It seems as if you can’t go anywhere today without encountering the words “gluten-free.” Every grocery store, restaurant, food package and friend seems to be boasting about all the gluten-free possibilities that exist. This latest food trend may be everywhere, but before you think of jumping on the GF bandwagon, I urge you to read on.
Located over the forehead, between the eyes, over the cheeks and behind the nose, the sinuses are air cavities in the skull that are surrounded by bone and lined with mucous membranes, the “skin” that covers the inside of the nose and sinuses. This membrane has glands that produce mucous, and hair cells (“cilia”) that move the mucous and filter the air. The sinuses and the nasal cavity—whose job it is to warm and filter the air as it passes through the nose during breathing—produce 1 liter of mucous daily, which naturally moistens the nose and throat and helps in the initial process of food digestion. When the mucous gets trapped in the sinuses and/or the sinuses are not breathing well, sinus pressure and possibly sinus infections will occur. (more…)
Many of you may have seen articles in the press recently about a “new” treatment for allergies: sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), which has been available in Europe for more than 50 years and used in the United States for 45 years. Like allergy shots, it gives the patient the same small amount of allergen to reprogram the body to become less allergic. (more…)
Summer is the season when New Yorkers tend to eat more fruits. Certain fruits, vegetables and nuts can cause oral itching and other symptoms in people with various pollen allergies, particularly tree pollen. The symptoms, which may also include nasal, eye and even gastrointestinal symptoms, usually occur within minutes of eating the food. Rarely, the food exposure can result in anaphylaxis, a more generalized life-threatening reaction marked by low blood pressure, hives and wheezing. (more…)
What is a deviated septum, and do I have one?The septum is the cartilage and bone that divide the right side of the nose from the left—it is the “tent pole” that holds the nose up. When this structure is deviated, it simply means it is shifted to one side, the other or both. Everyone has a deviated septum to some extent; even after septal surgery, the septum will never be perfectly strait. It may be very mild and not noticeable or severe enough to compromise the nasal breathing. (more…)
Question:Why am I always coughing? Is it allergy? Is it asthma? Do I have an infection? I took 2 courses of antibiotics but my chronic cough did not go away, so I had a chest X-ray, which was normal. I took allergy medication, and it still did not go away. My doctor gave me inhalers to treat asthma and the cough is still there. The only thing that helps is cough syrup, but I am tired of taking that. Some days I feel better and I think the problem has resolved, but the next day the cough is back. (more…)