Poll Results: What is Your Method for Nasal Saline Rinses?

Posted on31. Mar, 2011 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

Well, the poll results are in. I usually  try to take a poll down once a couple hundred results are recorded. This poll has reached over 290 results, and the results were not what I had expected: What Methods Do We Use for Nasal Saline Rinses? 51% still use the Neti pot, as you can [...]

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Eliminate Your Smoke Exposure

Posted on14. Oct, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

Smoking … Bad … We’ve heard about the harm from tobacco smoke these days – the number of cancers related to smoking or chewing tobacco, the cost of respiratory illness such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, or emphysema).  We hear about the addictive properties of tobacco smoke, and we see the advertisements [...]

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Some Facts About Your Air Quality From the American Lung Association

Posted on07. Oct, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

From the American Lung Association, here are some facts about our air quality for 2010. Some of them are encouraging, like improved air quality in most of the worst-polluted cities compared to last year’s list. Some discouraging, like just how bad our air quality remains. The list provides some tips on improving our air quality. Continue reading to check it out …

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Better Living Through LESS Chemistry

Posted on05. Aug, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

Most of us grew up (have I grown up yet?) in the age of “better living through chemistry.” That was the promise. Unfortunately, along with the “better living,” chemistry also brought along toxins. This is the 1st in a 4-part series on reducing the chemicals in your life – and in your children’s lives.

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Use Plants to Purify and Detoxify Your Air

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

Interesting story: We have NASA and an asthmatic in India to thank for finding the right plants to detoxify our air for us. That’s right, NASA – the space people, and a business man with severe asthma. And plants also provide us with oxygen as an added benefit. Here’s the story …

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The Human Pollution Experiment …

Posted on08. Jul, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

“… OK then, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, we’ll put your little Sally in this box for 6 months, and pipe industrial waste smoke into the box to see how that affects her nose and lungs and stuff. Oh, and we’ll need to take some surgical biopsies occasionally. You’re cool with that, right?
Just sign here …”

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The “Ciliopathies”

Posted on20. May, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

When those little hair-like cilia don’t work normally, bad things happen. The medical terms are “dysmotile cilia syndrome”, “primary ciliary dyskinesia”, and acquired or “secondary ciliary dyskinesia.” All contribute to ear infections (otitis, mastoiditis), sinus infections (rhinosinusitis), and other respiratory infections. Whether “primary” or acquired, here are some tips that might help.

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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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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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Anatomy of Nose Bleeds in Children

Posted on04. Mar, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

I have been seeing my recurrent and chronic nose-bleeders in clinic again. It goes with the season. Now that we are in the cold-weather, heat-is-on-air-is-dry season, you are bringing your children with nose bleeds to see me in clinic again. So I thought now would be a good time to review nasal bleeds (epistaxis) in children.

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Allergic Rhinitis CAN Be Controlled – Here’s How

Posted on04. Mar, 2010 by Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD.

Allergic rhinitis – usually simply called “allergies” – is a chronic illness resulting in stuffy, runny nose. Itchy, burning eyes and general low energy are often associated. It is estimated that allergic rhinitis affects nearly 50 Million Americans. Over half of those with sinus disease have a history of allergic rhinitis, and it is estimated that close to 95% of those with asthma have rhinitis. Your child may have both too. How to ‘freeze’ those allergens?

The good news – allergies CAN be controlled.

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