C/V ENT Surgical Group's Resources

Swallowing is a reflex that generally develops before birth and continues doing so during infancy and childhood. Proper swallowing function involves the use of nerves and muscles in the mouth and throat. Swallowing dysfunction, also known as dysphagia, is very common amongst all ages. It is also one of the first motor skills to decline in seniors.

A healthy thyroid is essential to good health. Yet, some people develop enlarged thyroids or thyroid disorders that require surgery. Thyroid surgery is a completely safe and highly effective way to cure thyroid enlargement and certain thyroid disorders. Yes, you can live a happy and productive life without a thyroid. Minimally invasive thyroid surgery for an enlarged thyroid is extremely beneficial to one’s immediate health and can lead to a longer life expectancy. Surgery is often necessary to overcome the dangers and limitations that are common with thyroid disorders.

The thyroid is responsible for thyroid hormone (T3, T4, and calcitonin) production to support energy, metabolism, and body functions. Anatomically, the thyroid gland is in the neck, below the larynx or voice box. Behind the thyroid are the laryngeal nerves and four small parathyroid glands, the left inferior and left superior are on one side of the nerves and the right inferior and right superior are on the opposite side. They are noticeably smaller than the main thyroid gland and primarily responsible for parathyroid hormone (PTH) production to regulate the calcium in the blood.

Do you periodically experience a tight, burning, or sore sensation in your chest, throat or stomach areas? Is that sensation accompanied by the bitter or sour taste of food or stomach acid? Maybe your voice becomes hoarse or sounds weird at the oddest times in the absence of cold, flu, or other respiratory ailments or activities? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, you may have laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or both.

C/V ENT Surgical Group offers safe, effective, and comprehensive treatment for patients in the Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks areas with heartburn, acid reflux or other GERD or LPR symptoms. To better understand the importance of timely diagnosis and treatment, review the following information on the effects of GERD on the throat.

Do you experience an annoying hissing, ringing, or high-pitched sound in your ears that nobody else seems to hear? Do your ears often feel like they are vibrating, throbbing, or full? Do the sounds or sensations come and go without warning? Are they painful? If so, and you are over the age of 40, you may have age-related tinnitus. 

Anyone can experience tinnitus, but it is more common in older adults. The risk of developing age-related tinnitus or hearing disorders significantly increases after the age of 40. Men are more prone to the condition than women. Anything that disturbs the inner mechanisms in the ears can affect your equilibrium, hearing, or both. With tinnitus, the ability to hear and communicate efficiently and maintain balance diminishes much faster.

With its location in the center of your face and function as an airway, your nose is a big part of your self-esteem and your overall health. You may want to change the shape of your nose through a rhinoplasty or repair the structure to improve your breathing through a septoplasty procedure. 

Sometimes, you want the rhinoplasty but need the septoplasty. This can lead to two separate surgeries at twice the expense in both time, money, and recovery. There has to be an easier way, and there is. 

There are many reasons that you might be thinking about rhinoplasty or septoplasty. You might have an issue with snoring or a bump in the center of your nose that you don't like to look at. You might have a host of factors making you consider one of these surgeries or even both.  

Before you start meeting with surgeons and taking the next step, you need a little more information. If it's been recommended that you have septorhinoplasty, you want to know that there are benefits to opting for this type of surgery. 

This guide to the benefits of septorhinoplasty can help you learn more and make an informed decision. 

If you suffer from sleep apnea, it can change the way that you live. You may find yourself constantly fatigued and lacking motivation for the things that you once loved to do. Sleep apnea can also lead to depression, irritability, and mood swings. 

Environmental allergies occur when the body’s immune system has a reaction to a substance or element in the environment that it perceives as toxic or foreign. When an allergic reaction is triggered, the body releases chemicals called histamines and leukotrienes. Some common symptoms of environmental allergies include runny nose, sneezing, coughing, watery or irritated eyes, sore throat, hives, sinus pain, and fatigue.

Watery, itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, scratchy throat, sinus pain—when seasonal allergies strike, you can be miserable. Seasonal allergies are triggered by plants and pollen at different times of the year. In Southern California, the mild, warm weather means that pollen is present year-round and, unfortunately, many people experience seasonal allergies year-round as well.

When illness strikes, the body's immune system attacks to wade off the disease-causing bacteria and viruses. The same thing happens when allergies attack the body. The immune system fights away substances that are harmless to your body, which can include viruses, bacteria, or allergens. When your antibodies clash with the allergens, it results in an allergic reaction.

Allergic reactions vary in severity from mild to anaphylaxis, a dangerous, life-threatening reaction. Most of the allergies have no cure, however, treatment helps to mitigate the effects of allergic reactions or reduce the symptoms of allergies.