Tonsil removal or tonsillectomy is a common operation undertaken in young children. The tonsils lie on the sidewalls of the throat between two “pillars”. These pillars are actually muscles (the palatoglossus and palatopharyngeus to be precise!). Tonsil removal can be undertaken in many ways. One method involves the use of controlled ablation (or coblation) which offers reduced pain and therefore a quicker return to normal diet…
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Calcium is an important mineral for the human body. It helps build bone and teeth, assist in the clotting of blood, and is vital to keep muscles (including your heart) contracting. The importance of calcium in our nutrition is underlined by the number of foods and drinks that advertise their calcium content. High calcium drinks such as fortified milk fill the shelves of our…
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During these Covid-19 times, one of the most recognisable voices on TV has been that of Dr Anthony Fauci. Dr Fauci is a physician and immunologist. He has been the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 and served under 6 US Presidents. He is a key member of the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force. During the early…
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Tonsil stones are small yellow particles that sit in small crypts or craters on the surface of your tonsils. The medical term for tonsil stones is tonsiloliths. Tonsils are small swellings that sit on the side walls of your throat. Tonsils have an irregular surface with little crypts. This gives them a pock-marked appearance. The picture below shows enlarged tonsils. In most people, tonsils…
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[This article appeared in the July 2020 issue of Medical Connect, a newsletter produced by Eisai Singapore] Sore throats are very common and make up a substantial proportion of GP visits in Singapore. The most common cause of a sore throat is a viral pharyngitis that will respond well to supportive treatment with analgesics and gargles. A small percentage of sore throats are…
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It was uplifting to wake up this morning to some good news about the candidate Coronovirus vaccine from the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford. The vaccine – known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or AZD1222 holds some promise. The paper published yesterday in the Lancet is free to view and I have attached it below for those of you who have a…
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