by Keith Alexander, MD, Kentucky Ear, Nose & Throat, A Part of Lexington Clinic
You went to bed with normal hearing but woke up with a sensation of a blocked ear and could not hear anything from that ear. What is going on?
With warmer weather here, we will all want to spend more time outdoors. And as we spend more time under the sun, sunscreen becomes very important…even for your babies. For infants less than 6 months of age, it is best to avoid long sun exposure. Infants should be protected from direct sun exposure through umbrellas, light clothing that covers the skin, hats and/or remaining indoors during the height of the sun, when UV rays are strongest and most harmful.
Spring is officially here! Warmer temperatures have trees and flowers around the Bluegrass blooming and that means seasonal allergies will soon begin to take their toll.
A concussion is a brain injury following a hit to the head, a jolt, or a fall causing the brain to suddenly move within the skull. It causes no visible changes on head imaging (such as a CT scan and MRI) but can cause abnormal functioning of brain cells leading to symptoms including headache, difficulty concentrating, nausea, dizziness, sensitivity to light and sound, and feeling “foggy.”
Breastfeeding your newborn baby is both challenging and rewarding. New parents often face lots of uncertainty regarding if their baby is getting enough to eat. Having knowledge of some breastfeeding basics ahead of delivery can help ease your stress in those first few days.
While it may not be perfect, an annual flu vaccine remains the best way to protect against the flu. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends the flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older. Learn More...
Patients today have many choices when it comes to getting monitoring devices for home use. One such device is a home blood pressure monitor. The American Heart Association recommends home monitoring for all people with hypertension (high blood pressure) to help their healthcare provider determine whether your treatments are working.
The glands that produce saliva, the salivary glands, play a critical role in good oral health. The main salivary glands include your parotid, submandibular and sublingual glands. You also have hundreds of much smaller minor salivary glands throughout your mouth. They all play a vital role in producing saliva, which is essential for digesting food, maintaining oral hydration and good dental hygiene.
Do you have trouble getting a good breath through your nose? Do you feel chronically stopped up and congested? Do you get frequent sinus infections? Untreated nasal congestion can lead to all of these symptoms in addition to difficulty with smell and taste...
As the weather cools down and flu season approaches, parents can take steps to protect their young children from the flu. The flu is caused by the contagious influenza virus. The flu virus is passed by respiratory droplets that are released by sneezing or coughing. It is so contagious that one can also catch the flu virus by touching a surface containing these droplets and then touching his/her their eyes, mouth or nose.
Have you ever had pressure in your ears but did not know why? Do your ears hurt when you are eating or swallowing? Do your ears hurt or pop when you go to high altitudes? You are not alone.
The quality of a child’s sleep is crucial to maintaining good physical and mental health. One of the most common reasons sleep can suffer is obstructed breathing from large tonsils and adenoids. Even without a history of tonsil infections or sore throat, the tonsils can be so large that they take up too much space in the back of the throat...
Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is an incredibly common problem, with some estimating if affects up to 15% of adults in the United States. While most causes of tinnitus are benign – most commonly medication induced or from an underlying hearing loss – there are more concerning things that can also cause it.
Dizziness… it is a hard feeling to describe; but when it strikes you, it can be disabling. As there can be many causes for dizziness, we need to try to determine the underlying source …and there are many!
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of heart arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) seen in the Unites States and causes more than 450,000 hospitalizations and 158,000 deaths each year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Every year getting healthy is one of the top New Year’s Resolutions and at the top of that list is typically a new diet. A new diet can be a great way to shed some unwanted weight, but with all of the trendy new diets that are available which way is the best?
Whooping cough, or pertussis as it is officially named, is hitting Central Kentucky hard. Nearly 30 children have been diagnosed with the highly contagious respiratory disease just since the start of February, and that number could climb...
Each year, flu vaccines are recommended for all patients by physicians, pharmacists, providers and nurses everywhere...
When we think of developing allergies to certain foods we typically associate it with children, but the truth is food allergies can start at any age...
The Christmas and holiday season is known as the most wonderful time of the year. From songs on the radio, to shows and movies on TV and even advertisements, we’re told this is when we should be the happiest. But the reality is, for many people, the holidays really aren’t that happy. Stress and depression are at an all-time high this time of year...
Holiday shopping is in full swing around the country. Already this season American consumers have spent more than $15 billion and much of that was spent on toys!
For a child it doesn’t get much better than a brand new toy for the holidays, but how do you know that toy that you’re gifting is safe?...