Top 15 Posts So Far

Posted on24. Mar, 2011 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

This is boogordoctor.com’s first birthday, so I thought it might be a good time to review what you thought were the best articles here. I recently thanked y’all for making my first ever blogging experience a good one. I have met many friends through this blog, and according to emails and comments, have helped some [...]

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Rhinitis, Sinusitis, Otitis, Laryngitis, Adenoiditis, Tonsillitis Are All Connected

Posted on25. Nov, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

Cut From the Same Cloth The Unified Airway Model helps explain why children who have rhinitis also get more than their share of otitis (ear infections) or adenoiditis or tonsillitis or sinusitis or asthma exacerbations, etc. All these anatomic regions have a similar lining, and when one area becomes inflamed or infected, they can all [...]

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Reflux in Children – Causes and Treatments

Posted on18. Nov, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

So, my last post discussed the role of reflux in asthma. Note that medical research shows that reflux plays a big role in rhinitis, sinusitis, and otitis also. This article discusses causes and treatments for reflux. What Causes Reflux? Let’s start the answer by saying “we don’t know”. The rest is mostly speculation, educated guessing. [...]

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Is REFLUX Causing Your Child’s Asthma?

Posted on11. Nov, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

About 75% of those with asthma have reflux symptoms. For adults, that means heartburn, burping. For children, they often don’t have classic symptoms. In fact, asthma or other respiratory disorders may be the symptoms in children. This brief post describes how to tell whether you should consider reflux as the cause of your child’s asthma.

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Chronic Airway-Digestive Inflammatory Disorders: do YOU have CAID?

Posted on23. Sep, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

Allergic Rhinitis: 40 – 50 Million in USA with allergic rhinitis 10-30%  of adults have allergic rhinitis Almost 40% of children miss some school each year due to allergies! 12 Million doctor-visits per year for allergic rhinitis! 55% of those with sinusitis have history of allergic rhinitis. Sinusitis: estimated 20-30 Million in USA with sinusitis [...]

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5 Things You Didn’t Know About Reflux (and you should)

Posted on09. Sep, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

Nearly half of us will have reflux every month. We usually know it as “heartburn” – that burning discomfort of reflux esophagitis. But our kids usually don’t experience heartburn. Check the 6 symptoms of reflux in children here.

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What is the Unified Airway?

Posted on29. Jul, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

In practical terms the Unified Airway Model predicts that challenges affecting one anatomic area of the aero-digestive tract will also likely affect one or more of the other components. Here is the evidence for he UAM, and how to use it to get your kids better.

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Saline Sinus Rinses: What Good Are They? 4/4

Posted on13. May, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

If you insist on making your own saline solution …

Before I switched over to the store-bought, Nasopure saline rinse system, this is the recipe I used for years:

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Reflux and Otitis: Does GERD Cause Ear Infections?

Posted on10. May, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

A connection between reflux and recurrent or chronic ear infections in babies and children has long been suspected. It’s a difficult thing to study, though. Difficult to design a study with good “controls”. It wasn’t until recently that real data became available suggesting that, yes, reflux can cause ear infections. Here’s the scoop:

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Saline Sinus Rinses: What Good Are They? 3/4

Posted on06. May, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

It’s one thing to have someone suggest that you should do saline sinus rinses. They usually won’t tell you how to do them, like it’s something too indelicate to discuss. Well, let’s discuss it now …

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Saline Sinus Rinses: What Good Are They? 2/4

Posted on29. Apr, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

Medical Evidence to Support Sinus Irrigations: A study from the University of Michigan (well-designed, and executed as a randomized, controlled trial of over 100 people with chronic rhinosinusitis) found that symptom severity and symptom frequency were significantly reduced in those who used sinus rinses on a daily basis compared to those who did not. Similar [...]

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Saline Sinus Rinses: What Good Are They? 1/4

Posted on22. Apr, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

I have been personally coping with allergic rhinitis from the age of 6 or so, and with recurrent and chronic sinusitis for at least 20 years now. Although I was fortunate that allergy desensitization (allergy shots), gave me great relief, somewhere around age 8, I am not completely symptom free. Antihistamines, the standard conventional treatment, were not much benefit. And I hate the side effects. So, about 10 years ago I began using the home remedy of nasal-sinus irrigation using a weak salt water (saline) concoction. This is a method of cleansing the nasal and sinus cavities.

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What is Sinusitis ?

Posted on15. Mar, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

Strictly speaking, sinusitis is inflammation of the sinuses ― air-filled cavities in the skull and facial skeleton. Sinusitis often follows infection in the nose (virus, bacteria, or mold), or inflammation in the nose (rhinitis) from some other cause, such as from allergies – allergic rhinitis. Here are the details, with figures.
There will be a pop quiz …

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