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TexanENT.com
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OCT 2017
‘EAR NEWS AND THROAT’
WHERE BLUEBONNETS BLOOM What Brought aVirginia Boy to Central Texas?
school to learn how to treat. However, I do wish, at some point in time, my class schedule included a course titled “How to Run a Business.” Running a practice demands so much more than being able to diagnose and treat a sick person. Suddenly, I needed to understand taxes, learn how to hire (and fire) new people, and manage paperwork, all while making sure my patients still receive the high-quality service they deserve. I suppose it might have been less work in the long run if I had joined a big corporate practice instead of staying solo, but I really like my patients. Good, genuine people walk into this office needing my help, and I have a responsibility to take care of them. I couldn’t just up and abandon them to avoid running a business. What’s more, I’m fortunate to have a great team here. Everyone knows how to do their job and put our patients first. I don’t have to worry about anyone when it comes to administrative stuff, and I know they’re always here to help.
I grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia, at the bottom of mountains covered in giant, green trees. The flat, brown plains of central Texas are a completely different world, but no less pretty. I first came out here back when I was still in training. My sister lived in Austin, and I flew down here to visit her a couple of times. During each visit, I fell more and more in love with the area. I loved the warm weather, the music scene, and the vibrant atmosphere. More than anything else, I was taken with how friendly and welcoming the people are here in Texas. When I finished my residency, I knew exactly where I wanted to start my career. Most doctors get jobs at big hospitals and corporations, but I never liked how powerless that would make a person. If you work at a big hospital, the higher-ups can open a satellite office 50 miles away and assign you to that location, or make you work on Christmas Day even if your family is in town. I wanted to be in control of my career. When I came down to Texas and started working at Texan ENT, I joined Dr. Chris Thompson who founded the practice in 2011. At the end of 2014, I bought the ENT practice from him and watched my responsibilities multiply exponentially.
Things have changed a lot since I first came down to Austin to visit my sister. When I was in residency training, the people I was treating weren’t
really “my patients.” They were my boss’ patients, and I was just there to help. For all the hard work, I love running my own practice. Now everyone is my patient, and when I see one of my patients feeling miles better after I’ve helped them, it’s a great reward. What’s more, I love that my practice is in a place where I’m happy to live, and I get to help some of the most kind and self-reliant people I’ve ever met. –Dr. Seth Evans
They teach you a lot in medical school. The weight of the textbooks alone is enough to cause the sort of back damage many future doctors go to
“More than anything else, I was taken with how friendly and welcoming the people are here in Texas. When I finished my residency, I knew exactly where I wanted to start my career.”
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The end of summer doesn’t have to signal an end to fun. How about Halloween parties, sweater weather, and football season? The list goes on and on. About Fall
ONE IN 10 AMERICANS over the age of 60 experience an audiological and neurological condition which manifests as a constant ringing inaudible to anyone else. This is tinnitus, and it’s usually due to damage in the inner ear, often caused by old age. Though commonly referred to as a “ringing in your ears,” individuals who experience tinnitus can report buzzing, hissing, clicking, whooshing, whistling, and, in rare cases, music. Ninety-nine percent of tinnitus cases are subjective, meaning only the patient can hear the noise. When no one else can hear the sound, patients might be told they just have to get used to the annoying ringing or learn to tune it out. To help tinnitus patients explain the sounds they hear every day to their physician and loved ones, the American Tinnitus Association compiled a collection of tinnitus sounds at ata.org/understanding-facts/symptoms. At the moment, there are no scientifically proven cures for tinnitus. However, there are treatments options that can alleviate the challenges of tinnitus and let patients enjoy their lives. These options include: HOW TO QUIET THE RINGING IN YOUR EARS The Many Treatment Options of Tinnitus
In fact, fall might be the most interesting season of them all. Here are five facts you probably didn’t know about the season.
1. It was originally called“harvest.” The reasons for that should be fairly obvious. In a world that was far more agricultural, the season was defined by the harvesting of crops. It’s also a reference to the harvest moon, which was essential to farmers during the season. The word “fall” is used almost exclusively in America. 2. Fall babies tend to be impressive. Not only does the world’s most common birthday, October 5, land in fall, but those babies have built an impressive resume. The British Department for Education found that they tend to do better in school and also tend to live longer. 3.Weight gain is most common in the fall. It’s not only the Halloween candy or Thanksgiving turkey. Researchers believe it’s primarily caused by lower levels of vitamin D. As the days shorten and temperatures drop, we tend to get less sun. It’s another reason to be careful about diet and exercise this season. 4. Autumn is good for the economy. “Leaf peeping,” which is a slang term for fall foliage tourism, is more than just a funny name. It’s also a $3 billion industry in New England alone. So, if you thought winter and summer were the only seasons that brought along seasonal tourism spikes, you thought wrong. 5. People fall in lovemore in the fall. Men and women’s testosterone levels tend to spike in the autumn, which makes women even more attractive to men than in the summer months. A data study on Facebook also found that more people change their relationship status from “single” to “in a relationship” during the fall than any other season.
• • •
Drug therapy
• • • •
General wellness
TMJ treatment Experimental therapy
Hearing aids
Sounds therapy
Behavioral therapy
It’s important to remember there’s no “one-size-fits-all” solution to tinnitus. Each patient must undergo an evaluation and find their best treatment on a case-by-case basis. At Texan ENT, our audiologist, Michael, is available in office every Wednesday to provide a comprehensive hearing test. If you suspect you may be suffering from tinnitus and have not had a recent audiogram, schedule a Wednesday appointment with Michael. After your evaluation, Dr. Evans will be able to see you during the same appointment to discuss treatment options.
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The Simple Solution to Vertigo Woes
head moves. The problems of BPPV arise when small calcium crystals break off the walls of the canal and float freely in the inner ear fluid.
When someone says “vertigo,” many people immediately think of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 thriller about a disgraced detective and his fear of heights. Of course, there are those who instead feel their stomach start to do flips and need to sit down. Vertigo is that unpleasant spinning sensation you may experience even when you’re standing perfectly still. It’s estimated that 69 million Americans over the age of 40 suffer from vertigo. Despite how common this condition is, many people still mistake vertigo for a disease. It is actually a symptom, like pain or nausea, and is an indication of an underlying problem. The most common case of vertigo is an inner ear disorder called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. BPPV can occur when the balance organ of your inner ear becomes disturbed and interacts with fluid in your ear. You might be surprised to learn the fluid isn’t the problem here. Our ears are supposed to have some fluid, and it’s the movement of this fluid against our semicircular canals which tells our brain when our
When these calcium crystals come lose, certain head movements can cause them to rub against the semicircular canal and send abnormal signals to the brain. Rolling over in bed is a common trigger for an episode of vertigo. These episodes can last for a few seconds to over two minutes and can occasionally lead to nausea. BPPV is easy to diagnose by your ENT though a physical exam called the Dix-Hallpike maneuver. Your ENT can just as easily treat BPPV with the Epley maneuvers, a series of four positions which move gravity to move the floating crystals out of the canal. See how simple the solution to vertigo really is by checking out the video on our blog, “What is the most common cause of vertigo?” at drsethevans.com/category/ear/.
LAUGH! HAVE A
Sausage and Barley Soup It’s a great time of year to warm up with a cup of soup, and this comforting, guilt-free dish comes together in a flash.
Ingredients:
Recipe courtesy of CookingLight.com.
•
1/4 cup uncooked quick- cooking barley
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2 cups water
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Cooking spray
1 (141/2-ounce) can Italian- style stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped
6 ounces turkey breakfast sausage 21/2 cups frozen bell pepper stir-fry
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1 cup coarsely chopped fresh baby spinach
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Directions:
to sausage in pan. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in spinach; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts.
2. While sausage cooks, place stir-fry and 2 cups water in a blender; process until smooth. 3. Add stir-fry puree, tomatoes, and barley
1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add
sausage; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Remove from heat.
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Hours: Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Satellite Offices: 601A Leah Avenue San Marcos, TX 78666 Tuesday and Thursday afternoons 1009 W San Antonio Street Lockhart, TX 78644 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Where Bluebonnets Bloom | 5 Fascinating Facts About Fall | Tired of that Ringing in Your Ears? | The Simple Solution to Vertigo Woes
The Acropolis of Athens: Tips for Your Trip Back in Time
If you plan on exploring the breathtaking ruins and the Acropolis Museum, which houses over 4,000 artifacts from the site, it’s a good idea to avoid the Mediterranean cruise hordes and get there early, as close to 8 a.m. as possible. A four-day pass to peruse the Parthenon, the temples of Athena and Zeus, and many other world-famous sites costs around 12 euros, but keep in mind you can visit each site only once per pass. Due to the scorching heat that hits the area in the summer, you may want to visit during late winter or early spring. To absorb the incredible history of this ancient monument, it’s a good idea to either pay for the audio guide as you enter or go to the “Watch, Read, Listen” section of ricksteves.com and download his audio guide for free. You can also get a full tour from a local guide. Head to toursbylocals.com/Athens-Tours to find the perfect guide for your trip.
When people think of a vacation to Greece, the first images that come to mind are often the picturesque beaches of Mykonos Island or plates of delicately layered moussaka. But no trip to the cradle of Western civilization would be complete without a visit to one of the most incredible historical sites in the world: the ancient Acropolis of Athens. Around 468 B.C., while Athens was enjoying its status as the greatest cultural hub of the era, Pericles initiated a robust reconstruction of the Acropolis. Almost half of the population was on the public payroll during the project, generating what would become many of the most memorable structures in history, including the famous Parthenon. Today, the ruins of the Acropolis still stand, a testament to the ingenuity of one of the most advanced civilizations of the classical age.
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