Princeton Ear, Nose & Throat

04/02/2021

Home Conditions & Treatments Hearing Loss, Ringing, & Tinnitus
Preventing Hearing Loss and Ringing In The Ears [Tinnitus]
Stay away from loud noise. Limit volume on headphones and in the earbuds
Exercise daily to improve your circulation improve blood pressure.
Get adequate rest and avoid fatigue.
Mask the tinnitus with music reduces the tinnitus.
Reduce caffeine in diet
Wax blockage is one of the most common causes of hearing loss.

This is often caused by cotton swabs. These cotton swabs push the wax deeper into the ear canal leading to a blockage of the ear canal.

Pain can come from the swab hitting the eardrum causing trauma if the swab is pushed too deep. Sometimes a perforation in the eardrum can occur .

Don’t use cotton swabs in the ear canals. Dr. Goldfarb may recommend eardrops to soften wax which may allow you to wash the wax out or make it easier to vacuum the wax out.

Treatment Options For Hearing Loss
See Dr. Goldfarb for your hearing loss so he can make the correct diagnosis. This is important because the treatment for hearing loss depends on the cause. A hearing test (audiogram) will be performed to determine the severity of your hearing loss, as well as whether it is conductive, sensorineural, or a combination of both.

Dr. Goldfarb may recommend other tests such as a CT or MRI scan. Treatment options can include:

Continuing observation with repeated hearing tests
Medical therapy—corticosteroids (oral or injection through the eardrum) for sudden hearing loss to reduce cochlear hair cell swelling and inflammation after exposure to loud noises; diuretics and low salt diet may be used for Ménière’s disease. Antibiotics may be used for infection.
Evaluation for hearing aid(s) or other assistive listening devices may be recommended
Preferential seating in class for school children
Surgery to correct the cause of conductive hearing loss may be recommended.
Dr. Goldfarb and the audiologist can help you decide which device may work best for you depending on your hearing test results and your lifestyle.

Princeton Ear, Nose & Throat
842 State Road • Princeton, New Jersey 08540
609-924-3005



Serving Princeton, Plainsboro, Montgomery, West Windsor, East Windsor, Hightstown, Jamesburg, Cranbury, Freehold, Robbinsville, Lawrenceville, Pennington, Hopewell, Hillsborough, Ewing, Flemington, Somerville, East Brunswick, Hamilton, Mercerville, North Brunswick, New Brunswick, South Brunswick, Lambertville, New Hope and Newtown

04/02/2021

Sinusitis Symptoms
Thickened discolored mucus from your nose for up to four weeks may be a sign of acute sinusitis and may be associated with other symptoms:

Feeling of a blocked nose, nasal congestion, stuffed feeling
Headaches, sinus pressure, the feeling of fullness in the face, around the eyes, or behind the eyes
Feeling like you always have a cold
If symptoms last longer than 4-6 weeks you may have chronic sinusitis. Typical symptoms included: same as above, loss of smell. Feeling sick for 12 weeks. Findings on Princeton ENT exam may include: nasal polyps, yellow drainage, or thickened mucous in the nose, sinus CT may be used to fully diagnose it as chronic.
Sinusitis Causes
Viruses cause 98 percent of acute sinus infections, usually last less than 10 days, or bacteria acute sinusitis. In acute bacterial sinusitis symptoms do not improve within 10 days or you get worse within 10 days after beginning to get better.

Prolonged inflammation is associated with chronic sinusitis, rather than having a long infection.

Treatment Options
Acute viral sinusitis may be treated using over-the-counter acetaminophen, ibuprofen, steroid nasal sprays, or saltwater irrigation in the nose.

These treatments are also good options for acute bacterial sinusitis. Sometimes antibiotics are prescribed.

Chronic sinusitis is due to inflammation more than infection alone and is often associated with allergies, nasal polyps, asthma. The treatments are to try and reduce inflammation. Saltwater nasal irrigation, nasal steroid sprays, Antibiotics are not always helpful.

Other factors, and problems with the body’s ability to fight infections, can go along with sinusitis and make it worse unless they are also treated.

CT scans of the sinuses are recommended if you have repeat episodes or prolonged sinus symptoms

When conservative medical treatment does not work, the most common type of sinus surgery is called endoscopic sinus surgery which opens the natural drainage pathways between the sinuses and the nose.

Balloon sinuplasty dilation is a newer minimally invasive treatment option where an endoscope is also used, but instead of carefully removing the bone and tissue that may be blocking a sinus, a balloon is used to make the sinus openings bigger. Ask Dr. Goldfarb about Balloon dilation to see if you're a candidate. While balloon sinuplasty dilation is not used for every type of chronic sinusitis and cannot be used on all of your sinuses, it may be helpful depending on your condition.

Princeton Ear, Nose & Throat
842 State Road • Princeton, New Jersey 08540
609-924-3005



Serving Princeton, Plainsboro, Montgomery, West Windsor, East Windsor, Hightstown, Jamesburg, Cranbury, Freehold, Robbinsville, Lawrenceville, Pennington, Hopewell, Hillsborough, Ewing, Flemington, Somerville, East Brunswick, Hamilton, Mercerville, North Brunswick, New Brunswick, South Brunswick, Lambertville, New Hope and Newtown

04/02/2021

03/15/2021