Anyone who has acid reflux will tell you that it’s very uncomfortable. It often occurs at bedtime, which makes it even worse since not only are you uncomfortable, but you are now deprived of sleep. In addition to feeling a sudden, bitter taste in your mouth and the feeling you are about to vomit, acid reflux is characterized by heartburn, hoarseness, belching, and upper stomach pain.

You can visit an acid reflux doctor in Los Angeles to start trying solutions to your problem. While many choose to take medications to solve this issue, lifestyle changes can work for others to relieve the discomfort.

1. Eat sparingly and slowly

You are more likely to experience acid reflux when you overeat. When the stomach is full of food, there is more substance to be forced back into the esophagus. You may want to eat a bunch of smaller meals throughout the day instead of eating three big meals a day.

2. Avoid certain foods

Certain foods can trigger acid reflux. They include:

• Alcohol
• Mint
• Fatty foods
• Spicy foods
• Tomatoes
• Onions
• Garlic
• Coffee
• Tea
• Chocolate

If these foods are frequent ingredients in your diet, then you might want to eliminate them to see if it affects your acid reflux. It would be hard to delete them all at once, so you can try to eliminate them on a case-by-case basis. This can take up to a few months.

3. Don’t drink carbonated beverages

Carbonated drinks make you belch, and that can send acid into the esophagus. If you have acid reflux, it’s a good idea to cut out any carbonated drinks.

4. Stay up after eating

Lying down after eating can trigger acid reflux. Standing or sitting can help keep acid in the stomach, so staying up after you eat for at least three hours can help minimize your discomfort. This also applies to your sleep schedule. Try not to nap after lunch.

5. Don’t workout too hard

Vigorous exercise within a few hours after eating can upset your stomach. While an after-dinner walk can help with digestion, a strenuous workout, like HIIT or cycling can give you more acid reflux.

6. Sleep on an incline

Lying down can help trigger acid to be sent into the esophagus. Try propping yourself up on a few pillows so that your head is elevated 6-8 inches above your legs. You can also buy a wedge-shaped pillow to make this elevation more graduated.

7. Lose weight if it’s advised

Being overweight is a factor in many acid reflux cases, so losing a few pounds, especially if it’s in the neck area, can help your reflux.

8. Stop smoking

Nicotine can relax the throat muscles and trigger acid reflux. Many find that quitting smoking reduces their acid reflux.

Symptoms of the early stages of throat cancer may be hard to detect, especially since many of them coincide with a cold or seasonal allergies. Understanding the warning signs is key to early treatment, which can be the difference between life and death with cancer. 

Throat cancer is divided into three main types: 

• Laryngeal: This is cancer of the throat and larynx areas.
• Hypopharyngeal: This kind of cancer is found in the lower throat. 
• Oropharyngeal: This cancer encompasses the mouth area, including the soft palate and back of the tongue. 

Symptoms of throat cancer can be difficult to detect; in fact, throat cancer is usually found by dentists and ENT doctors who are trying to treat other conditions with similar symptoms. The symptoms of throat cancer are:

• Persistent cough
• Difficulty swallowing
• Hoarseness or other voice changes
• Ear or jaw pain
• White patches or sores in the mouth or throat
• A lump in the mouth, throat or neck
• Difficulty breathing
• Headaches
• Unexplained weight loss
• Swelling of the eyes, jaw, throat or neck
• Bleeding in the mouth or nose

While throat cancer may spread to nearby parts of the body, such as the lips or mouth, metastatic cancer is when it becomes wide-spread. 

Metastatic cancer is a term many have heard. It refers to throat cancer that has spread from the throat to distant parts of the body. When throat cancer spreads, it’s most often found in the lungs, bones, distant lymph nodes.

The symptoms of metastatic throat cancer are dependent upon the part of the body to which the cancer has spread. For example:

• If the cancer is now in the lungs, the patient may cough up blood or have difficulty breathing 
• If the cancer has spread to the bones, the patient may experience bone or joint pain 

Causes and Risk Factors

Men are more likely than women to develop cancers in the throat.

Certain lifestyle habits can also increase your risk of developing throat cancer, including:

• Smoking
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Poor nutrition
• Exposure to asbestos
• Bad dental hygiene

Throat cancer has also been found to be connected to certain strains of human papillomavirus infections (HPV). According to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, those with HPV are at a greater risk of developing throat cancer.

If you are experiencing unexplained jaw pain or a sore throat that lasts longer than two weeks, you should schedule a visit with our head and neck cancer doctors in Los Angeles. We can examine your throat for signs of cancer. Early detection is the best thing you can do for throat cancer, so if you are in a high-risk group for this kind of cancer, don’t hesitate to contact an ENT doctor in Los Angeles at Westside Head & Neck if you start to exhibit symptoms.

People use headphones to listen to music and podcasts while commuting to work or school, exercising, cleaning, or when living with noisy roommates. However, some studies have shown that headphone use can cause permanent hearing loss, and 1.1 billion people worldwide are at risk of experiencing hearing loss due to misuse of these products. 

A motorcycle engine or power tool can create a sound of 100 decibels, and earbuds at their full volume can reach this same level of sound. This level of sound can damage someone’s ears after less than half an hour. 

How Do Earbuds Cause Hearing Loss?

Any ENT doctor in Los Angeles will tell you that earbuds and headphones funnel music straight through the ear canal. When you are listening to low-quality headphones, they tend to transmit base poorly and fail to block out outside noise. This often causes the listener to turn up the volume, which damages the ear by overwhelming the cilia. 

Cilia are the little hairs in the ear that transmit electrical signals to the brain, allowing the ear to process sound. Loud noises can damage these hairs, and that damage eventually causes them to die. Hearing loss from loud noise is called “noise-induced hearing loss” (NIHL), and this is a growing condition among young people.

If you’ve ever finished working with loud machinery and left a concert, you may have felt an odd feeling in your ears that goes away after a while. This may be a high-pitched ringing, which is basically your cilia screaming in pain.

Signs you may have hearing loss are:

• Ringing, buzzing, or roaring in your ears 
• Muffling or distorted sounds

How to Prevent Hearing Loss From Headphones

Outside-the-ear headphones are better for your ears than earbuds because earbuds send music directly into the ear canal and to the cilia. Headphones provide somewhat of a buffer between the music and the ear canal. 

It’s even better for your hearing to invest in high-quality headphones that block out outside noise and transmit bass efficiently. This leads to a better listening experience and keeps the listener from hiking up the volume. 

Hearing doctors in Los Angeles usually recommend the 60%/60-minute rule, which means you listen to music at no more than 60% volume for less than 60 minutes.

What to Do if You Are Experiencing Hearing Loss From Headphones

If you suffer from ringing in your ears or difficulty distinguishing sounds, then you should contact an ENT for ear problems in Los Angeles. A hearing specialist will be able to diagnose the cause of your hearing loss and offer treatment suggestions.

If you find yourself waking up choking, coughing, gagging, or gasping for breath, then it’s possible you may have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea occurs when you stop breathing while asleep. The lack of oxygen causes you to jump awake, and in some cases, you may stay asleep and just snore loudly. 

If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to a number of health conditions. Sleep problems can:

• trigger mental health issues
• contribute to memory loss
• lead to poor immune function
• increase your risk of automobile accident
• increase your risk of heart failure
• contribute to workplace or at-home accidents

Many of these problems are due to interruptions in the sleep cycle, and others are caused by the limitation of oxygen. 

The most common sign that you may suffer from sleep apnea is interrupted sleep patterns and snoring. Since sleep apnea occurs when you are sleeping, having someone, like a significant other or roommate watch you sleep can be helpful in your diagnosis. You can also film yourself sleep to monitor your behavior before you wake up.

While surgery, breathing devices, and medication can be prescribed for this issue, your doctor will always suggest that you make changes to your lifestyle. The most common lifestyle changes that your doctor will suggest include:

1. Lose Weight: Being overweight greatly contributes to your sleep apnea because the excess weight often puts pressure on your throat. Maintaining a healthy weight keeps pressure off of your throat and opens your airways. Many people find that losing weight completely eliminates their sleep apnea.
2. Practice Yoga: Many practice yoga to feel healthier and more relaxed. Yoga can improve your respiratory health and increase oxygen flow. Since sleep apnea occurs when your body is deprived of oxygen, your improved oxygen levels can greatly improve your sleep apnea symptoms. Yoga may also help you learn to breathe better, and it may also help you lose weight. 
3. Avoid Sleeping on Your Back: More than half of those who suffer from sleep apnea sleep on their backs. Sleeping on your back can cause you to snore because it causes your tongue and soft palate to compress against the back of your throat, which obstructs your airways. By sleeping on your side, your airways remain open.  
4. Use a Humidifier: Dry air can irritate your nose, throat, and lungs, so using a humidifier can reduce your sleep apnea symptoms. A humidifier will open your airways, decrease nasal congestion, and encourage better breathing.
5. Avoid Alcohol and Smoking: Smoking and drinking increase your chances of sleep apnea and snoring because they relax the throat muscles, which obstructs the airways.
6. Oral Appliances: Mandibular advancement devices and tongue stabilizing devices can keep your airways open to stop snoring and sleep apnea. Another device, a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device, can eliminate your symptoms. 

Sleep apnea can greatly affect your quality of life and overall health. If lifestyle changes are not helping, contact a doctor for sleep disorders in Los Angeles to discuss treatment options that may be better for you.

There are many cosmetic procedures that people seek out to enhance their appearance. While your initial thoughts may go to a breast augmentation or a face lift, these are not the only type of procedures used to enhance one’s appearance. Rather, a rhinoplasty is becoming another popular procedure for both men and women to boost their aesthetic appeal.

How Can a Nose Job Change Your Entire Appearance?

All head and neck doctors in Los Angeles can verify that a person’s nose plays a big role in their overall appearance. Think about it like this for a moment: What’s the first thing that you see when you look at another person? The nose is the biggest feature on the face, so it’s naturally where your eyes go.

When it comes to changing a person’s appearance, rhinoplasty surgery Los Angeles makes the most sense. This is because they’ll be changing the biggest defining feature on their face: their nose. Any nose job specialist Los Angeles can attest to the fact that a person’s nose is the central aspect of the architecture of their face.

When a person’s nose is asymmetrical or in an unusual shape, it can detract from their overall appearance. These problems create a break in the harmony of the facial structure. The best way to bring balance back to the face is with rhinoplasty Los Angeles.

What’s Involved in a Rhinoplasty Surgery

Rhinoplasty surgery Los Angeles is a simple cosmetic procedure that allows a nose job specialist Los Angeles to recontour the existing shape of the nose. The actual procedure will restructure cartilage and bones in the nasal cavity to enhance the patient’s overall appearance. Head and neck doctors in Los Angeles will also recommend this type of surgery to fix functional problems with a person’s nasal cavity.

The patient will be put under general anesthesia or local anesthesia, depending on the preference of the surgeon. The surgeon will proceed to make an incision at the base of the nose. This is specifically done between the nostrils. At this point, your chosen surgeon will alter the nasal bones and cartilage to the desired look. If cartilage needs to be added to the nasal region, the surgeon will remove spare cartilage from the rib or ear. Once the nose is contoured correctly, the surgeon will close the incision back up with stitches.

Post-Surgery Outlook

After undergoing a rhinoplasty Los Angeles, you can expect to have swelling and bleeding in the nasal cavity. This should subside after the first seven days. Your surgeon will install a splint inside of the nose to help secure its new contour for the first week after surgery.

You’ll be instructed to avoid strenuous activities for a few weeks following the surgery. This will help to keep the swelling down. In addition, you’ll need to switch out showers for baths as you’ll have bandages on your nose for a while. In most cases, you’ll only need to undergo one surgery. However, your surgeon may opt for secondary surgery to enhance the appearance of your nose even further.

When a toddler aged child is ill, parents tend to over worry. It can be especially scary when the child gets sick at night. Coughing in toddlers is a common complaint according to an experienced chronic cough doctor Los Angeles moms and dads have trusted for years. Read on to learn common causes of nighttime toddler coughing and how to best treat it.

Common Causes of Nighttime Toddler Coughing Explained

A respected bronchitis specialist Los Angeles based explains that most childhood nighttime coughs are simply a mild virus that will typically resolve on its own after a few weeks. However, there are other causes for this cough to consider that include sinus infection, bronchitis, pneumonia, croup, whooping cough, allergies, asthma, throat irritation that worsens in dry colder air or a simple case of postnasal drip.

Usual Causes of Postnasal Drip in Young Children

Postnasal drip can be due to allergies, a viral or bacterial infection or due to mild dehydration that can cause thickened mucus that drips from the nasal cavity down into the throat while the child sleeps.

Head and neck doctors in Los Angeles estimate that up to 5 to 10 percent of kids have a chronic cough, and the ear canal lies somewhat flatter in young children that makes them prone to get water trapped in their ear. This may cause an infection that thickens mucus and causes an irritating drip down the back of the throat that stimulates the cough reflex.

Understanding Chronic Sinusitis Symptoms & Remedies

Ongoing cough may be a condition called chronic sinusitis ENT Los Angeles specialists explain. Keep the child hydrated with water or clear fluids, raise the head with pillows at night and treat using throat spray, keeping dust particles down and in dry air use a humidifier or a cool-mist vaporizer.

Keep nasal airways clear. If there is thick mucus in nasal/oral airways, a bright red throat and/or white patches towards the back, fever and/or colored nasal/ear drainage, call your pediatrician as your toddler may need antibiotics to treat an infection.

Tips for Determining Asthma VS Seasonal Allergies

Asthma wheezing can sound at first like seasonal allergies or chronic sinusitis ENT Los Angeles medical experts caution. An asthma attack is a serious event that needs prompt treatment to prevent severe complications. Asthma constricts the small vessels and soft structures of the lungs and may cause the back of the throat to swell causing an airway obstruction.

Allergies typically present little symptoms and resolve on their own in most cases. If your toddler is having difficulty breathing, passes out or has a raspy or barky kind of cough, take your child to the ER and/or contact your pediatrician. Your doctor may send your child to see a bronchitis specialist Los Angeles or to head and neck doctors in Los Angeles to follow up on ongoing nighttime toddler coughing.

Contact a chronic cough doctor Los Angeles area via https://www.westsidehn.com.

According to new studies, nosebleeds are becoming an early warning symptom of hypertension. Most people are familiar with hypertension, more commonly referred to as high blood pressure. This condition increases a person’s risk of severe health conditions, like a stroke or heart attack.

Many people have dealt with nosebleeds throughout their lifetime. While it’s always recommended to talk with head and neck doctors in Los Angeles if you experience chronic nosebleeds, many times they’re due to weak blood vessels. This will require a chronic nosebleed specialist Los Angeles to perform a cautery surgery on the inner lining of the nose.

When To Seek Epistaxis Treatment Los Angeles?

When you get a nose bleed, it can be very troubling. This holds especially true if you don’t know what caused it. Most of the time, nosebleeds can be simply caused by trauma to the nose or picking of the nose. However, there are signs that can indicate that there is a more severe cause.

The most common is a very heavy nosebleed. Most nosebleeds will trickle. If you experience a large amount of blood or a very heavy flow for an extended period of time, then you should make a call to your Los Angeles nosebleed doctor. Also, if you experience frequent nosebleeds, it can be a sign of a more serious health condition. Heavy flows and frequent nosebleeds tend to develop deeper within the nose than common nosebleeds.

What Is High Blood Pressure?

Most people have a good idea of what high blood pressure is. However, they may not realize just how deadly it can be. High blood pressure is commonly referred to as the silent killer. You may receive your first diagnosis of high blood pressure when you seek an epistaxis treatment Los Angeles. If so, your Los Angeles nosebleed doctor can explain high blood pressure or hypertension to you in detail.

For the sake of this article, we’ll define this medical condition in a broad sense. Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a condition where the force of the blood through the artery walls is too high. It greatly increases one’s risk of heart conditions like a stroke.

How To Decrease High Blood Pressure

If head and neck doctors in Los Angeles have diagnosed you with high blood pressure, then it’s time to consider some lifestyle changes to reduce it. The best place to start is to have a healthy and balanced diet. Try to keep salt intake to a minimum while you expand your diet to include a large number of diverse fruits and vegetables. In addition, up your fiber intake with wholegrain bread, pasta, and rice.

Another great way to reduce your high blood pressure is to get regular physical exercise. It’s recommended that you get some form of aerobic exercise at least three days per week. Apart from lifestyle changes, your chronic nosebleed specialist Los Angeles may recommend a high blood pressure medication to regulate your blood pressure level throughout the day.

Activities or events that cause facial trauma are the leading cause of a broken nose. They can include motor accidents, contact sports like hockey, and physical fights. Mechanical impact on the nose, such as hitting your head on a door or a wall, can also cause a broken nose. 

A broken nose, in simple terms, is a fracture in a nasal bone. In most cases, the bone affected is that at the nose bridge and the nasal septum. Head and neck doctors in Los Angeles have reported handling several broken noses in their many years of experience. According to the head and neck doctors in Los Angeles, the nose is susceptible to fracture because its position on the face is unprotected and prominent.

A broken nose comes with several side effects that vary with the severity of the fracture. Some symptoms include pain, nose bleeding, swelling of the nose, blood clot formation on the septum, difficulty in breathing, and change in the shape of the nose.

Can an ENT Fix a Broken Nose?

Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) doctors can treat a broken nose. This type of doctor is specialized in the physiology of the nose, head, and throat, unlike general doctors. ENT doctors Los Angeles undergo further training after completing medical school to help them specialize in problems affecting these regions.

The type of broken nose repair Los Angeles that you will receive will depend on the fracture’s severity. Mild fractures quickly heal on their own, and you can hardly notice the nose is broken until the nose heals. This is because the symptoms of a mild broken nose are not as intense as those of a severe one. You will experience nose bleeding and mild swelling when you have a mildly broken nose. Upon healing, a mild broken nose leaves behind a deformity that will indicate that your nose was broken.

An ENT examines the broken nose to determine the severity of the fracture. If your fracture is mild, your ENT will recommend pain medications and anti-inflammatory medications to relieve the pain and swelling around the nose.

For a severe fracture of the nose, a broken nose repair Los Angeles can include nasal fracture reconstruction Los Angeles or nasal trauma rhinoplasty Los Angeles. Your ENT doctor will recommend these two options when the broken nose is so severe that it causes symptoms like difficulty breathing. They also help in repairing deformities of the nose following the injury. In many patients with a broken nose, the nose changes its shape and becomes crooked. This crookedness or dislocation can hinder the flow of air during breathing.

Nasal fracture reconstruction Los Angeles usually involves surgery aimed at straightening your nose. The surgery opens your airway and enables you to breathe normally again. Nasal trauma rhinoplasty Los Angeles is also a surgical repair option. This surgery improves the shape of the fractured nose. Like other types of nasal reconstruction surgery, rhinoplasty also improves breathing if the broken nose makes breathing difficult. This is a suitable treatment method because it can cause a change in structures like cartilage, skin, and bone, all of which comprise the nose.

Distinguishing between flu and sinusitis can be difficult. Both of these have similar symptoms, but the treatment options will be different. It is important that you figure out which one that you have so you can be treated properly.

The Flu

is caused by a virus known as the influenza virus. There are several different variants of the virus. Symptoms of the flu include:

• Fatigue
• Sore throat
• Muscle aches
• Cough
• Nasal congestion

The flu can cause more severe symptoms that include high fever and shortness of breath. Flu treatment includes supportive therapy and an antiviral medication known as Tamiflu. It is important that Tamiflu be taken within 48 hours of the initial onset of symptoms. Tamiflu given after the 48 hour period has not been known to help people with the reduction of symptoms. 

If you have symptoms of the flu with shortness of breath, you should see your primary care doctor or urgent care doctor immediately. There are tests that can confirm the flu diagnosis. If you have the flu, it is important to get difficulty breathing nasal congestion treatment Los Angeles. You can get this from a wide variety of cold and flu medications, and your doctor can prescribe further help if you are suffering from the flu.

Sinusitis

Sinusitis can be caused by inflammatory illness, bacterial, or viral exposure. Symptoms of sinusitis include:

• Nasal congestion
• Facial pain
• Sinus pressure
• Loss of smell
• Postnasal drip
• Fever
• Swelling
• Eye swelling

If you suffer from sinusitis, you will need to see head and neck doctors in Los Angeles. Sinusitis typically lasts greater than ten days, which warrants treatment by a doctor. Treatment usually consists of antibiotics, antihistamines, and nasal sprays. 

If you have symptoms that last more than a couple of weeks, you may have chronic sinusitis. If you have chronic sinusitis, you will want to see a sinusitis specialist Los Angeles that can help you with chronic nasal congestion treatment Los Angeles. When you suffer from chronic sinusitis, there are several different procedures that can be done to help. 

An endoscopic sinus surgery or a balloon sinuplasty can help you to experience relief from your symptoms. If you suffer from chronic sinusitis, you will want to get chronic nasal congestion treatment Los Angeles as soon as possible. If you do not treat your sinus problem, the condition can become worse. You may face days or weeks of pain with no relief in sight.

If you are having issues with the symptoms above, you will need to be seen by a doctor to determine whether or not you have sinusitis or the flu. If you experience symptoms of sinusitis Head and neck doctors in Los Angeles can help you to get relief from your symptoms. At Westside Head & Neck, they have a sinusitis specialist Los Angeles that can help you with difficulty breathing nasal congestion treatment Los Angeles. They will help you breathe easier and go back to your normal routine.

If you’re experiencing a sore throat, you may need a head and neck doctor in Los Angeles. While there are biological reasons for sore throats, environmental reasons should not be ruled out. A head and neck doctor in Los Angeles can suggest lifestyle changes that may alleviate your symptoms.

What Causes A Sore Throat?

Sore throats can happen for many reasons. The commonly associated issues associated with sore throat include the common cold, strep throat, and other bacterial or viral infections. While these medical issues are usually treated with antibiotics or a healthy diet, environmental issues can cause a sore throat as well.

Drinking alcohol has the potential to dry out the mouth. While many people know that alcohol can dehydrate the body, the mouth and throat are also susceptible to dryness. Alcohol plays a major role when causing a hoarse or scratchy throat after a night of drinking.

Is Alcohol To Blame?

A hangover from drinking too much is often called alcohol-induced dehydration. Since alcohol is a natural diuretic, this can increase the frequency of urination, which in turn dehydrates the body. When an individual is dehydrated, they may experience symptoms such as a headache or dry mouth.

In addition to dehydration, alcohol can actually weaken the immune system. This can leave an individual vulnerable to bacterial and viral infection. It’s recommended that those who may feel an illness coming on should avoid alcohol until they are feeling healthy.

Loud and crowded bars or concerts force many people to yell. When alcohol is added to the equation, the volume of voices may already be louder than normal. Yelling over people for an extended period of time can wear out the throat, causing a raspy, coarse, voice in the morning.

A sore throat doctor Los Angeles can decipher what the issue is. By visiting a chronic sore throat specialist Los Angeles, a patient can be correctly diagnosed with whichever health issue is causing the problem. By understanding the underlying condition, a throat infection specialist Los Angeles can help treat patients effectively by giving them lifestyle advice and prescribing them medication.

How To Treat A Sore Throat From Drinking

If a sore throat is caused by infection, antibiotics are often prescribed. But when a sore throat is caused by drinking alcohol, the treatment is different.

One effective holistic treatment is to use a saltwater rinse. Mix together warm water with table salt and gargle it in the back of your throat for 30-second intervals. People have been using this method to treat sore throats for years. 

Rest can do wonders for your body. Taking it easy for a few days without drinking, while also avoiding excessive talking, can help your throat heal.

Another method that people use when they want to relieve a sore throat is to drink warm tea with honey. Ginger tea and green tea have anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce irritation. 

A throat infection specialist Los Angeles can help provide the necessary treatment to feel better. A sore throat from drinking may be relieved by over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen or other pain relievers. By using anti-inflammatory medicine, the throat can heal at a faster rate.

Sore Throat Doctor Los Angeles

A chronic throat infection specialist Los Angeles has seen a variety of conditions, so diagnosing the problem should not be difficult once they have all the necessary information. 

A chronic sore throat specialist Los Angeles can test the immune system, prescribe medication, or suggest specific diets. They may also recommend that you cut back on alcohol to avoid your painful sore throat. Afterall, alcohol can be very damaging to the throat, as it can lead to chronic laryngitis later in life. 

Visiting Westside Head & Neck will be the first step toward recovery. One of our doctors can meet with you and create a sore throat treatment tailored specifically to your symptoms and lifestyle.