Ear Nose Throat Wellness in You
The public forum “Ear Nose Throat Wellness in You”, concluded last Sat, 23 Jan with more than 100 attendees. Organised by the Parkway group, the event was held in one of the cozy Suites in Raffles Hotel, a splendid location for our doctors to address ENT problems that common people have.
Dr Ignatius Mark - The Sleep Guru
Dr Ignatius Mark, i call him the sleep guru shared with the audience about “A to Zzzz of Snoring”. Quite an interesting talk I must say… he relates a typical family member’s worry…
My husband snores so loud till it causes me to not sleep well. At times, his rhythmic snores will get intercepted with a loud snort and it goes quiet… When he snores, i can’t sleep. When he stops snoring, I get worried that he stops breathing… what should I do?
This is one of the symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA), which apnoea means “no breathing”. Dr Mark explained that there is a higher percentage of Asian getting OSA due to the flatter craniofacial structure, which means that the breathing air passage is compensated. The loud snort, which sounds as if there is choking is possibly due to blockage of the nose, soft palate, back of tongue, etc. It may be a single site blockage or in a complex case, multiple sites blockages.
To treat OSA, behavioural changes that improve the quality of life were explored. These includes attempts to lose weight, sleeping on the side, treating nasal problems, avoiding alcohol, quit smoking and of course, practicing good sleep hygiene such as sleeping on regular and sufficient hours. At times, patients may need more than such changes and turn into specific treatment options such as surgery or other non-invasive options like using Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP), which are breathing apparatus that helps people get more air into their lungs and combat sleep apnoea. Dr Mark also advised the crowd that one should first consider if they really need surgery rather than considering surgery techniques first. Generally, patients can consider surgery (1) when there is a simple obstruction; (2) when unable to accept non-invasive treatment; and (3) when upstream obstruction interferes non-invasive treatment.
Dr Leong Jern-Lin addressing questions by the public
Next speaker was Dr Leong who went on to tell if Running Noses and Sinus Headaches are due to Food Allergics. He said:
“Allergy can occur in patients as young as 2 year-old. Most allergic patients are in 21 to 30 year-old but allergy is seen to improve with age. Food allergy can cause nasal problems but research had shown that the probability is quite low.”
Nasal problems are common in children and young adults. However, these problems may not just be plain nuisance that may ‘outgrow’ later in life. Severe nasal allergies may cause constant mouth-breathing, disrupted sleep, loss of concentration, behavioural problems and even loss of memory. This often is not recognised by care-givers and family doctors.
A simple, non-invasive skin prick test can be used to diagnose allergy through the application of various allergens onto the skin and observe how the skin reacts to individual allergen. To know the exact allergy the patient is facing, it is often required for a more comprehensive test to be done through taking their blood samples for IgE antibody levels.
Dr Leong had also shared on the management of allergic rhinitis through the use of medication, nasal irrigation (as promoted in the Oprah Winfrey show using neti pot) and also the application of Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). SLIT uses a larger than normal bout of allergen to arrest and cure the allergic disease. .
Oprah Winfrey Show - Demonstration of Nasal Irrigation using Neti Pot
Last but not least, we have our charming Dr Eng, who tickled the audience with his candid descriptions and actions which help the audience to relate both ears and voice issues.
Dr Eng Soh Ping working his charm on the audience
Audience interacting with Dr Eng and laughing heartily
Dr Eng said that besides hearing, a good pair of ears is required for maintaining balance. He explained that there are 3 sections to the ear, namely outer ear, middle ear and the inner ear where the latter is a processor of sound, transmitting information to the brain.
When relating ear conditions, never did I knew that ear infection is also called the “Singapore Ear”. What a surprise cos I’ve only heard of “Hong Kong Feet”… are we that famous?? haha.. well, i went up to google it and this is what I’ve got from wikipedia:
Otomycosis (also known as Singapore Ear) is a fungal ear infection, a superficial mycotic infection of the outer ear canal. It is more common in the tropical countries. The infection may be either subacute or acute and is characterized by inflammation, pruritus, scaling, and severe discomfort. The mycosis results in inflammation, superficial epithelial exfoliation, masses of debris containing hyphae, suppuration, and pain.
Repeated ear infection especially in the middle ear can result in broken ear drums. The advise is to keep the ear very dry to prevent an infection caused.
Next, Dr Eng went on talking about voice disorders. Typically, the high risk groups goes to those who uses their voices alot like preachers, teachers, karaoke lovers, etc. However, daily habits may also contribute to voice disorders too. For coffee lovers, the acidity in coffee may cause gastrointestinal reflux, resulting in the tissues of voice box being eroded away slowly. This is the same for buffet lovers and the “supper gang”. Consuming large amount of food will result in additional production of acid in the stomach to aid digestion. When there is no space in stomach, the acid will work the opposite direction and cause a reflux. Not good for the voice box. Excessive intake of alcohol and smoking will also contribute to voice disorders. So, you know what to do if you don’t want to lose your voice or have a paralyzed voice box!
Voice box nodules which is also known as the Singer’s nodules were also mentioned. The nodules which will obstruct the full closure of the voice box will result in a hollow voice being produced. Dr Eng had mentioned a typical singer with Singer’s nodules — Rod Steward. I’ve got a clip here for your enjoyment. 
Right after the session, we can see our doctors enthusiastically answering questions from the public…
The afternoon ended off successfully with sumptuous teabreak and alot of freebies to take home!
