Swine Flu Information

Given the recent concern for a possible swine-origin flu outbreak, here is some information for concerned ciitizens from the friendly folks at the CDC and elsewhere:

About Swine Flu
Anti-Viral Recommendations
Google map depicting swine flu cases in the US and World (the image below is just a picture and not linked).

New Webpage on Tinnitus (Ringing in the Ears)

A new webpage has been added to our website regarding tinnitus otherwise known as ringing in the ears (or any other sound for that matter). There are 3 basic types of tinnitus for which evaluation and treatment differs and include:

1) Continuous
2) Pulsatile (Rhythmic)
3) Arrhythmic (the sound randomly occurs without any rhythm)

Depending on how a person describes their tinnitus (because the physician often can't hear it), the following may be ordered:

1) Audiogram
2) Carotid Ultrasound
3) MRI or CT Scan
4) Bloodwork (Specifically, TSH and CBC)

To read more about this symptom, click here.

Can I Take More Than One Allergy Medication???

The blunt answer is yes... but only if the medications are from different categories. What are the different categories? They include:

• Anti-histamines (allegra, zyrtec, claritin, xyzal, clarinex, etc)
• Steroid nasal sprays (flonase, nasonex, nasacort, rhinocort, etc)
• Singulair
• Anti-histamine nasal sprays (astelin, astepro, patanase)
• Saline flushes (Neilmed Sinus Rinse Kit)
• Mast cell stabilizer (NasalCrom)

As such, a person can take one medication from each category and achieve better allergy control than taking just one medication alone.

For a more extensive discussion on each of these medication categories as well as explanation on why an allergic patient may sometimes need to take more than one medication, click here.

To read specifically on taking more than one allergy medication, click here.

Entertainer's Secret Now Sold in Our Office

We now stock and sell a special throat spray to treat the dry irritated throat called Entertainer's Secret.

Sold in our office for $15.

Amazon.comalso sells this product.

The Perfect Nasal Bulb Suction and Aspirator for Infants and Small Children

Regardless of the cause of a snotty nose in a young child, it is recommended that parents use a saline spray or saline bullets to the nose followed by nasal bulb suctioning as often as 3 times a day. The problem is finding the perfect nasal suctioning device with the following characteristics:

• Make sure the nasal tip is rounded to prevent nasal trauma no matter how firmly you push against your child's nose
• Make sure you can see into the bulb to ensure adequate suctioning as well as to know when it needs to be cleaned
• Make sure it can be taken apart for cleaning

There are TWO devices that we found meet these criteria illustrated below. We also sell them in our office!


This nasal bulb suction is a regular nasal bulb suction. Note the rounded tip, clear window to see into the bulb, as well as the fact that it can be taken apart (the blue bulb can be separated from the clear plastic).

Nasal bulbs can be purchased from Amazon.com. This particular nasal bulb suction is sold in our office for $12.




This device uses suction produced by the parent in order to remove nasal drainage. Just like the nasal bulb, it has a rounded tip, clear plastic, and can be taken apart for cleaning.

This Nosefrida Nasal Aspirator can be purchased from Amazon.com. Sold in our office for $15.