Press Release - Having Nasal Surgery? Wins Award

Having Nasal Surgery? wins Bronze Medal in National Book Contest

Christopher Martin of Upstate New York, author of Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! won an Independent Publisher Book Award for 2008, placing as a Bronze Medalist in theHealth/Medicine/Nutrition category.

Mr. Martin is excited to have received this award, noting that emptynose syndrome (ENS) – a chronic condition that results from an overly aggressive nasal surgery – merits far greater attention and understanding in the medical field. Symptoms of empty nose syndrome (ENS) include shortness of breath (despite a wide open nose), thick mucus, throat irritation, shallow sleep, high rates of depression, and even documented cases of suicide.

Having Nasal Surgery? has been favorably reviewed by Midwest Book Review, Kirkus Discoveries, and ForeWord Clarion, and has been well-received by top doctors in the field, including Mayo Clinic doctors.

Mr. Martin noted that the principal cause of ENS is removal of the turbinates in the nose. Turbinates are structures that warm and shape the airflow inside the nasal passages. They are often surgically reduced in an attempt to improve breathing. If too much of the turbinates are removed, the nose becomes unable to properly direct airflow to the lungs and chronic breathing problems result.

Since ENS often goes undiagnosed, Having Nasal Surgery? aims to educate physicians and the public about the importance of theturbinates and the impact of overly aggressive surgery on them. Mr.Martin advocates for a standard protocol that mandates allergy treatment and pulsatile saline irrigation prior to performing turbinate reductions. When surgery is performed, more conservative procedures should be used to minimize removal of essential tissues.

Mr. Martin also hopes that further awareness will encourage ENT doctors to explore and perfect reconstructive surgical options for ENS sufferers. Some research has been performed, but much more remains to be done. Barriers to a full understanding of ENS remain to be overcome, including a lack of understanding of airflow dynamics in the nose, concerns about litigation, and the field's orientation toward surgical cures for breathing problems.

For further information, please visit www.emptynosesyndrome.net and watch youtube ENS testimonial videos at http://www.emptynosesyndrome.org/. Mr. Martin may be contacted by email at webmaster@emptynosesyndrome.org.