild case of laryngitis which in most cases, only time, voice rest, and hydration should have been adequate. Antibiotics do not play a role in most cases of laryngitis which are virally induced.

LECTURE: Dr. Chang Guest Lecturer on Spasmodic Dysphonia INOVA Fair Oaks

Dr. Chang will be a guest lecturer for the Northern Virginia Spasmodic Dysphonia Support Group. The lecture will be held on October 20, 2010 from 7-9PM at INOVA Fair Oaks Campus, Medical Plaza Building, Conference Room A. The lecture topic is on Spasmodic Dysphonia, a laryngeal dystonia that results in altered vocal quality due to involuntary muscular spasms of the voicebox.

The support group leader is Paula Cooper (Email: paulakcooper2004@yahoo.com).

Dr. Chang provides botox injections for spasmodic dysphonia every Friday afternoon.

Storybooks to Help Prepare a Child for Surgery

Children love stories and as it so happens, there are a few books to help prepare a child for surgery so that hopefully everything won't be as strange or scary. All these books can be purchased from Amazon.com. The first group is for tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy. The last group is for ear tubes placement.

New Video on Tonsil Cryptolysis to Address Tonsil Stones

A new video has been uploaded describing a minimally invasive technique to address tonsil stones called tonsil cryptolysis.

This technique accomplishes the same thing as laser cryptolysis but at lower cost and increased safety. Just like laser cryptolysis, this procedure can be done awake without any sedation using only local anesthesia (the caveat being that the patient must have minimal/no gag reflex with easy visualization of the tonsils).

Watch the video below or on YouTube. Read more about this procedure here.

Home Remedies Preferred Over Drugs for Kids' Coughs and Colds

In the May 2010 volume of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, researchers at Johns Hopkins published an article entitled "Over-the-counter cough and cold medications in children: Are they helpful?"

The blunt answer is that they do not!

At least before the age of 2 years, one should stick to "home remedies" to address a young child's cough and cold. Such home remedies include humidity, saline spray, and bulb suctioning of the nose. When they are a bit older and coordinated, saline gargles can be added to the regimen.

Read the abstract here.

Read a LA Times article on this here.