Health

What if you can’t hear after a cold? DR MARTIN SCURR answers your health questions


A cold episode three weeks ago left me congested and extremely deaf, and the congestion doesn’t seem to want to change. Do you have any suggestions?

Derek Jones, Coventry.

Feeling congested in the days or weeks after catching a cold or any respiratory infection – including Covid – is a common experience.

It occurs because respiratory viruses cause inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose and sinuses, as their presence encourages immune cells to accumulate there.

This inflammation takes time to settle down and there may also be some residual blockage in the eustachian tube – the air tube for the middle ear. They run behind the nose and help balance the pressure with the outside world.

Mucus can also work its way from the back of the nose into these tubes, clogging them and leading to a feeling of deafness.

Feeling congested in the days or weeks after catching a cold or any respiratory infection including Covid is a common experience

Feeling congested in the days or weeks after catching a cold or any respiratory infection including Covid is a common experience

Feeling congested in the days or weeks after catching a cold or any respiratory infection – including Covid – is a common experience

While this usually clears up within a few days (the mucus will drain on its own from the back of the nose), this is not always the case.

The simplest solution is to use a decongestant spray, which reduces inflammation in the nasal passages by constricting blood vessels.

After use, pinch your nose and close your mouth and blow hard to increase the pressure in the eustachian tube. This will help dislodge the mucus.

However, in the longer letter, you say that you have been advised not to use decongestants when taking medicines for high blood pressure (because decongestants constrict blood vessels, they can raise blood pressure).

In this case, I’d recommend trying the Otovent autopilot, which consists of a nose patch that attaches to a balloon and is available to buy in pharmacies for around £10.

Insert the nasal plug into one nostril and hold the other nostril with your finger, then inflate the balloon by exhaling with your mouth closed. The idea is that pressure from the inflated balloon opens up the eustachian tube, promoting drainage.

While this usually resolves within a few days (the mucus will drain on its own from the back of the nose), this is not always the case.

While this usually resolves within a few days (the mucus will drain on its own from the back of the nose), this is not always the case.

While this usually resolves within a few days (the mucus will drain on its own from the back of the nose), this is not always the case.

Use three times daily for several days. If this does not help, you may need a referral to an ENT specialist.

One solution is to insert a small balloon into the eustachian tube through one nostril under a local anesthetic. The balloon is then inflated for a few minutes and can resolve the blockage by allowing better drainage.

The remaining tube is then processed. The second option involves a minor surgery called an eardrumectomy (usually done with local anesthesia in adults and general anesthesia in children), where a small incision is made. is produced in the tympanic membrane and the sticky fluid is drained.

Then, a grommet, a small tube a few millimeters across, is inserted to help ventilate the middle ear. Over time, this tube will fall out of the ear as the incision heals.

There is a risk of complications – in rare cases, such as an incision that does not heal as it should.

Hopefully you will find relief soon.

My daughter has been learning about nutrition. She always thinks that if you eat fewer calories than you need, you will lose weight. But she has found that when some people reach a certain weight, their weight loss remains high even though their calorie intake remains low. Why so?

Sue Rushworth, Southport.

Calories are a measure of the energy we get from what we consume – different foods have different calorific values. When the food we eat provides more calories than we need, the excess is stored as body fat.

Eating fewer calories than your daily energy needs will lead to an attack on the fat stores in the tissues and organs around the body.

However, as a person’s weight decreases, their calorie needs will decrease, as the body adapts to the food shortage. It does this by reducing the energy supplied to various processes – the digestive process itself can become less efficient.

Weight loss can also affect the microbiome, the colony of microorganisms, including bacteria, that live largely in the gut, thereby affecting the rate at which calories are burned.

So consuming fewer calories than needed in the long run may slow weight loss, but with a calorie deficit, the weight will continue to lose.

Write to Dr. Martin Scurr

Write to Dr Scurr at Good Health, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email: [email protected] – include contact details. Dr. Scurr cannot import private correspondence.

Responses must be made in the general context. Consult your own doctor in case of any health concerns.

My view: How to prevent allergies in babies

It’s not uncommon to get on a plane these days and you shouldn’t consume nuts anywhere on a plane as this can pose a serious threat to passengers. It’s a stark reminder of how serious a food allergy can be.

A few small particles, even inhaled rather than consumed, can be deadly.

Seven years ago, the LEAP study showed that feeding small amounts of peanuts to children 4 to 10 months old and at high risk for allergies prevented allergies in 80% of them. This is a striking revelation.

A follow-up EAT study in 2020 found that early introduction of six potentially allergenic foods (ground peanuts, cow’s milk, eggs, wheat, sesame, and white fish) also prevented future allergies in children. children are not at high risk.

I believe one of the best things people can do for their children is to introduce small amounts of allergenic foods in this way.

NHS advice is that you can do this with these foods, one at a time from around six months of age, so any reaction can be detected – but talk to your GP first. if there is a family history of any allergies.

It's not uncommon to get on a plane these days and you are told that nuts should not be consumed anywhere on the plane as this could pose a serious threat to passengers. [File photo]

It's not uncommon to get on a plane these days and you are told that nuts should not be consumed anywhere on the plane as this could pose a serious threat to passengers. [File photo]

It’s not uncommon to get on a plane these days and you shouldn’t consume nuts anywhere on a plane as this can pose a serious threat to passengers. [File photo]

Source: | This article originally belonged to Dailymail.co.uk




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