Nose cancer or nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is common in Southeast Asia. It is more common amongst the Chinese – particularly the Cantonese – due to a genetic predisposition. The consumption of salted fish which contains high levels of nitrosamines and an infection early in life with a common virus (Epstein-Barr Virus or EBV) contribute to the development of nose cancer. Nose cancer…
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A few weeks ago a 52 year old man who works in a warehouse came to see me with a 2 year history of ringing in his left ear. He had been seen in another hospital and had hearing tests and also an MRI scan of his inner ears. He was offered some medication but this had not helped. His wife suggested…
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(With apologies to The Fugees) As an Ear, Nose and Throat surgeon, I frequently see patients who present with snoring at the behest of their partner. Snoring is a major contribution to marital disharmony. A simple test I use to gauge the severity of the problem is to ask if the couple are still sleeping in the same bed. Not infrequently, the…
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The thyroid gland is situated in the front of the neck like a shield of a warrior protecting the windpipe or trachea which lies behind it. Indeed the word thyroid is derived from the Greek word for shield. The butterfly-shaped gland produces a hormone called thyroxine which is involved in the regulation of a variety of bodily functions. In essence, it controls…
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The answer is no, and to be clear no ifs ands or buds! So many people use cotton buds to clean their ears. In fact one often wonders if the companies that make these cotton buds or q-tips had anything else in mind! My motto is ‘nothing smaller than an elbow in the ear’. Cotton buds can cause damage to the ear…
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