Spring is a beautiful time of year, with warmer weather and trees and shrubs in full bloom. If you have springtime allergies, though, this can be one of the roughest times of the year, with itchy, watery eyes; sneezing; congestion; and a runny nose. At Oasis Ear, Nose, and Throat,...
When you involuntarily stop breathing while asleep, you have a condition called sleep apnea. It affects about 26% of adults between 30-70. There are different forms of sleep apnea, and the complications that come with it can range from mild to life-threatening. At Oasis Ear, Nose, and Throat, our board-certified...
Allergies are your body’s reaction to a foreign substance — ranging from pollen to insect venom to certain medications and foods — that’s actually innocuous and doesn't cause a reaction in most people. In response to this allergen, your immune system produces antibodies, molecules that target and neutralize it before...
Pediatric ENT consists of ear, nose, and throat care for children under 18. ENT symptoms are common in kids because getting sick helps the child’s immune system develop. Most symptoms are minor, such as those caused by the cold virus, and you have to let the infection run its course....
If you’re blowing your nose often, it’s probably because your nasal passages are congested. Nasal congestion stems from various causes. Acute conditions include things like the common cold and the flu. Chronic conditions include inflammation of the sinuses or sinusitis, structural issues like nasal polyps and a deviated septum, and...
Sleep apnea is a medical condition that causes you to involuntarily stop breathing while asleep. It affects about 26% of adults between the ages of 30 and 70. There are different types of sleep apnea, and the complications can range from mild to life-threatening. At Oasis Ear, Nose, and Throat, otolaryngologists Dr. James...
You never think about your nasal sinuses until or unless you have seasonal allergies or a bad cold. Then, the pain and pressure can make your life miserable. Sinuses are hollow, air-filled cavities located throughout our bodies, but for this blog, we’ll discuss only those within the skull connected to...
Speech is a complicated process. The air from your lungs passes over two folds of tissue (vocal cords) in your larynx (voice box). This air triggers a vibration, and when the vocal cord folds touch, they produce a sound. Difficulty controlling your voice’s pitch, tone, or volume means your vocal...
Over 50 million Americans suffer from tinnitus, often called “ringing in the ears.” These unwanted, phantom sounds are caused by abnormal signals from the auditory nerves that are interpreted as sounds by your brain. Sometimes the problem is temporary and nothing more than an annoyance. However, for 20 million people it’s...
Summer is a great time to get outdoors and enjoy the sun or hit the pool. If you have sinus problems, though, the warm weather may not be as enjoyable for you as for others. While the colds that plagued you during the winter months have all but disappeared, summer...
If your child gets a nosebleed, it can be concerning for both you and them. But the fact is, while most children get nosebleeds at one time or another, they’re rarely serious. Knowing the potential causes for those nosebleeds and the treatments for them can help you cut down on...
Human speech is complicated. You start by forcing air out of your lungs, which then passes over the vocal cords, two folds of tissue in your larynx (voice box). The air causes the vocal cords to vibrate, and when they touch, they produce the desired sound. If your voice is...
Is it the common cold, or do you have allergies? Sometimes it’s hard to tell because the two may cause similar symptoms. But they’re really two different beasts, and proper treatment depends on knowing which you have. At Oasis Ear, Nose, and Throat in Surprise, Arizona, board-certified otolaryngologists Dr. James...
Your tonsils are part of your immune system, which fights infections in your body. These two masses of lymphatic tissue are located at the back of your throat, one on each side. When they become infected, the condition is called tonsillitis. Anyone can get tonsillitis, but it’s most commonly found...
Nasal polyps are painless, noncancerous growths that develop in the mucosal lining of the nose and the sinuses, the hollow chambers in the bones around your nose. While they don’t always cause symptoms, they can become swollen and inflamed, interfering with your breathing and necessitating treatment. Otolaryngologists Dr. James Osborne...
Ear infections are a common childhood experience. In fact, more than 80% of children develop at least one ear infection (medically known as otitis media) by the time they reach three years old. Ear infections are painful and can cause complications ranging from a fever to a damaged eardrum. The...
More than 50 million Americans deal with some form of allergic response every year. Some allergies, like those to pollen and pet dander, are mostly just annoying. However, some allergies can send you into anaphylactic shock, a potentially life-threatening situation where you become unable to breathe. At Oasis Ear, Nose,...
Many people don’t know they have sleep apnea, a condition where you stop breathing for short periods while sleeping, until a bedmate comments on the loud snoring and/or lack of breath. Apnea, though, is a common condition, affecting some 26% of adults between 30-70. While there may be no immediate...
Unless you’re born profoundly deaf, hearing is an essential part of living. It allows you to communicate effectively with others, learn about your environment, and sense when danger’s approaching. Unfortunately, as we get older, our ability to hear well deteriorates along with other parts of our bodies. That doesn’t mean,...
An ear, nose, and throat doctor (ENT), also called an otolaryngologist, specializes in everything having to do with these three areas of the body. Some historians suggest this specialty is one of the oldest in the United States, coming about in the 1800s as doctors realized the ears, nose, and...
Sinuses are hollow, air-filled cavities found throughout our bodies. For the purposes of this blog, however, we’ll discuss only the cavities located within the skull, which are connected to the nasal passage through the ostium, a hole in the bone. Humans have four pairs of sinuses usually viewed as a...
Speech is a complicated process. In humans, you force air out of your lungs, which passes over two folds of tissue (vocal cords) in your larynx (voice box). The air triggers a vibration in the vocal cords which, when they touch, produce a sound. If you have any problem with...
Postnasal drainage, also known as a postnasal drip, occurs when mucus from your nasal passageways or sinuses runs down the back of the throat. Some drainage is necessary to help flush irritants out of the nasal cavity and moisten the tissues, but conditions like allergies and infections can trigger excessive...
Nasal congestion, also called a "stuffy nose," occurs when nasal and adjacent tissues and blood vessels become swollen with excess fluid. This causes the feeling of a "stuffy" or plugged-up nose. Nasal congestion may or may not come with mucus discharge, better known as a "runny nose." While nasal congestion...
Sleep apnea is a condition where you involuntarily stop breathing while sleeping. It affects millions of people, including 26% of adults between 30-70. There are a few types of sleep apnea, and the complications can range from mild to life-threatening. At Oasis Ear, Nose, and Throat in Surprise, Arizona, otolaryngologists...
Allergies, of any kind, are abnormal immune system responses to things usually harmless to most people. When you develop an allergy, your immune system wrongly believes that the substance involved, called an allergen, is harming your body. In response, it produces antibodies (immunoglobulin E, or IgE) which then release chemicals...
Your tonsils are two masses of lymphatic tissue, found one on each side of the back of your throat. They’re part of your immune system, helping to prevent infections in your body. When the tonsils themselves become infected, the condition is called tonsillitis. Tonsillitis can happen at any age, but...
Sinus comes from the Latin word meaning a “curve, fold, or hollow.” Our sinuses, therefore, are simply hollow, air-filled cavities throughout our bodies. For the purposes of this blog, though, we’ll refer to sinuses as the cavities located within the skull and connected to the nasal passage through a hole...
If you’re one of the 50 million people in the United States that suffer from different types of allergies every year, then you’re familiar with the severe discomfort or other serious issues they can cause. At Oasis ENT in Surprise, Arizona, our team of providers has the expertise to give...