Shingles, also known as Herpes zoster, is a painful condition that is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. Shingles involves the nerve pathways in the area affected, and is characterized by skin blisters in the early stages of the infection. Some people also subsequently experience strange nerve sensations such as burning, itching, [...]
Misophonia, or hatred of sound, was first identified in 2000 when Pawel Jastreboff, a neuroscientist at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, found that some people had strong, negative reactions to specific sounds. Misophonia sufferers tend to focus on certain sounds to which they have a decreased tolerance, such as noises associated with eating, [...]
An interesting article in the Los Angeles Times reports that more children who are born deaf are receiving cochlear implants, with great success. In a front-page article in the 8/3/09 edition of the Los Angeles Times, reporter Shari Roan writes that "studies published in the last two years have delivered what many experts say is [...]
I often caution my patients who spend lots of time in the ocean to wear ear plugs. The water off of Southern California beaches can be quite polluted, and ear infections can easily result. Avid swimmers and surfers are especially at risk for ear conditions, since they spend so much time in the water. I [...]
Longtime surfers on the West Coast are more prone to a condition called Surfer’s Ear, a condition in which bony growths appear in the ear canal, blocking the eardrum. If the bony growths—called exostosis--block most of the ear canal, infections can develop and cause earaches and hearing loss. Very often, there is a persistent feeling [...]
The internet has become one of the primary ways that people locate health-related information. The problem is: can you trust what you read online? How do you know if you are reading solid, credible medical advice or hearsay? Many medical society websites have tackled that problem by posting reliable medical information in terms laypeople can [...]
Many people equate the Nobel Prize with Peace. In reality, Nobel Prizes have been awarded for achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace since 1901. In honor of Georg von Békésy, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1961 for his discoveries of how sound is analyzed and communicated [...]