Empty Nose Syndrome Book Helpful for Sinusitis, Allergies, Congestion, Nasal Surgery, Sinus Surgery

Goodbye for now

2010-08-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

I am currently striving for optimal health, which I am seeking through a combination of cardiovascular training, resistance training, stretching, and cardio-interval training, in addition to following a strict diet, enjoying good quality sleep, and simply following a healthy, active lifestyle. I am running a half-marathon on Sept. 11th on behalf of CareNet Pregnancy, which should be a reasonable feat as I ran 10.2 miles just a week ago and did not faint toward the end! I am presently seeking healthcare services through a chiropractor as well, and I find these adjustments to be beneficial. I will always have ENS symptoms, but I have learned to cope well and have effectively mitigated my most significant health challenges.

The road from not-so-good health to good health has been long and challenging, but the road from good health to optimal health is far easier. This concept is one that an ENS sufferer might readily appreciate, but others will find hard to understand.

I have thoroughly enjoyed corresponding with many ENS sufferers and friends, reputable ENT physicians, and even attorneys throughout the United States. It's been an exhilariting experience writing a book and having the privilege of this correspondence. I feel that I have benefited as much, if not more, from this correspondence than many of the people with whom I have talked. At this point, I have shared a lot of what I know about ENS through this blog (do a search for updated ideas since my book was published), through numerous phone calls, and even by occassionally posting some thoughts at http://www.emptynosesyndrome.org.

I confess I am entertaining the possibility of writing a future book, as the knowledge base of ENS has expanded significantly since my August 2007 book, but I think the main purpose of "Having Nasal Surgery?" was to raise awareness and I think it accomplished that. I am not totally clear on what a future book would accomplish. ENS sufferers need a cure and technology has made this available through tissue engineering, but the issue is politics; basically, ENT doctors protecting a lucrative nasal surgery business and a lack of interest from the public, doctors and/or scientists in helping those afflicted with an iatrogenic ailment. This is why a cure is not available right now, in my opinion. Anyway, writing a book is a very time-consuming endeavor and it's a sacrifice, and sharing knowledge doesn't always encourage people to take responsibility for their own health. If you are reading this blog, please consider me in prayer on the issue of whether I should write another book or not. This is something I will prayerfully consider over the next year, but in the meantime I plan no more blog posts, posts at the forum of emptynosesyndrome.org, or even correspondence. I do not feel these are a good use of my time, as there are other areas in my life in which I can be much more productive and are in need of my attention (e.g., my family, the Bible).

I wish all who read this blog excellent sinus health. Goodbye for now.

Problem with emptynosesyndrome.org

2010-07-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

If you attempt to go to http://www.emptynosesyndrome.org, you will find a site that says that it is currently unavailable and directs the owner of the site to call a certain phone number. That number is the billing office of godaddy.com, the domain that hosts this website. I found this out as I called the number to possibly see if I could pay for the annual renewal fee, but I needed to supply either a PIN or part of the current credit card on file, of which I had neither. Apparently, the webmaster has not paid the renewal fee (which, based on past experience, is on the order of $5-$10). As a result, people who frequent the site will not be able to browse the forum, brainstorm ideas, and share in a supportive atmosphere with other sufferers. What a shame. I feel bad for those who do frequent the site. Hopefully that issue will get resolved soon for the sake of many. ....UPDATE 7/17: You can get to the emptynosesyndrome.org website and forum by googling "empty nose syndrome" and then selecting a cached version of the site.

In the meantime, you can email the webmaster at webmaster@emptynosesyndrome.org to look into the issue, as it might just be that he or she meant to pay for the renewal, but forgot.

I am going to be on vacation in two days (Cape Cod) and I can't wait. My nose is getting better by the day, and I have been using http://www.nosebrace.com to open up the right nasal airway when it feels too narrow (Remember, sometimes my right nostril is too narrow, which might be a result of post-surgical swelling that takes upwards of a year to subside, while other times my nasal breathing is fine.) This nose brace has been working beautifully to correct this (hopefully temporary) issue, and my nasal problems are quite minimal right now as a result. I am thankful and looking forward to breathing the air in Cape Cod by the ocean. I also have been running a lot in my spare time, as I am preparing to run a half marathon in September on behalf of CareNet Pregnancy. So I am getting in shape and feeling great. I hope you are as well....

one month post-op lateral wall implant

2010-06-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

It is a little over one month post-op and my feelings on the implant are pretty consistent with my previous comments.

There definitely has been improvement from this surgery with respect to my breathing, and I accredit this improvement from having the lower septal implant removed. It's overall less obstructive in my right nostril, but it still sometimes feels as though my breathing is pushed to the left or somewhat obstructive (while other times it feels fine). Prior to the lateral wall implant, I did not have this sense that my breathing was pushed to the left, but I did have an even greater sense of obstructiveness (due to the lower septal implant). Consistent with how it was before this most recent surgery, however, this sense of obstructiveness seems largely related to my stress level or level of fatigue; the more fatigued I feel, the more obstructive the implant feels. This sense of obstructiveness also relates to air quality such as being in a car with dry, recirculated air (when I would put in a max air nose cone or nasivent tube to help with getting enough air in my right nostril). All said, I do think there is a neuromuscular component to my symptoms, which is perhaps why I responded so well to craniosacral therapy. I am also going to a chiropracter in the near future, and anticipate that will help as well.

All factors considered, though, there does seem to be small improvements in my breathing from day-to-day. Sometimes, like right now after a 3 mile run this morning, my breathing feels totally fine.

Getting my lower septal implant removed was a good decision for me and strengthens my belief that that is not the best place for an implant for those missing their inferior turbinates. Thankfully, Dr. Houser's trend is to do the lateral wall as well. I do think that is the correct physiological location for an implant, and I would caution anyone reading my posts and interpreting the effectiveness of the lateral wall implant to recognize that I changed two variables at once (took out lower septal implant [while leaving the upper septal implant in place] while putting in lateral wall implant). So unlike me, just proceed scientifically with the implants and you should be fine.

Should the lateral wall implant continue to resorb, then I will be happy and let it be. Should I continue to still experience some mild obstructiveness in my right side and a sense that my breathing is pushed too much to the left, then I may proceed to get the lateral wall impant reduced in the office. I will have to give it a good half year at this point before I can make any further decision, if at all, as it takes many months for the lateral wall implant to resorb. I don't think I would get it removed because of its already small size. It was a good decision that only 2/5 of a 2 x4 cm sheet was used.

12 day post-op update

2010-06-18T19:14:00.001-07:00

An anonymous writer asked me to provide an update on my nose. I wrote the following at emptynosesyndrome.org at 12 days post-op. (At present, I am 20 days post-op, and I am feeling better every day!).....Below is what I wrote:

I am about 12 days post-op from my lateral wall implant surgery.
Thankfully, I seemed to have healed well from the surgery, with only minor throat pain that quickly resolved itself within days after surgery.

This early post-op, I cannot gauge the long-term benefit. Overall, it feels OK and improved from before the surgery, but a primary issue I have had is that my breathing sometimes feels like it is pushed "to the left" as a result of the lateral wall implant, making breathing uneven. (Remember, now I have both a lateral wall implant and an upper septal implant.) My breathing was uneven before this implant surgery as well, and the nasal cycle contributes to this uneveness in breathing. And of course, my lateral wall implant will likely resorb by around 50% over time, so I anticipate my breathing will feel closer to normal and more even as times goes by. I noticed an improvement in eveness today over recent days, and I am thinking my allergy shots yesterday might have played a role in this respect. According to Dr. Houser, it takes 9 months for the lateral wall implant to reach its permanent size.

But this much I do know: a) the lateral wall implant is a much more natural place for an implant and physiologically correct and b) a lower septal implant can be obstructive and un-natural, so I am very confident that removal of my lower septal implant was also a correct decision. Do note: some people can tolerate the obstruction caused by the lower septal implant, as it still represents improvement over their previous symptoms. I am also well-aware that implants are not a cure. As expected, I can clearly tell that my right nostril will never function as perfectly as my left. I just won't have the level of humidity, nasal sensations, degree of comfort in breathing, etc. because my right inferior turbinate was significantly removed, whereas my left inferior turbinate was left more intact. What the implants will likely do for me in the long-term, if they have not done this to some extent already, is prevent erosion of my mucosa by acting to preserve my remaining mucosa. As tissue loss can lead to turbulent airflow which, over time, can lead to erosion/atrophy of the mucosa, resulting in lost nerve endings as the mucosa breaks down and becomes increasingly metaplastic, I can be thankful my implants will help protect against that. If you do not have an implant, then I strongly encourage you to do techniques to preserve the mucosa so your nose does not become atrophic.

I am going to wait about a month or more before providing another update, at which point I can hopefully provide an update that might in fact closer reflect the long-term impact of my lateral wall implant. So expect an update around July 10th, give or take a few days.

One week post-op update of lateral wall implant

2010-06-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

It is only one week post-op so I am still not in a position to judge the long-term benefit, but I do feel more and more confident each passing day that I made the right decision and will not need further implant surgery - to remove or add Alloderm. This does not mean that my right nostril is perfect or nearing 100% improvement. I have lost nerve cells in my right nostril from my 1997 turbinectomy, and having so much removed inferior turbinate means this nostril will always have some degree of dysfunction. But at least with more orderly airflow, thanks to the lateral wall implant, I can be overall more comfortable in my breathing - and that's the point where I can accept it for what it is and move on in my life.

I think I made a good decision with removing the lower septal implant. It feels much more natural when I breathe to have the lower septal implant removed, which convinces me this was the right decision for me. (I actually think I have been breathing better, too, in my sleep. I am not waking up tired despite not using the CPAP since the surgery, as I need to allow my nose to heal.) The lower septal implant was sort of like breathing against a large bump for me - and it was obstructive at times.

I do think the upper septal implant, which compensates for my middle turbinates, is fine now, and might be a good option for people missing their middle turbinates. Dr. Houser noted there is even air space in this location of my nose on both sides.

Re: the lateral wall implant, I also believe this was a good decision. There's still crusting and I am sure it is swollen and will resorb over time, but I am not sensing any of the obstruction I felt with the lower septal implant. It feels a bit like it has pushed all my breathing to the left, but then again, there is still some major crusting in my nose, so I expect this to go down as time passes. If anything, this lateral wall implant does seem to offer some airflow resistance as it is in the airway (but not too much like the septal implant) and it seems to direct airflow in a much more orderly and natural way than the septal implant does. In fact, there were times today when I felt like my nasal breathing was fairly normal in my right nostril. Now, Dr. Houser only put in 2/5 of a 2 x 4 cm sheet in my lateral wall, so this is a small implant. So I do think the lateral wall is best positioned for directing airflow in a natural way; I noted to Dr. Houser at the office visit prior to surgery that my right nasal breathing is more comfortable if I put my finger near the base of the right nasal vestibule toward the lateral wall where my nose would conceivably feel most empty (I say 'would' because I was saying this when I had my lower septal implant in, which made my nose feel pretty full), along the same line as the lateral wall....so the lateral wall implant made sense for me. The septal implant is more into the airway, so it is easy to see how that could help with issues of dryness, volume, and airflow resistance, but I think there is also a risk of a sense of obstruction in this location - at least there was for me and most people with whom I have corresponded. If you can accept some degree of obstruction, then its benefits may outweigh its risks for you. My initial thoughts are the lateral wall implant might not address the issues of dryness and volume as well as the septal implant can because the septal implant protrudes more into the airway, even if the septal implant isn't in the most natural location. But, for me, the sense of obstruction was too much of a trade off to gain from the moisture and volume it offered. Of course, a smaller, more conservative septal implant would lead to less obstruction. According to Dr. Houser, my lower septal implant was equivalent to 1.5 2 x 4 cm alloderm sheets.

But Dr. Houser indicated to me that his trend is to do the lateral wall more and the septal implant less, and perhaps this is because people find it a more natural location....I'll plan to post again in a week or sometime later to update on my progress with this implant.

Lateral Wall Implant Surgery

2010-05-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is among my last blog posts I will write. I may provide a periodic update on the progress of my right nasal breathing as I just had a surgery yesterday, but I have tirelessly conquered so many health battles: from chronic sinus and throat infections to ear pain caused by TMJ to postnasal drip and dry mouth to my last frontier which is an improvement in my right nasal breathing (which is the subject of this post). I have found myself in disagreement with many well-intentioned, respectable doctors, have had some outstanding doctors looking out for my best interests, have pursued appropriate surgeries for myself, have fought a health insurance company (and won) that appears only interested in money rather than my health, and have gone with my gut and educated myself on how best to improve my health, and have tried numerous health remedies and strategies for treating ENS and related issues, preventative, remedial and tertiary, which usually turns out right and to my benefit. Now that I have made so much progress in my health, it is time for me to get away from doctors (and even this blog, sorry) to just focus on my family and enjoy my improved health thanks in large measure to my own efforts, and the prayers of others. This blog, however will remain for all to read. As mentioned before, I might also provide a periodic update on my improvements from this May 28th surgery. Thanks for reading and caring...

I am headed for another surgery with Dr. Houser on May 28th. I thought I would create this post for those considering implant surgery and those who have followed my progress over the years. I am actually doing very well, having improved symptoms on many fronts, but my breathing is still somewhat problematic; mainly, my right nostril feels too obstructed because of the septal implant. I could always just use afrin all the time, which does seriously help temporarily, but this clearly is not a long-term strategy and would cause rebound congestion. The septal implant feels a bit like a balloon that inflates and deflates depending on humidity, air quality, specific food eaten, and so forth. I'll plan to post after my surgery and offer a periodic update.

My main hope for this surgery is that I could have even breathing between my right and left nostril. It will involve a significant right septal implant reduction and it may include a lateral wall implant. I believe the lateral wall is a better place for an implant than the septum given its proximity to the turbinates. The nasal cycle causes the right septal implant to become too inflamed much of the time, causing a sense of obstruction and uneven-ness in breathing between nostrils, so in my opinion this drawback outweighs the benefits of the surgery - increased moisture, airflow resistance, and volume. In fact, I have corresponded with one person who had the septal implant removed and she felt it was the right decision for her. She noted that her dryness has not returned, so the moisture benefit has been retained over 9 months post-removal. Do I think I have gained from the septal implant? Absolutely, it probably has served to protect my mucosa and perhaps even help it regenerate, but my question is, is this the best place for an implant?

Below are symptoms that impact my breathing, particularly my problematic right nasal breathing (as opposed to my left nasal breathing, which feels almost normal), which are described before and after the implant, along with the intensity of the symptoms:

Symptom (in right nostril) - Before Septal Implant/After Septal Implant

Nasal Dryness -Mild/None to mild

Airflow resistance -Too little – Mild/Too much – Mild

Airflow “Sensations” -None- Severe/Mild to Moderate

Level of air space -Too open – Moderate/Too closed - Moderate

Mucus issues

*Recirculation *Fixed after maxillary antrostomy

^Postnasal drip/ recurrent infections ^Appears significantly helped by tonsillectomy

+Slowed MCC due to scarring, particularly in right sinus. +Still slowed MCC due to scarring in right sinus– will always be. No biggie!

A special thanks to TE, as we had discussed the above issues regarding implants and he helped me to see what I ultimately want from the surgery. It mirrored my own thinking, but sometimes it is hard to see the best solution when you are so close to the situation. As many of you know, he is a wealth of information for ENS, incredibly knowledgeable on implants and nasal breathing, and it was great to brainstorm with him. What is actually done (reduction, possible lateral wall implant) will be decided during my office visit on the day before my surgery. There is a chance I may have just a significant reduction to the implant, but if Dr. Houser feels he can give me even breathing/air space with a lateral wall implant, then that might be an option for me. And I am thankful to even have that option.

OK, I had my surgery yesterday in the early morning hours. I had to be at MetroHealth at 6 AM and the surgery began at 7:30 AM. Dr. Houser must be an early bird

At the office visit, Dr. Houser and I viewed the CT Scan of my sinuses taken in September 2009. Basically, it showed that I have roughly even air space between my right and left nostril in the upper portion of my nose as a result of my right septal implant, which compensates for the middle turbinates, which have been removed. So we decided to leave the upper right septal implant alone.

However, the lower implant that mirrors the inferior turbinate was bulging, and we decided to remove this to the extent possible so I could have more symmetry between my right and left side (my right side is primarily my ENS side). We also decided to add a small right lateral wall implant. It was ultimately a guess on this implant because we are both a) removing the lower right septal implant and b) adding the right lateral wall implant. So we are changing two variables at once. I tried a cotton test and did not notice much difference with the cotton, but the lateral wall is closer to the actual location of my right inferior turbinate. The nice aspect of having a lateral wall implant on the right is it is in the natural location and not likely to be as obstructive as a septal implant, plus it is smaller than my right septal implant and likely to resorb by 50%. So hopefully this will do the trick in providing me more natural, even and less obstructive breathing of the right nostril, which was basically my hope for this surgery.

Dr. Houser also identified a cyst in my left sinus, and removed it during the surgery. He does seem to be looking out for my blindside!

It's obviously too early to tell if this surgery will be a success, as I am congested and have plenty of crusting, bleeding, and swelling. It is as though my left nostril is clear as it was not operated on, while my right nostril is clogged, but this is just part of the healing process. The post-operative pain is minimal, as I am mostly experiencing it as a direct result of the breathing tube in my throat. I'll plan to write another post once I am much further along in the healing process.

Health Insurance protecting bottom line rather than my health

2010-05-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

I genuinely wish I could state that I believed my health insurance was acting in my best interests to protect my health. Unfortunately, my health insurance company seems only interested in protecting the bottom line and doing only what is inside their contract. For people with ENS, this means a challenge to get the treatment we need. It is likely Blue Cross (and many other insurance companies) get paid more to deny surgeries than to approve them.

In desiring a lateral wall implant, a very reasonable (if not among the only) option for someone with empty nose syndrome, I have had to battle my insurance company - and, perhaps thanks in part to my persistence, I won. I have been approved for the lateral wall implant , but this was a 5-month battle, beginning in Mid-January. At first my insurance company, BlueCross, was not even going to grant me a prospective review, because I have an indemnity policy and Blue Cross stated experimental surgeries can only be granted retrospective reviews. In other words, they wanted me to go through with the surgery and stick me with the bill. I filed a complaint with the state department of insurance and, as a result, BlueCross granted me a prospective review and quickly denied the surgery on the basis of its contract which does not indicate use of alloderm in the nose; it was just a quick, knee-jerk denial, from my perspective. So I filed an appeal requesting my case be reviewed and that the doctor speak with Dr. Houser and review the literature on implants for ENS, but the doctor did neither. And denied me the surgery again.

Consequently, I filed another complaint with the state department of insurance on the basis of the doctor not granting me a fair review and I also filed an external appeal to be completed by an independent medical review board. Three doctors reviewed the case, all were ENTs and appeared to have strong credentials, and they all unanimously agreed to "overturn" Blue Cross' decision on the basis of ENS being an extraordinarily difficult condition to treat, Dr. Houser being the one doctor with experience in this area, and the implants being an effective if only treatment, although the research study is Level 4 (not a controlled, double blind study because that would be a difficult feat for any doctor to do given the uniqueness of our health condition). So BlueCross is now forced to grant me a pre-authorization on the procedure. Because ENS is so specialized and doctors have so little understanding on it, our battle to get a lateral wall implant approved is truly an uphill one. Which is a shame, as we ENS sufferers are already so limited in our treatment options.

But the point is, we can get this procedure approved if we persist in fighting for it.

Adult Tonsillectomy - a great decision

2010-05-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

On April 19th, 2010, I had an adult tonsillectomy. I am 30 years old and have a history of chronic throat infections, as well as a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. On top of that, I have had issues with dry mouth and postnasal drip. The pain from this tonsillectomy was actually quite intense for the week or so, as it was painful in my ears and upon swallowing, and tylenol just didn't cut it; I had to use the oxycodone prescribed for me to get through the first week. In contrast to what I have been through as an empty nose syndrome sufferer, however, I would gladly take a week of suffering over years of a) chronic discomfort in my nasal breathing, b) chronic throat infections, and c) ear pain caused by TMJ and mucus buildup near the base of my eustachian tubes. Although intense for a short time, going through with an adult tonsillectomy was cake compared to my other health issues I have been through.

The good news is this was an excellent decision, as I have already been enjoying the benefits. My mouth has been more moist, I seem to have less postnasal drip, and I recently did not incur a throat infection my son had had. (Prior to the tonsillectomy, I would always catch his cold and it would linger indefinitely). Needless to say, I believe it was a good decision and I feel thankful to have had it.

Like with many of my health decisions, I have had to be my own doctor. No doctor recommended the tonsillectomy to me. I find that, while doctors can provide a valuable source of information and I respect them for their expertise in their respective fields, my gut is usually correct and I need to educate myself if I want the best possible outcome. Three doctors recommended against the tonsillectomy, one stating I already had enough removed - referring to the turbinectomy, another stating that no doctor would do the tonsillectomy without 4 confirmed cases of strep throat in a year, and a third highlighting the value of the tonsils with respect to providing antibodies and lymphocytes. So I basically went to a local ENT (after doing some research on him) and said my physician from out of town would be glad to do the tonsillectomy on me, which he honestly would, but I do not want to be away from family for that long and I would prefer to be closer to the doctor who did the surgery in case of complications such as bleeding. He gladly agreed to do it, thinking it was a reasonable option for me. My tonsils were diseased, not that enlarged, but they were indeed causing symptoms.

I also am going to a new primary care provider who recently had her tonsils removed. Before the procedure, she supported me and though I was definitely a good candidate for it. She noted how, after the tonsils are removed, the other lymph glands work more effectively to remove mucus from the throat. And she was definitely right.

If you are thinking of a tonsillectomy for chronic infections as an adult, don't hesitate to do it. It might be intense pain for a short time, but the end result is totally worth it.

Long-term nasal saline irrigation linked to increased risk of infections: Wrong conclusion?

2010-03-09T13:46:00.000-08:00

An ENS sufferer sent me an e-mail that discussed a study suggesting too much irrigation can lead to more infections. I have been using irrigation, nose and throat, every day for several years. I wrote the following ezine article in 2007:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-You-Must-Do-Pulsatile-Nasal-Irrigation-Even-If-Youre-Healthy&id=751410. I still believe it to be true today. I believe that the authors of the study came to the wrong conclusion. Keep reading to see why. Fact is hundreds of research articles document the benefits of daily nasal irrigation, but only one suggests to the contrary.

The following links discuss a research study that suggests long-term use of nasal irrigation can lead to more infections, not less:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/712146
http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ACAAI/16870

One doctor's perspective on this study:
http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/138531

This doctor wrote: My feeling is that if you feel better and you don't get as many infections, keep doing it. After a few weeks or months, you can experiment by stopping the irrigation and see what happens. I agree with this doctor's statement. Furthermore, this is just an abstract, it only addresses acute sinusitis, and ringer's lactate solution has been found to be more effective than plain saline for increasing mucociliary clearance when doing rinses; it's too bad the study didn't use Ringer's lactate.

Here are some questions I thought up in light of this study (that I'll try to answer):

Question: Is cleanliness of the irrigation apparatus part of the reason for increased infections over long-term use?

Answer: I happen to believe this is really the key issue. It's important to clean the irrigator regularly, no matter which one you use. With the neti pot or neilmed (or a bulb syringe), you get backwash, which increases the potential for bad bacteria to multiply very quickly. You don't get backwash with the HydroPulse, for example. Devices that don't prevent backflow will become contaminated very quickly, so the patient reinfects themselves. Bottom line: by using an unclean irrigator, you reinfect yourself. Clean it regularly and don't use a device that allows backflow. Use the HydroPulse.

Question: Is there a potential for mild dryness and a rebound effect with irrigating too frequently?

Answer: Breathe-ease XL irrigation solution is in fact hydrating and, according to Dr. Grossan, it is the exact same solution as used in IV in a hospital for hydration. So I wouldn't worry about mild drying and a potential rebound effect (as you get from Afrin), if you use Breathe-ease isotonically, and twice per day. I have been using Breathe-ease XL everyday and doctors have noted my nose is somewhat moist, considering it's an empty nose. If you use plain salt water, on the other hand, then you might get mild drying and a rebound effect over long-term use. Just go for Breathe-ease XL and avoid using products that have additivites or preservatives, such as benzalkonium chloride.

Question: By irrigating too regularly, such as daily, can you potentially reduce the immune products - enzymes, beneficial bacteria, antibodies - in the nasal mucus?

Answer: From what I am told by some medical professionals, the body regenerates the defense products regularly, so you would need to irrigate hourly or more to reduce the immune products in the mucus, ultimately lowering the immune system. My immune system has improved over the years and I use an irrigator daily.

Question: What would be an effective strategy to keep infections at bay when irrigating? I piqued Dr. Grossan's brain on this one and below are his thoughts:

Xylitol is available on the net for less than 5 dollars a pound. The xylitol in Breathe ease XL is less than 1% so it isn’t so much to get rid of bugs, it is for restoring the cilia. Bugs get serious indigestion with Xylitol . So if you start with a 1% solution you can gradually increase it to 5% to see how that feels. You still need one tsp of salt to make saline or the breathe.ease XL

Again 2 tsp to 500 cc of saline is 1%
4 tsp to 500 cc of saline is 2%
And up to 10 tsp of Xylitol gets to 5%

Below are two articles written by Dr. Grossan that I thought I would share:

Nasal Irrigation:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5694507_use-nasal-irrigation-sinus-problems.html?shared=true

Throat irrigation:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5800211_wash-away-tonsoliths-halitosis.html?shared=true

Message for Dr. Phil

2010-03-06T15:09:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would share the letter I sent to Dr. Phil. Thanks for posting on this, jdog. I hope others will post a reply to Dr. Phil as well....the more, the better chance we will be heard. I have sent many emails to Oprah and Dr. Oz in the past, but hope springs eternal. I probably didn't personalize my letter that much as I tried to briefly explain ENS, but I encourage you to share gory details of your suffering, if you so desire.....

Here’s my story of how an incorrect diagnosis (of rhinitis) led to an unnecessary and highly damaging nose surgery. I had a highly aggressive nasal surgery performed on me in 1997 that has led to a serious and troubling condition called empty nose syndrome – or ENS. Because the turbinates are largely removed or rendered dysfunctional as a result of the surgery, the nose is unable to heat, humidify, and filter air, or provide nasal airflow resistance to the lungs. This condition consequently leads to many problems including nasal dryness, breathing difficulties, chronic throat discomfort, recurrent (and sometimes serious) infections, and it is associated with high rates of depression – even suicide. Because it is caused by surgery, very few physicians strive to treat it.

In addition to patients, some expert doctors that you could consider interviewing include: ENT specialists Dr. Houser of Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Grossan of Los Angeles, California, Dr. Eugene Kern and Dr. Oren Friedman of Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Dr. Wellington Tichenor of New York City.

Thank you so very much for your consideration of our serious but little known and poorly understood iatrogenic condition. You could do a ton of good by making the public aware of our plight.

Reply on article - "who needs a doctor these days when we have the Internet?" by Gary Brown

2010-02-24T13:34:00.000-08:00

Given my indebtedness to the Internet in helping me to find assistance for my condition of empty nose syndrome, as well as a diagnosis, I offered a reply to columnist Gary Brown, of Canton, Ohio, who wrote the following article, entitled, "Who needs a doctor these days when we have the Internet?"

You can read this article at:
http://www.cantonrep.com/opinion/columnists/x1487806223/Gary-Brown-Who-needs-a-doctor-these-days-when-we-have-the-Internet

Below is my reply:

Dear Mr. Brown:

Thank you for your column, "who needs a doctor these days when we have the Internet?" I sort of appreciated the humor contained in it and I am glad your hand is feeling better - I was sooo worried about your poor hand ;) However, while the Internet can certainly be a source of worry, as you might wrongly 'discover' you have this or that self-diagnosis, I find it to be an extremely valuable source of health information. Granted, I read everything with a critical mind, but I research medical articles on pubmed.gov (and can think for myself on them), learn more about different health problems, learn treatment strategies for coping with health problems, and natural remedies (free of side effects caused by prescription drugs). The best part is I don't need to wait an hour or two to talk to a "hurried" know-it-all doctor. I can then utilize my newfound knowledge and maybe seek 'expert' advice from doctors, who are woefully ignorant on nutrition and reluctant to believe anything that can't be replicated in a double-blind study, so we can work together for the best possible outcome. Pardon the sarcasm, as I genuinely believe (and have found some) doctors who can play an important role in people's health; it's just that many overpaid, overworked, proud doctors don't or can't and ultimately, as patients, we need to be our own doctors and take control of our health.

Frankly, I would not even know I had "empty nose syndrome," which was later confirmed by a doctor 6 1/2 years after the onset of symptoms, unless I learned about it on the web because doctors are slow to diagnose it, let alone acknowledge it as a serious problem. (It's clearly a real problem with medical journal articles on it). Frankly, the Internet is a communication tool that threatens dictatorships and I think we should be thankful for it, if we have the IQ to filter the wheat from the chaff. I know my health is much better off because of it.

So I think you're right, on some level: who needs a doctor these days when we have the Internet!

Sincerely,

Christopher Martin

I shared my reply with an ENS sufferer and friend, and he replied as follows:

Hey Chris,
Your response is very good. I think Gary Brown's point of view was one of trivial medical issues that many get all excited about for no reason. We, on the other hand, found out our major medical issue via the internet after going to countless doctors who were unwilling or unsure of a diagnosis.

Mercury Dental Fillings

2010-02-23T19:29:00.000-08:00

The use of mercury in dental fillings is a type of "killing us softly." Most of us know people who have had so-called "silver amalgams" and many appear healthy. Because people have fillings and because these people do not have clearcut signs of serious adverse health affects as a direct result of such fillings, people assume they are totally safe. Wrong. The American Dental Association, after all, makes it claim that fillings are safe because they have been placed in the mouths of so many people for so many years. They even threaten dentists who suggest removal of mercury fillings for health reasons as unethical and at risk of having their license revoked. Too many dentists, in turn, are proponents of mercury fillings because they are cheap and durable, which ultimately adds to their business. I brought the concern of mercury toxicity up with one hygienist who remarked, if these fillings are toxic, then I will be the first to have them removed. Of course, I highly doubt she was tested for heavy metal toxicity, so how would she otherwise know if she was toxic from heavy metals? In any case, I did what I believed was correct for my health. I had a dentist remove a toxic substance and replaced it with a less toxic substance. That's all.

Mercury, which comprises 50% of the metal fillings, is highly toxic. It is my opinion that the mercury in fillings should not be placed in our mouths. Period. There are better alternatives, such as resin composites and porcelain. I am willing to pay extra for these products because I care about my health. In fact, I just had all 7 fillings replaced with resin composites in the past 2 months, while also following a heavy metal detoxification protocol to decrease the toxic load of the mercury in my body caused by these fillings, which have been in my teeth for the past 20 years. I use "HMD," which stands for heavy metal detox. It is a bit expensive, but worth it in my opinion. (HMD has been tested through a 3-year double blind study to reduce the load of toxic metals. Of course, the dentists and medical professionals like to suggest that any 'natural' product that has not undergone rigorous testing can be considered quackery, while medicine put on the shelves often have side effects, needing the drugs to be recalled years later for serious adverse side affects. Don't get me wrong, companies of supplements often push their products out of greed, just like Big Pharma. But just because a product has not been shown to be highly effective in highly controlled, double-blind research studies is not a reason to dismiss it....if only the medical authorities were educated on nutrition, they would be in such a better position to help patients with chronic health ailments!)....Okay, I am going on a tangent here and HMD has been proven to be effective....

Mercury in amalgam fillings results in the release of 17 micrograms per day per filling. That's quite a bit if the average person has 8 fillings. Having just 4 fillings leads to a higher level of mercury in our bodies per day than is recommended as a safe and acceptable level by the World Health Organization. There are significant neurological problems associated with mercury, and it is highly absorbable into the bloodstream and all body tissues. In response to such concerns, Germany, Austria, Sweden and Norway have banned and/or significantly curtailed the use of mercury dental amalgams. Good for them. California has issued statements suggesting possibile toxicity from mercury to pregnant women and Canada, from what I recall, recommends no more than 4 mercury fillings for adults.

Bottom line: Go to an environmental or biological dentist who practices mercury-free dentistry. If you have such fillings, get them removed in a safe manner following a careful protocol. I personally used activated charcoal before and after the restorations, as well as a vitamin C flush, after they were done, in accordance with the recommendations of one dentist. I cannot state that the removal of such fillings have had a profound impact on my health, although I have noticed some improvement with respect to nasal inflammation, and I am only less than one week post-restorations. But I am well aware of concerns with mercury amalgams. It is just good sense to put only biocompatible materials in one's mouth. Doing anything else, despite the financial feasibility (or financial benefit to a dentist through increased business), can be potentially harmful.

New ENS website

2010-02-17T19:21:00.000-08:00

An empty nose syndrome sufferer is writing a website devoted to raising awareness about empty nose syndrome: http://emptynosesyndromesite.com. I encourage all who browse this blog to visit it. It has useful treatment tips and quite a fascinating story. Like many of us who suffer from ENS, the sufferer has been through terrible experiences in striving to treat her health as well as in dealing with the mainstream medical community that has failed her. I hope she is able to find some real relief for her issues, and I wish her the best in working with me to promote awareness for empty nose syndrome. Her efforts, I am sure, will not only raise awareness, but also make an impact among ear, nose and throat specialists. The more stories out there, the more we will be taken seriously.

Question from ENS-Type Sufferer

2010-02-17T19:12:00.000-08:00

Question: I have ens-Type. I had coblation of the inferior turbinates. The coblator was passed 3 timed and my turbinates were outfractured.
I am outraged my surgeon has crippled me so. My question to you concerns my reading that turbinate tissue can regrow. When will this regrowth begin? Can I go back to normal? What percentage of sufferers of ens-type through turbinate coblation experience total regrowth?

Its been a year since my surgery. Please help. Thanks

Answer: If your turbinates have not regrown after a year post-surgery, then I am doubtful they will regrow. You definitely can enjoy some improvement to your health, however, but this will take some serious dedication to your nasal health as well as learning from others with identical issues. I don't know the answer to what percentage of ENS-Type sufferers experience total regrowth - it likely depends on the amount of mucosal damage and amount of resected tissue, with more tissue removed or more mucosal damage, then less promising is the prognosis. Some patients with ENS-Type have reported much improvement from implanted Alloderm tissue. Get opinion from Dr. Houser and go from there.

Acidic Saliva, Dry Mouth & Throat Infections

2010-02-13T19:21:00.000-08:00

In a perfect world, I would be able to go to a doctor, the doctor would spend much time with me, do a careful examination, offer useful suggestions, and make an appropriate diagnosis. The doctor would be either able to effectively treat my condition or refer me to a specialist who could. I wish. The current healthcare system offers the exact opposite solution for patients with chronic health ailments, such as myself. Modern health care consists of a hurried environment where the doctor gets paid more to see more patients, the patient's questions or concerns are not valued, and the doctor is trained to think in accordance with the major medical societies and not outside the box (e.g., not see the value or have training in nutrition or supplements, not question the medical journals, which are at the mercy of Big Pharma).

Is it any wonder, then, that it took me 6 years post-surgery and an Internet search (when only 2 or 3 sites mentioned empty nose syndrome) to discover I had a little-known condition called empty nose syndrome? Or that it took 12 years of intense suffering, pressure around my ears, to discover that I had a tempromandibular joint disorder, even after I asked doctors repeatedly to examine my ears? In my case, and I am sure with many patients who may be reading this blog, you have to be your own doctor. Do your homework and don't rely on doctors for good health. You are your best advocate when it comes to your health- no one else is looking out for you.

Now my big question I am presently grappling with is "how do I get to the root of my throat infections?" I get about 6-7 per year, and the infections just linger in my throat until I go on an antibiotic. I would actually say I am free of sinusitis now and am just trying to eradicate infections that linger in my throat - well after a cold is done. There are so many avenues I could pursue to treat infections and build immune health, so my ultimate goal is to get to the root of the problem and attempt surgery (such as a tonsillectomy) only if the preventative treatments fail. Recently, my primary care provider noted I always have a dry mouth and I think he hit the nail on the head. He was not the first doctor to note I had an "extremely dry oral mucosa." A third doctor also noted I had mildly erythmatous throat - mildly inflamed - with thick, sticky mucus, which is the way my throat is all the time. So I think the line of attack is, in my situation, good oral hygiene. These issues are closely linked to increase in cavities, so that should be a second benefit, with (I am hoping) the primary benefit being a decrease in throat infections.

The problem is I have acidic saliva (ph of 5.75-6.25 most of the time), but very alkaline urine. A main function of saliva is to neutralize acids in the mouth after eating. Saliva also eradicates bad bacteria, mold, viruses, and fungi in the mouth, so there is an increased risk of candida and infections among people who have dry mouth. What this suggests to me is that my body has weak digestive enzymes and poor oral health, but excellent ability to excrete acids and assimilate nutrients. Based on what I have read, there can be many causes to acidic saliva, including the possibility of dry mouth as a causative factor. And dry mouth has a number of causes as well. (Of course, my mouth does have more saliva than people with xerostomia - dry mouth, so doctors are reluctant to put me on saliva stimulating medication, such as pilocarpine, but maybe that's just as well because most medications have side effects). Did you know I am on NO medications? That's right, I just take some supplements as of this writing.

So here are some thoughts on causes of acidic saliva:
(Reference: http://www.ehow.com/facts_5660143_causes-acidic-saliva_.html)

1. Dry mouth. Sjogren's syndrome, which includes a dry mouth and dry eyes, can lead to acidic saliva. Insufficient saliva is produced, so the mouth is unable to dilute acids. This may apply to me on some mild level, although I have not undergone testing from a rheumatologist (e.g., salivary gland biopsy, salivary flow test, eye test).

2. Radiation. Cancer patients who have often undergone chemotherapy have damaged salivary glands (from the radiation) that leads to acidic saliva. This does not seem to apply to me personally, although I have undergone multiple CT scans of my sinuses in my life.

3. Smoking. Smoking decreases saliva production. This does not apply to me, as I don't smoke.

4. Acidic foods. Spicy, salty, sweet foods - oh, I do admit that I am a big fan of citrus fruits and hot, spicy foods, so this could definitely be a culprit in my case.

5. Sugary foods. Sugar is very difficult to eliminate entirely, but reducing the load - by primarily eating sugar in fruits, called fructose - is one way I have reduced my sugar intake. As you may be aware, sugar immediately paralyzes the immune system. In the mouth, bacteria thrive on sugar and a byproduct of that is acidic saliva. In my own experiences, diet is critical for immune health, with removal of sugar and yeast as the two major culprits to poor immune health. I was reading somewhere that acidic saliva with mercury amalgam fillings can lower the immune system. (I recently had my 7 amalgam fillings replaced with resin composites, while simultaneously undergoing a heavy metal detox - we'll see if that helps!)

As you read above, dry mouth may be one of the causes of acidic saliva. There is a good discussion on why saliva is so important for cleaning the mouth and preventing infections at: http://www.breezecare.com/infobb/drymouth.html. I also appreciated Dr. Mercola's discussion of dry mouth at: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/12/How-to-Lick-Bad-Breath-and-Dry-Mouth.aspx"

In any case, reasons for dry mouth are similar to reasons for acidic saliva, as follows:

1. Medications. More than 400 medications can cause dry mouth. I personally have been on antihistamines and decongestants long-term in the past (for about one year), which I surmise could be a contributing factor at present, even though I was on these medications about 9 years ago. I am only on supplements, and I suppose it is possible that the binding elements of these supplements cause dry mouth.

2. Stress. I definitely notice a close relationship between stress and my degree of dry mouth.

3. Nerve damage or injury to the salivary glands from surgery.

3. Sjogren's and other medical conditions.

4. Dehydration. Not drinking enough. I drink a lot each day, about 10-12 8-ounce glasses of water per day, so this is not an issue for me. If anything, I am usually thirsty. I also don't talk a lot, so this doesn't cause it either for me.

5. Smoking or chewing tobacco.

6. Mouth breathing. I am sure I do this, given my nasal anatomy, but I doubt this is the main reason I have dry mouth.

To be perfectly frank, this issue of unhealthy saliva, dry mouth, and acidic saliva sort of remind me of the type of battle I face with TMJ. Think about it: both seem to have a neuromuscular component and are related to stress, both can make life uncomfortable, and both can primarily be managed, not cured. I have done a pretty good job of controlling my TMJ symptoms, now it's onto good oral health. Keep in mind I have not had any additional cavities in the past 10 years, so I must be doing something right.

Here are some treatments for dry mouth:

-Using a dry mouth mouthwash & toothpaste, among other dry mouth products (gels, gum, moisturizing sprays, lozenges).
-Prescription medication such as pilocarpine - "salagen."
-Using an over-the-counter artificial saliva substitute.
-Sucking on sugar-free candy.
-Chewing sugar-free gum, with xylitol.
-Sipping water throughout the day.
-Protecting your teeth by brushing regularly.
-Breathing through your nose instead of your mouth to the extent possible.
-Using a room vaporizer or humidifier in the bedroom.

Here is my personal course of action for attacking the issues of acidic saliva and dry mouth:

1. I definitely need to attempt to aggressively treat dry mouth and improve the saliva PH, which I can measure in the comfort of my home. I think the biotene mouthwash & biotene toothpaste are the two best products toward this end. I also hope to try the prescription medication eventually, if a doctor will test me for a dry mouth syndrome and agree to try it with me. Okay, perhaps I should seek medical opinion from a rheumatologist.

2. As I admitted earlier, I am a sucker for spicy, salty and sweet foods, as well as acidic fruits. I need to cut back on these. Hopefully that should help with both the PH of my saliva, as well as my dry mouth.

3. Decrease stress. This is always a challenge for me, but possible. My mouth (and perhaps throat infections would appreciate it!)

Reader replies on balloon sinuplasty

2010-01-27T17:49:00.000-08:00

Nice post!
Balloon sinuplasty seems to be getting a ton of traction lately. If nothing else I am glad that people are becoming aware of other options. It used to be that sinus surgery was the only way and that's a pretty invasive procedure w/ a less than stellar success rate.
Thanks again for posting. I will now go and check out your book!

My reply: Thanks for your thoughts. I agree it is nice to have less invasive options. I would just add this one comment: I think treating the sinuses to prevent inflammation post-sinus surgery would help ensure its effectiveness; in the case of an antrostomy, it would make it a permanent success as the opening would remain there to prevent recirculation. Of course, it's important to do all you can preventatively prior to undergoing surgery in the first place. Thanks again for your thoughts!

Balloon Sinuplasty

2010-01-25T18:29:00.000-08:00

A reader e-mailed me the following comment:

"any thoughts on balloon sinuplasty? effective? covered by healthcare typically?"

This is a procedure indicated for sinusitis patients who have recirculation of mucus in the maxillary sinuses becaues of blocked ostia. I'm not much of an expert on balloon sinuplasty so I'd refer the reader to the following site: http://www.balloonsinuplasty.com I recall my brother-in-law, who is a family doctor, sharing information with me on this procedure a while back. Here's how I understand it: it works like an angioplasty in that a tube is inserted into the ostia and then opened when there (to open the sinuses). My thoughts are that, if balloon sinuplasty is indicated for your particular condition, go for it. It's less invasive and appears safer than an antrostomy with fewer post-surgery complications. If you simply need a little opening of the ostia, and the ostia are not blocked by scar tissue or tissue that needs to be removed, then I would surmise it would be effective. In my case, tissue had to be removed surgically so I was not a candidate for ballon sinuplasty. This has fixed recirculation for me and lessened my risk of sinusitis in the right maxillary sinus, in particular. Of course, like with an antrostomy, I surmise you do need to be sure to keep inflammation at a minimum post-surgery, so the ostia do not become blocked again. As to whether it is covered by insurance, I am really not sure. You'd have to check that out with your insurance company. Good luck!

That would be fantastic....

2010-01-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

Hello Christopher, congratulations! I am in Europe and currently writing a free book about my experiences from suffering chronic sinusitis. I would be very happy to get your book. I would also like to exchange links. You have a special invitation to comment on my chapters that I am putting online. Kind regards, MarcusMarcus Brinkmann

My reply: That's fantastic. I'd be glad to review your book and offer comments. Please go ahead and put a link to my site & I'll do the same once I know your website. To readers of this blog, please read the blog post below on primary immunodeficiency and ENS.....it is lengthy, informative, and hopefully will pique your interest...

Treating primary immunodeficiency (and ENS)

2010-01-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

I believe it is critically important that we make every day count, because time will come and go, and I am sure I speak not only for myself, but for many ENS sufferers, in that we want to live our lives fully and not be all-consumed by our condition. However, the catch is our condition can be quite-consuming and it takes focusing on our condition to be able to treat it fully and move on. So we do need to treat it - to a point we can accept our condition. Then move on. I have 4 young children and they are very much a blessing to me and my family. I want to spend time with them each day. In that light, I made three new year's goals for each day:

1) Spend time outside each day - OK, today it is frigid out, but most days...
2) Read the Bible and spend time with my family in devotion and prayer each day.
3) Enjoy good health each day. Exercise each day. Have fewer than 4 infections in 2010.

Keeping in line with the purpose of this blog, it is this latter goal that is the focus of this blog post. I want to have fewer than 4 infections in 2010. In 2009, I had 7 sinus infections, the majority of which required short-term antibiotic usage. Generally, my children get the stuffy nose first, I get it 3-5 days later due to exposure (I also work in a school), and then my infection lingers for two weeks unless I treat it. I should probably state, though, that not all ENS sufferers suffer from repeat sinus infections. Only some do. However, having removed turbinates means our defense system is weakened, as the turbinates are the main mucus-producing organs of the nose and provide much surface area that helps to collect germs and transport them to the stomach where they are killed with stomach acid. This is a very important function of the turbinates. To compensate for this function being removed, I irrigate my nose on a daily basis. On top of this, I also have much scarring of my sinuses, particularly my ethmoid sinuses, due to the 1997 turbinectomy. To make matters worse, I have a specific antibody deficiency to the pneumonia bacteria, which is called a primary immunodeficiency disorder. This deficiency is considered "mild" as my body was able to produce protective antibodies to 14 (of 23). This is not good protection.

So here's what I seem to have: A combination of empty nose syndrome and a mild primary immunodeficiency disorder, that manifests itself as chronic sinusitis. The good news is I primarily catch sinus infections in the fall and spring, although they can creep up any time if I'm not careful. How am I careful? a) I do both nose and throat irrigation on a daily basis. b) I eat right in line with my food sensitivities (https://www.alcat.com/index.php) as well as following an anti-candida diet. 3) I strive to get the best possible sleep on a regular basis (I use a combination of humidified CPAP with an oral appliance) 4) Exercise daily. 5) I drink plenty of liquids, almost exclusively water 6) I drink hot tea (or hot water) with lemon and honey 7) I take a few potent supplements, but am on no medications. 8) I get craniosacral therapy weekly, which also helps with drainage. 9) I get allergy shots every other week.

This year, my goal will be to have fewer than 4 sinus infections. I plan to make this a reality. It won't be easy, by any means, but I believe it is very possible. I have attacked some of the most challenging health issues of mine, and succeeded in 2009 with flying colors.

2009 health successes:

1) That's right, it was the first year in probably 14 where I did not have severe ear symptoms, where it has felt as though my ears weighed 5 pounds at different points in time. I later learned this was TMJ, by myself, which was confirmed by a doctor later. I have been doing jaw massages and this makes a real difference. If you have TMJ or certain chronic pain conditions, I highly recommend the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, Second Edition: http://www.triggerpointbook.com/

2) I also use the humidified CPAP (despite doctor reluctance, as I am thin and young, so I don't fit the typical mode of an apnea patient) and this makes all the difference for my sleep. A second issue attacked. My parents commented how I seem healthier than they have ever seen me. I accredit this to the CPAP, the singlemost beneficial move I made for my health this year.

3) In 2009, I increased my Vitamin D level from 29 at the start of the year, which is a mildly deficient level, to near 80 by the end of the year; the former amount is considered deficient while the latter is considered cancer-fighting; 50 to 65 is considered "optimal." Some doctors prescribe 50,000 IU of Vitamin D/week for patients. I don't think that is a good idea unless if blood tests show deficiency and the response to the pills is monitored. A Vitamin D level higher than 100 is considered toxic, and that can be damaging as well. In my own situation, because my Vitamin D level was near 80, my doctor instructed me to decrease supplementation from 5,000 IU to 2,000 IU/Day. Anyway, a third issue attacked.

My primary immunodeficiency:

Now, as to the primary immunodeficiency, I pose various questions on how best to treat it so I can enjoy fewer than 4 infections in 2010 (and try to answer them myself!!!). Yes, I try to answer them myself. Here's the game plan:

1) I will continue to follow an anti-candida diet, along with recommendcations from the ALCAT testing.
2) I will continue to use the humidified CPAP in combination with the oral appliance.
3) I will continue to exercise daily, or at least 4 times per week. Simple walking - or a combination of walking and running - might suffice.
4) I will continue to do both nose and throat irrigation using the Hydro Pulse, twice per day.
5) I will continue to follow good hygiene practices - brushing my teeth twice per day, flossing, washing my hands for 20 seconds. Et cetera.
6) I will continue to drink hot water or tea with lemon and honey, such as green tea, regularly.
7) I will maintain a solid Vitamin D level.

As for monitoring the deficiency, I have had other thoughts on how to beat it (if that is possible).

Question #1: Is it possible that because my deficiency is mild, I may someday produce enough antibodies that my antibody deficiency to the pneumonia bacteria may not be a deficiency anymore?

Answer #1: Yes, I believe immunological levels can change. I can't assume this for a fact, but I believe strongly that someday my antibody levels to pneumonia may be normal. One way to do this is by getting pneumonia shots once or twice per year and monitoring my antibody levels to the shot. Although pneumonia shots are normally administered only once every 5 or 10 years, getting more shots can't hurt; you can't over-immunize. In fact, the reason why people don't get pneumonia shots more often is because they are reported to be less effective if given more often. At least that's how I understand it. I'm not a big fan of vaccines due to the toxic ingredients in many of them such as mercury or thimerosal, but a shot that gives me antibodies to pneumonia seems worthwhile. It also seems worthwhile to monitor my body's response to the shots, so I understand my current levels of antibodies.

Question #2: I usually always try to fight off infections on my own prior to resorting to antibiotics. Yet after waiting two weeks and, once I notice the colored mucus are not resolving or has not been eradicated, the only way I effectively fight the infection is antibiotics. Should I be considered for prophylactic use of antibiotics (e.g., low-dose penicillin) only during times of the year when I catch infections - spring and fall?

Answer #2: I should probably be considered for preventative antibiotics, because although most colds start as a viral infection, there is generally a secondary bacterial infection. People with primary immunodeficiency needs antibiotics more than those who have a good defense system. This reasoning goes against the grain of thinking of most doctors who believe it is better to "wait it out," concerned about resistant strains of bacteria developing. Fact is, despite theories on resistent strains, gut disturbance, etc., in practice side effects are few among patients administered low-dose antibiotics. Nevertheless, as should be noted, antibiotics are not without side effects, such as killing the good bacteria in the gut or a fungal infection. That said, perhaps a better question to ask is as follows:

Question #3: What is the most proper use of antibiotics for a patient with primary immunodeficiency?

Answer #4: The treatment for me, I believe, rests somewhere between the extremes of using intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment - a blood infusion of plasma proteins to give us the necessary antibodies every 3-4 weeks - and preventative use of antibiotics. In fact, I think it should depend on how well I as a patient respond to the pneumonia shot. If I have a partial or no response, then antibiotics should be administered sooner rather than later with colds; if I have a good response with a real increase in antibodies, then perhaps I will have fewer infections in the following year and can expect not to have to use antibiotics as much. Here's my thought for a game plan with antibiotics: Wait a week after coming down with a cold, have the doctor do a nasal smear or nasal culture for both fungi and bacteria, and that will provide objective information to determine whether to use antibiotics or not. Problem is this is not cost-effective medicine for doctors to administer smears or cultures; they would rather make educational guesses when prescribing antibiotics, rather than get to the bottom of the issue.

Question #4: Should I be considered for antibiotics in irrigation?

Answer #4: Absolutely, but only for local infections in the nose and throat (http://www.aslrx.com/get-started-physician.shtml). A systemic infection that is severe requires either IV antibiotics (although this will likely lead to fungal infections) or, more likely, oral antibiotics, which sometimes needs to be prescribed for 3-8 weeks. Antibiotics in irrigation will go directly to the site of infection, which in my case is usually the nose or throat, and the important point is it will bypass the stomach. The problem is finding a doctor who will prescribe it. More than likely, only an ear, nose and throat doctor will prescribe it.

Question #5: Are antibiotics effective for patients with primary immunodeficiency?

Answer #5: Yes, for some patients they are effective - and necessary. They should be taken with probiotics at opposite times of the day. Yet a review of history shows us that increased use of antibiotics in our country over the past 50 years has led to more diseases and sinus infections, not less. The antibiotics in the food we eat doesn't help much either, when we talk about resistant strains of bacteria.

Question #6: Do I need IVIG?

Answer #6: Because my body can fight off infections with antibiotics, IVIG should not be necessary. In my opinion, it should be reserved for patients who do not respond to antibiotics and those with life-threatening conditions. Although IVIG can correct the deficiency of antibodies, and this is an important therapy for some people, it comes with risks, which include side effects during administration of IVIG and risks of harming the liver and kidneys, which is primarily for patients with neurological disorders. One healthcare provider commented to me how she knew someone who had multiple sclerosis and had IVIG and came down with hepatitis and is on the list for a liver transplant. Wow. This happened just 2 1/2 years ago, although by most accounts on the web, according to "trusted medical authorities," IVIG is supposedly considered safe.

Question #7: What other strategies can I consider for preventing infections?

A) Those with silver amalgam fillings might consider doing a heavy metal detox (http://www.naturalpathsilverwings.com/products_hmd.html) and getting them replaced with non-toxic fillings. This is what I am planning to do this year. The American Dental Association denies the mercury in these fillings is toxic because amalgam is cheap and durable, yet other countries have recommended limits to amalgam fillings out of concern of toxicity. 15 micrograms of mercury is released per filling, per day, passively and actively, leading to toxic levels for those adults with 4 or more fillings.

B) Get your immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels monitored. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is an antibody which plays a critical role in mucosal immunity. More IgA is produced in mucosal linings than all other types of antibody combined. I am going to ask my primary care doctor to do this when I see him in January. According to one healthcare provider I went to, Epi Cor (ttp://www.naturodoc.com/library/cancer/epicor.htm) is reported to increase IgA levels fourfold for those who are deficient.

C) Detoxification - colon and liver, especially. I personally believe that taking psyllium husk twice per year in water to clean out the colon is good medicine. I also think doing a simple liver/gallblader flush using apple juice once per year is also important (http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/dietarytherapy/a/LiverFlush.htm)

C) Consider use of supplements that have been shown to be effective at boosting immunity. Some are natural antibiotics as well. Examples include:

Colostrum.
Medicinal mushrooms. (http://www.ahccresearch.com/)
Rice Bran in "Peak Immune Support 4" (http://www.peakimmune4.com/)
Astragalus.
Echinacea
Goldenseal
Biotic silver (an advanced form of colloidal silver) (http://www.candidayeastanswers.com/).
Olive Leaf Extract.
Oregano Oil.
Garlic.
Probiotics. I take a 66 billion capsule from Swanson (http://www.swansonvitamins.com/SWL008/ItemDetail)

This is obviously just a short list of the vast array of products that can boost immune system. I plan to take just a few of these immune boosters in combination with all else that I am doing, with the hope that I can have fewer than 4 infections in 2010. I am planning to have a healthy new year with my family! if you have been diagnosed as having an immunodeficiency disorder and wish to comment on this blog post, drop me a line!

Now I'm going to practice what I preach and go exercising for half an hour. I wish all who read this a very happy, healthy new year.

All the best,

Chris

fluwikie writes to me

2009-12-06T17:26:00.000-08:00

Fluwikie, a reputable website with much information on healthy living, sent me the following email, stating my blog won an award and would be regarded as a "featured blogger." Thanks, Fluwikie! In return, here is the link to fluwikie:

http://www.fluwikie.com/

Here is part of the email I received:

Fluwikie.com is in the progress of choosing some of the top blogs(which have adequate information) to receive recognition from Fluwikie.com as a Featured Blogger. This award is not meant to be anything other than a recognition that your blog gives adequate information about tactics that directly or in directly raise disease awareness and prevent the transmission of Disease.

An update in my life

2009-10-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I last posted and my post was an acknowledgement of another blog, where a sinus sufferer is detailing some strategies for improving sinus health: http://sinusofthetimes.blogspot.com/ .

The purpose of this post would be an update on my book success and life in general. I just spent an hour writing a post on my experiences with diet at the empty nose syndrome only to have the computer kick me off and lose the information that I wrote. I don't plan to write it again and maybe it was not meant to be, I don't know. But now I am rather hungry and consequently will keep this post brief so I don't become delusional!

Life has kept me quite occupied and I have much going on between a father of 4 young children, being a full-time school psychologist, continued seeking of direction on my own health, and, heck, chasing the mice out of my home!

It has been two years since my book entitled, "Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim!" was published. The book reached all its aims, in my opinion, between winning an award, selling steadily on Amazon, and most importantly, helping people to finally have a resource they could share with their friends and family regarding ENS. Now these folks can be understood. I have also communicated with countless ENS sufferers and this experience has been rewarding. The pinnacle of this experience was my visit at Mayo Clinc physicians where I had an opportunity to share concerns on the hearts and minds of ENS sufferers, which would thereby facilitate the current research study at Mayo, while also getting opinion on my own health in the process. This has been a totally rewarding experience.

In my own life, I have tirelessly sough appropriate medical help for my situation, and have been able to enjoy great care. Three of my health goals for the year were to

#1: treat the chronic pressure/pain in my ear. After a misdiagnosis by a local doctor, I ultimately figured out how to treat it by myself as I recognized it was an issue of neuromuscular significance and then, recently, was properly diagnosed as having TMJ by a leading expert in the ENT field.

#2: enjoy quality sleep. I just could not wake up feeling rested. Finally, after undergoing sleep studies and through proper treatment using a CPAP with humidity (and I may soon try an oral appliance for apnea), I have been sleeping better and this has helped everything - my mood, my immune system, and my energy level.

#3: fight off sinus infections and treat them effectively. Of course, I have done many things on this front including diet, exercise, detox, steam inhalation, irrigation, improving vitamin D levels, and this is the only issue that still exists for me. (Do keep in mind I work in a school and have 4 children of my own). But I am plugging away and making progress, as I went for 3 1/2 months without a sinus infection this year and a doctor recently declared my sinuses free of "sinusitis" based on a CT scan. Now, as the prior two issues have been treated, I believe this issue will also be treated in due time.

I do need to be clear in that my nose is NOT fully functional, but I can cope with it. I don't have perfect mucociliary clearance system, there's still dryness, air is not being warmed or humidified properly. But I deal with it and I attack the most challenging health issues and move on. And I have made huge dents in improving my health in recent years. But I'm not cured. Through past surgeries I have had (implants, maxillary antrostomy), it is as functional as it can get it. And through good health practices, I have made gains.

I also have been reading endlessly about proper diet and nutrition through research, natural health, and high-quality websites, such as (http://www.mercola.com/), and this has all been helpful. I hope those who read this blog will take a journey to Mercola's website - it's an outstanding resource. But now I need to go and get some food because my stomach is speaking to me.....

Comments about blog from sinus sufferer

2009-08-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

I copied and pasted the following comment below from a sinus sufferer. Thanks, cats, for the generous comments and I will make sure to visit your blog. If you are reading this post, please visit: http://sinusofthetimes.blogspot.com

cats has left a new comment on your post "More Treatments for empty nose syndrome (ENS), sin...":
Hello. I am loving that natural remedies, as well as changes in diet, are getting more press. Sinus infections, and chronic sinusitis, can impact a person's life in a really big way -- ask anyone who suffers.I come from a family full of lousy sinuses (and yes, we often do ask what we possibly could have done to deserve it), and remedies are traded often. At my family's urging I decided to put up a blog outlining "the basics" as I see them. I am not a doctor, just someone who has his 2 cents to add as a sufferer and family member of many sufferers. Visit me online at:http://sinusofthetimes.blogspot.com/We're talking about a family who has tried every diet restriction, yoga pose, neti pot, FESS, balloon sinuplasty, etc., ETC.!The book sounds great I think it will end up on a few Xmas lists at my house!

More Treatments for empty nose syndrome (ENS), sinusitis, allergic rhinitis and postnasal drip (discussed below!....from one patient to another)

2008-07-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

Having Nasal Surgery? Don’t You Become An Empty Nose Victim! includes 38 pages of non-surgical and surgical treatments for empty nose syndrome (ENS). Many treatments for ENS can also effectively treat sinusitis, allergic rhinitis and postnasal drip. I would like to elaborate upon the treatments in this blog, so as to offer additional food for thought, with the belief you can at least experience some improvement. Many of these treatments are important for general nasal health rather than specifically for ENS, and many are particularly beneficial for ENS sufferers who also have allergy or sinusitis issues. Consequently, some might seem more applicable to ENS sufferers without any additional conditions than others. However, as noted in Having Nasal Surgery? many ENS sufferers have allergies because allergies often lead to enlarged turbinates, which doctors resect. My recommendation to you is to ensure that you are doing treatments from Principles 1, 2, 3, which are to thin mucus (e.g., by irrigation), to keep good blood supply to the nose (e.g., by exercise), and to relax (e.g., by a good sleep). The three examples I cited - irrigation, exercise, and good sleep - are perhaps the most critical activities an ENS sufferrer can do to manage his or her symptoms. Then take some additional thoughts from this blog post and incorporate them into your own treatment plan as you see fit. Just take a few of the ideas posted here, not all of them, so that you will actually do it. I hope this post is useful for you, the reader. It is one of the hardest for me to write, as it is not easy to pinpoint all of the interventions for various nasal problems, but I want to leave you with this additional food for thought. Remember, it is only you, no one else, who holds the keys to taking control of your health.

I acknowledge these treatments do not constitute surgical remedies or a cure; my hope in the surgical domain is that while Alloderm placed into the septum offers relief and does not resorb, doctors need to find materials and perfect techniques that might make for a suitable implant in the lateral wall as well. That’s the next step in this surgical area, in my opinion. That’s my hope for doctors as they continue to perfect and refine implant surgeries….

Now, just as it is stated in Having Nasal Surgery?, it should also be stated here that treatments discussed do not constitute medical advice and I strongly recommend you discuss treatment strategies with your doctor prior to attempting any of the ones recommended here.

Before proceeding further, I must review the 3 guiding principles for good nasal health, my 2-step plan, and provide the outline of my non-surgical treatments in Chapter 9 of Having Nasal Surgery?:

Three Guiding Principles for Good Nasal Health:

Principle 1: Keep the nose moist while keeping mucus moving.

Principle 2: Maintain blood supply to the nose by stimulating remaining turbinate tissue.

Principle 3: Relax.

Below is the 2-step plan as I wrote on pages 115 and 116 of Having Nasal Surgery?
With these 3 principles in mind, I recommend a simple 2-step approach for taking control of your nasal health:

1) Seek to incorporate 1-2 treatments from each of Principles 1, 2 and 3 in your daily routine. That is a total of 3-6 treatments per day. You might write down specifically what you are going to do, which will encourage and remind you to actually do it. You should also prioritize what is most important. An example treatment plan might be doing pulsatile irrigation 2 times per day, drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day, exercising 3 times per week, and sleeping 8 hours per night. In my own experiences, I find exercise, sleep and irrigation to be the three most important treatments for ENS. The treatments need to be well-rounded, which is why I suggest to select some from Principles 1, 2 and 3. Of course you can do as many treatments as you wish, but you should stick to what you know you can do faithfully; otherwise you will lose track and not do it. Remember, you will need to talk with your doctor about these treatments before attempting them. Your doctor must be a key play in helping you diagnose your specific medical problems and he or she might recommend or prescribe medications or other treatments.

2) If you are diagnosed with ENS and these treatments have not improved your breathing difficulties, you should talk with your ENT specialist who can help determine if you are a candidate for implant surgery or make a referral.

Principle 1: Keep the nose moist while keeping mucus moving.

Natural Remedies

a) Saline irrigation
Preservatives to avoid in saline solution
How to irrigate with the Grossan Hydro Pulse
b) Nasal sprays
c) Nasal gels
d) Nasal oils

Medical remedies

e) Irrigation with antibiotics
Dr. Grossan’s guide for adding antibiotics to irrigation
f) Guaifenesin
g) Zinc lozenges
h) Allergy shots
i) Antihistamines
j) Three vaccines
k) Decongestants
l) Anti-inflammatories

Dietary remedies

m) Plenty of fluids
n) Hot tea with lemon and honey
o) Chicken soup
p) Vitamins (particularly A and D)
q) Dietary considerations
Products to avoid
Foods that promote healthy sinuses

Environmental remedies

r) Environmental considerations
s) Humidifier
t) Good hygiene

Principle 2: Maintain blood supply to the nose by stimulating remaining turbinate tissue

a) Exercise
b) Swimming
c) Warm packs
d) Other methods of increasing blood flow
Acupuncture
Biofeedback
Inversion technique

Principle 3: Relax.

a) Sleep
b) Reduce stress
Tips to reduce stress

The primary additional tips I would like to suggest center around irrigation, vitamins and supplements, and dietary considerations. These are all non-surgical, mostly natural remedies that are not intended to cure ENS, but might help you cope better. This is particularly applicable and true for people who suffer from not only ENS, but have concomitant problems of sinusitis, allergies or asthma as well. We need to take care of all conditions we might have, as we are only as strong as our weakest link. Since many ENS sufferers suffer from other conditions as well, I trust these treatments are useful so our entire body can heal. In any case, the important key to remember is that you, no one else, must be ready and willing to take control of your health. I am confident many doctors would agree with that assertion. You must want to get or feel better, and be motivated to do it. No one else will do that for you.

The additional tips are organized as follows:

1) New tip on how to get the most out of pulsatile irrigation.

2) Strategies to further thin mucus, thereby bolstering effectiveness of irrigation: steam inhalation and taking warm showers before and/or after irrigation.

3) Chris’ vitamins and supplements to consider (some of which are cited in Having Nasal Surgery?):
· Quercetin with bromelain
· Multi-vitamin
· Acidophilus
· New Chapter Host Defense

4) The antihistamine spray Astelin

5) Food tips:
Avoid dairy products and allergenic foods. Do substitutes for milk such
as rice, oat, nut, coconut and almond milk.
Avoid sugar.
Choose foods that are organic.
Consider food supplements – try garlic, onion, oregano.
Chew some sugar-free gum for good oral hygiene.
The best hot tea.

6) Before you get medicine again, get your mucus cultured.

7) Try acupressure.

8) Try craniosacral therapy.

1) New tip on how to get the most out of pulsatile irrigation…

I have been irrigating my sinuses with my head centered and leaning forward over the sink for years. This is the method recommended by Dr. Grossan, as it avoids the potential of getting water into the ears via the Eustachian tube. It is the method shown on videos demonstrating how to perform pulsatile irrigation. I believe this method is effective, but I would like to offer a more aggressive method for irrigating, as recommended to me by Dr. Tichenor (www.sinuses.com). This method might be particularly beneficial for cleaning the nose of an ENS sufferer who has thick, viscous mucus as well as sinusitis and postnasal drip sufferers. This method consists of tilting your head to the side, so that your head is parallel to the ground. Make the sure the stream of the irrigation is only 1” high and the pressure is low. Then irrigate into the lower nostril for about 4 to 5 seconds or 15-20 cc’s, lift your head up and let the water drain out of your sinuses. If you find water gets into your ears, then lower the pressure or perform the irrigation for fewer seconds. After you are done irrigating 3 or 4 times on the one nostril, proceed to irrigate the other side.

I had some difficulties getting the irrigation into my ears when I first began irrigating in this fashion, but have learned how to remedy that. After my nasal irrigation is complete, I put my head under the bath faucet and turn the water on warm (not hot) and put my head under it. This helps to stimulate the autonomic nervous system and thereby drain water that might otherwise get clogged in my sinuses. Once I have done that, then I proceed to do the throat irrigation. (I do not use salt when I irrigate my throat).

I use the Hydro Pulse as my pulsatile irrigator. The Hydro Pulse pulsates at a rate that stimulates the cilia to their natural rhythm. I find the Hydro Pulse to be gentle and soothing on the sinuses. I am also a firm believer in using the Breathe-ease XL solution, which I believe is the best saline solution for nasal irrigation. This solution was very carefully calibrated by Dr. Grossan, and it is based upon a Locke-Ringer's solution, which medical journals have found to be more effective than saline alone. So if you are looking for optimal health, select the Hydro Pulse and Breathe-ease XL.

2) Strategies to further thin mucus, thereby bolstering effectiveness of irrigation: steam inhalation and taking warm showers before and/or after irrigation.

Strategies to help thin mucus should be beneficial to ENS sufferers who have thick, viscous mucus and a diminished mucociliary clearance system. Of course, allergy and sinusitis would also benefit from these strategies. Before you irrigate (or immediately after you irrigate, for that matter), you might wish to try steam inhalation. Steam inhalation will help to thin the mucus, which will enable the irrigation to be more effective.

On a personal note, I add about 5 drops of eucalyptus oil to the water after steaming it in order to provide the steam with the analgesic (pain-relieving) and antibacterial properties of eucalyptus oil. This oil can be purchased at many health food stores or online. However, it should be noted to not add more than the suggested amount of oil and that “Certain people should avoid eucalyptus steam inhalation, such as those with heart conditions, central nervous system disoders, and pregnant women. Infants, children, and elderly people may not be able to respond appropriately to the heat. (Source: Author Cathy Wong at http://www.about.com/).

Another option is to take a shower immediately before or after an irrigation. Have warm water pour down on your sinuses and you might actually feel the drainage occur. The heat and moisture from the water will certainly help to thin mucus.

3) Chris’ vitamins and supplements to consider (some of which are cited in Having Nasal Surgery?):

· Quercetin with bromelain
· Multi-vitamin
· Acidophilus
· New Chapter Host Defense

I take some vitamins and supplements that I believe are helpful for treating my conditions of empty nose syndrome, sinusitis and allergic rhinitis. Perhaps these vitamins and supplements are more applicable to those with sinusitis and allergic rhinitis, but they could be considered by ENS sufferers who have either of these conditions as well. These supplements are generally helpful for healthy sinuses and immune system improvement. My opinion is that vitamins and supplements are useful, but they are not a substitute or as powerful as a healthy diet – what you eat and drink. It is easy to get lost in the vast array of supplements and vitamins that could potentially help us, and perhaps overspend. But many of us, particularly with ENS, are on limited budgets and don’t have endless money. I would thus caution the reader to simplify and focus on those vitamins or supplements that are going to be most helpful for you. A suggested book you might wish to read is Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine for a comprehensive yet easy-to-understand discussion of vitamins and supplements (and other forms of alternative medicine).

Below are the vitamins that I use and find helpful. I do not wish to go into great detail about the properties of these supplements, but suffice it to say some general statements about them:

a) Quercetin with bromelain.

This is a classic combination that helps to provide you to maintain proper functioning of the body’s histamine response, thereby reducing inflammation. While ENS sufferers often have inflammation, many also suffer from allergies and sinusitis. Quercetin is particularly beneficial for allergies while bromelain is beneficial for sinusitis. Quercetin is an antioxidant that has antihistamine properties, which is why it is recommended for people with allergies, while bromelain, a pineapple-derived enzyme that is anti-inflammatory, is added to enhance the absorption of Quercetin. As noted in Having Nasal Surgery?, studies have in fact shown that bromelain is helpful in improving sinusitis symptoms. These pills help enhance respiratory function and support a healthy immune system.

b) Multi-vitamin

If you eat right, you might not need a multi-vitamin. But as a measure to promote general good health, multi-vitamins are useful. I use a male multiple vitamin each day, which consists of many vitamins, minerals and herbs. When you go to the grocery store or health food store, the selection of vitamins is vast. My logic is, instead of buying all of the vitamins separately, why not simply purchase a basic multi-vitamin that contains all of the other vitamins, minerals and herbs at about 100% of the Daily Value. This need not be expensive and should not consist of too many nutrients, lest it introduces them at a toxic level.

c) acidophilus

The probiotic acidophilus is important for good digestive and, by extension, sinus health, particulary for those who have been on antibiotics. I take Advanced Acidophilus Plus (Solgar) each day. One capsule consists of 250 million microorganisms of lactobacillus acidophilus and 250 million microorganisms of bifidus lactis. These good bacteria help to maintain healthy digestive health – and offer advantages to other areas of our body as well. A major advantage of acidophilus is the suppression of candida, which is an overgrowth of yeast. It is particularly important to take acidophilus if you are on antibiotics, because the antibiotics will kill not only the bad bacteria, but the good bacteria in the gut as well, leaving your digestive system out of whack. I had to be on a strong antibiotic for 8 weeks this year, and you can bet that I was taking these pills throughout the course of treatment. It is important to refrigerate these pills to ensure that the probiotic microorganisms are preserved. It amazes me how every system in our body is intimately connected. The same is true with digestive health and sinusitis. Probiotics are a hot topic in medicine today and it just makes good sense to take these for good health.

d) New Chapter Host Defense.

This product is a great immune system booster for ENS sufferers who also have recurrent sinus infections. New Chapter Host Defense is a combination of organic mushrooms that help to boost immunity. If you suspect low immunity or have recurrent sinus infections, this might be a worthwhile supplement to try. This product was recommended to me by a doctor who gives me acupuncture. This product claims it helps to increase natural killer cell activity by up to 300%. People who have chronic sinusitis often have weakened immune systems, so this product can help improve immunity. It is expensive, about $39.95 for a 30 day supply in various health food stores, but can be purchased at a lower price by a savvy consumer on the Internet.

One last supplement to comment about: I must add that slippery elm bark is a product that can help soothe minor irritated throats. I have not had great success with it, but it might work for you.

4) The antihistamine spray Astelin.

This spray has been very effective for me, as it is reported to be effective for ENS sufferers who have allergic rhinitis or vasomotor rhinitis. I use Astelin on a daily basis and I find that it provides great relief for my allergies. Astelin is unique in that it offers an antihistamine effect for both seasonal allergic rhinitis and vasomotor rhinitis. It helps those who are troubled by seasonal allergens, such as pollen, mold and ragweed, and environmental irritants, such as car fumes and perfumes. I should note that it is reported to cause drowsiness and has a bitter aftertaste, but I would counter that with the effects of it are solid and proven effective for me.

5) Food tips:
Avoid dairy products and allergenic foods. Do substitutes for milk such as
rice, oat, nut, coconut and almond milk.
Avoid sugar and processed foods, particularly if you have Candida.
Select organic foods.
Consider food condiments – try garlic, onion, or oil of oregano.
The best hot teas: throat coat and breathe easy.

Having Nasal Surgery? Don’t You Become An Empty Nose Victim! provides discourse on the above topics, but I must acknowledge there is so much information available on what foods are best to eat that I do not wish to discuss these topics in-depth. I would prefer to hit the highlights and simply acknowledge modifications I have made in my own life, with the hope that it might help you as well. The discussion here is focused on helping those people who want good general health; it is not geared toward solely an ENS sufferer with no other conditions, but more toward patients with sinusitis or allergy problems.

a) Avoid dairy products and allergenic foods. People who have chronic postnasal drip would do well to heed this advice. It is a well-known fact that cow’s milk is highly allergenic. There are plenty of substitutes for cow’s milk that are available including rice milk, coconut milk, nut milk, almond milk, and oat milk. I appreciate what Dr. Ralph Metson and Steven Mardon wrote in the Harvard Medical School Guide to Healing Your Sinuses about food allergies: “The tip-off that such an allergy may be present is when postnasal drip is the primary symptom.” It is later written, “Milk and wheat are the two foods that most commonly cause the allergic reaction that leads to excess mucus production and troublesome postnasal drip.” The protein in the milk causes mucus production and, while it has been recommended that dairy might help provide nasal resistance for the ENS nose and increase mucus production (which it does) at certain Internet locations, and there might be some merit to this claim, I would contend that it is better to find ways to thin the mucus to help avoid an infection, particularly if you are prone to sinus infections. The primary way to determine if a food allergy is present is by doing an elimination diet. Common food allergens include milk, wheat, corn, gluten, egg, soy, yeast, and sugar. So I suggest trying to eliminate dairy products for a week and see how you feel or if you notice any changes. The key here with eating is simply to be perceptive to how your body responds to different foods; the effects may be subtle, but nonetheless profound. For example, I have noticed I breathe significantly more comfortably when off the milk; granted, I have implants that do provide resistance, but it is a good feeling to have that mucus thin. I also like the suggestion by Carolee Bateson-Koch in Allergies: Disease in Disguise where she suggests eating 70% raw food and 30% cooked food (which has less nutritional value); and she also suggests eating different foods on a regular basis rather than eating the same food over and over and developing an allergy to it.

Books on the topic of food allergies:
You might wish to read “Allergies: Disease in Disguise” by Carolee Bateson-Koch, D.C., M.D. or;
buy a couple of cookbooks such as “The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook” by Cybele Pascal (delicious recipes!) or “The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook” by Marjorie Hurt Jones, R.N.

b) Avoid sugar and processed foods, particularly if you have Candida. Many people with ENS have been on repeated courses of antibiotics throughout their past, which leaves them at increased risk of having Candida albicans, which is a yeast overgrowth. Patients are at-risk for candida because antibiotics kill off the good bacteria. Generally a special diet free of sugar foods or those containing yeast as well as antifungal medications are used to combat the Candida. (There are also cleanses out as well). Of significance: sugars help to rapidly multiply the yeast in the body. People who crave such sugars might very well have a yeast infection. Avoid it where you can. Even fruits have sugar in them, and you might do well to substitute vegetables for fruits for a short term while you are attempting to get your candida under control. Some people have found success with antifungal medications, but you will of course need to talk with your doctor about that.

Books on the topic of Candida:
Read “The Yeast Connection: A Medical Breakthrough” by William Crook, M.D. or the Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook, Revised 2nd Edition: Everything You Need to know about Prevention, Treatment & Diet by Jeanne Marie Martin and Zoltan P. Md Rona

c) Select organic foods to enhance overall health. There is plenty written about eating raw, organic foods, especially the nutritional value in them, which is in stark contrast to the packaged and processed foods in the grocery market, where the goal of the manufacturer is often to make the most profit without regard for the health of the food. Fact is the more natural the foods you eat, the better off you will be. Period. Organic foods are generally high in nutrients, free of pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones, nor have they been genetically modified. They are pure. Organic foods might cost more, but the improved health is worth it in my opinion.

d) Consider food condiments – try garlic, onion, or oil of oregano.

Food condiments such as garlic, onion, oregano can all add some life to the food – and they are generally very good for you. Garlic is both anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, and thus can helps fight off a yeast overgrowth (Candida albicans). Onion is a rich source of quercetin (remember quercetin?), which has antihistamine properties. It also has antibacterial and anticholesterol properties to it. Oregano is an herb with antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These are just three food condiments that can provide you with good health.

e) Chew some sugar-free gum for good oral hygiene. As noted in Having Nasal Surgery?, good oral hygiene is important for ENS and sinus sufferers given the close proximity between the mouth and sinuses. In September 2007 (shortly after my book was released), the American Dental Association said that sugar-free gum might help prevent cavities, reduce plaque and strengthen teeth. Specifically, it found that chewing gum for 20 minutes after meals three times a day increases the saliva production, which in turn helps to neutralize plaque acid and strengthen teeth. It is important for ENS sufferers to have good oral hygiene, as the mouth is in close proximity to the sinuses, so chewing gum should be important for us as well. Our bodies are like a large interdependent system and every organ is somehow connected to every other organ, so we need to take care of the whole system lest any part dysfunctions and we become enslaved to the weakest link. Granted, I am not aware of any studies, but I imagine this increased saliva might also help to thin mucus as well, and thereby provide benefit to the throat and digestive system. In any case, I have been chewing sugar-free gum for a while and my recent dentist visit revealed I have no more cavities and no gingivitis.

f) The best hot teas: Throat Coat and Breathe Easy.

As discussed in Having Nasal Surgery? hot tea with lemon and honey is an excellent mucus thinner. A few cups of day is recommended for good health, and even more if you notice you might be coming down with or have a sinus infection. I find teas soothing on my throat and great for sinus health. I have tried many teas in my life, but my personal preference is the organic teas made by Traditional Medicinals (http://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/). Specifically, my favorite teas are Throat Coat and Breathe Easy. Throat Coat includes a blend of herbs, including licorice root, Echinacea, cinnamon bark. It really does coat my throat. The other tea I enjoy is Breathe Easy, which also includes the herbs licorice root, eucalyptus leaf, peppermint leaf, ginger rhizome, among others. Both of these teas, in my view, are among the best for sinus health. As an aside, I find that deglycyrrhizinated licorice tablets from my health food store helps to take care of any acid reflux I might have, in addition to just slowing down in life. (People who seem to be very busy and get poor sleep are probably at higher risk for acid reflux.)

6) Before you get medicine again, get your mucus cultured.

This is a basic recommendation for those who might have or be at risk for either a bacterial or fungal infection, but I cannot emphasize it enough. (An endoscopy could also show a fungal infection.) It is my understanding that cultures might not be cost-effective and they take more time for the doctor to perform and interpret, and the insurance company might not reimburse that well. On top of that, some patients might be anxious to try medicine if they sense an infection. Consequently, some doctors do not culture before prescribing medicine, instead prescribing medicine based solely on past experiences with patients who had similar problems and/or the patient’s history. Unfortunately, if you go on a medication such as an antibiotic, it would be good to know that you have a true sinus infection. In my 14+ years of suffering from sinus infections, not one doctor did a culture. Can you believe that? Recently, my doctor decided to do a culture, which showed that I had a staph aereus infection, which is a more common but serious type of infection among patients who have chronic sinusitis. I was put on a 60-day course of Levaquin, 500 mg, which is the strongest oral antibiotic. Some patients with chronic sinusitis need to be put on an antibiotic for 3 to 8 weeks, while I have seen it recommended on the Mayo Clinic website for 3 to 12 weeks. Infections can be intermittent for long periods of time, so it naturally follows that a 10 day course of Levaquin might not clear the infection totally, but a longer course might be needed instead. Of course, it is very important to be on probiotics while on antibiotics because antibiotics kill the good bacteria in the gut.

7) Try acupressure.

Acupuncture is discussed in Having Nasal Surgery? but a treatment regime would not be complete without discussing acupressure. Acupressure is an ancient practice that where you can use your fingers to stimulate key points on your skin that will in turn promote the body’s self-healing processes. Getting that increased blood flow to the nose is important to ensure improvement of nasal sensations. And there are key points for people with nasal problems, such as placing some pressure underneath your cheek to relieve nasal congestion or in the web between your thumb and pointer finger. I enjoy doing acupressure for about 10 minutes each day and it does seem to put me in a deeper state of relaxation while promoting healing. Give it a shot. You won’t need to spend any money doing it.

Book on acupressure:
A very comprehensive book on acupressure is Acupressure’s Potent Points: A guide to self-care for common ailments by Michael Reed Gach.

8) Try craniosacral therapy.

Craniosacral therapy is a light touch therapy that a therapist does on you to improve the functioning of the central nervous system. This technique enhances the craniosacral system, the area in which the brain and spinal cord function. This generally consists of a one hour session that might run in the ballpark of $50-$65 and it usually does not get reimbursed through health insurance; you might be able to get it reimbursed through Flex dollars if your company offers it and your doctor agrees to write you a script for it. Although it is not reimbursed, it’s not voodoo science; it’s based on a medical model, developed by a neurosurgeon, and most of all it works. I believe – and it has been my experience – that this therapy does in fact enhance nervous system functioning. This is a particularly beneficial therapy for people who have incurred head trauma (or nasal trauma) to restore the nervous system health. When I told my doctor who does acupuncture that I believed craniosacral therapy seemed more effective than acupuncture, he was not surprised. I have talked with other ENS sufferers who have also benefited from craniosacral therapy. Give it a shot.

Thanks for reading my additional thoughts and recommendations for non-surgical, primarily natural treatments for ENS, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and postnasal drip. These are not cures, as they do not alter the nasal anatomy to reshape the nose back to normal from an overly empty nose, but they might offer symptomatic relief. And they can be of great benefit. I appreciate your interest in treating your nose and hope these ideas are helpful to you, or at least food for thought from one patient to another.

3 Effective Ways Empty Nose Sufferers can raise awareness of ENS

2008-07-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

Read the blog post entitled 3 goals for ENT specialists:
http://emptynosesyndrome.blogspot.com/2008/05/three-goals-for-ent-specialists-on.html

Read the blog post entitled Press Release: Having Nasal Surgery? Wins Award in National Book Contest
http://emptynosesyndrome.blogspot.com/2008/05/press-release-having-nasal-surgery-wins.html

Now, onto my blog post entitled 3 effective ways ENS sufferers can raise awareness of ENS.

Some people with empty nose syndrome (ENS) want to see awareness of ENS increase among the general public and doctors alike. I hope this article provides food for thought on three avenues to make that happen: medical journal articles, medical malpractice lawsuits, and media attention.

ENS is a tragic condition that results from too much turbinate removal during nasal surgery. The turbinates provide numerous functions including heating, humidifying and filtering air, as well as providing airflow resistance to the lungs and directing airflow in the nose in such a way that air strikes all regions of it. When they are removed in attempt to open up the airway, the nose is no longer able to provide these vital functions.

The tragic aspect of ENS is that it is caused by medical error and, on the flip side, that it is fully preventable. Yet the startling fact is that few among the general public seem to know about it and doctors are not overly eager to publicize a problem they created. So ENS sufferers tend to suffer in silence and radical turbinectomies continue to be performed. Consequently, some ENS sufferers not only want publicity, but treatment from a medical community that does not offer many answers. Make no mistake that there has been a significant increase in public awareness of ENS with large thanks to the Internet, as thousands of sites discuss ENS at present, whereas a google search for "empty nose syndrome" in 2003 might have turned up fewer hits than you have fingers. But there is still room for more to learn about it. Many laypeople still have never heard of the condition.

Before ENS sufferers take a real stab at ENS awareness, though, I believe it is important they are feeling somewhat OK - they must take care of themselves first - and are knowledgeable about ENS. The problem is some want more awareness but then leave the ENS scene once they are finding some relief, and consequently do not contribute to ENS awareness.

So let me take a stab at what I believe are three effective avenues to pursue increased awareness of ENS:

1) Medical Journal Articles
2) Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
3) Media Attention

1) Medical Journal Articles

The first method, medical journal articles, is perhaps the most critical and effective method for increasing awareness of ENS among ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists. Yet it is perhaps the one area in which ENS sufferers have the least amount of control. We need doctors to publish more articles that are willing to cite the term empty nose syndrome and accurately describe the severity of the condition. While there has been at least 100 years of controversy surrounding total inferior turbinectomies in the medical literature that suggests it causes late-onset atrophic rhinitis or rhinitis sicca, too many doctors continue to ignore the warnings. Many still perform subtotal or partial inferior turbinectomies and many, if not most, perform total middle turbinectomies. Why? Surely money is a reason and so is a reluctance to admit malpractice. But more than that, there are no studies that effectively prove that turbinectomies cause ENS. But this can change.

Doctors can push for a study that shows a clear statistical link between turbinectomies and the devastating symptoms that follow. ENT doctors, for example, could petition a major medical organization such as the American Academy of Otolaryngology or the American Medical Association to perform a long-term follow-up study of groups of patients who have had turbinectomies. We the patients are helpless in this respect, but doctors can demand it.

Yet I would be remiss to suggest we ENS sufferers are totally helpless when it comes to reaching the medical community. My book, Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! has been read and well-received by top medical professionals. And I'm only a patient. In addition to face-to-face discussions with medical professionals, we the patients can make our voice heard to the American Academy of Otolaryngology by writing a letter, with signatures from doctors, to demand that a position statement with respect to ENS be developed that clearly states what turbinate reductions are likely to lead to ENS and which ones are not, and defining our condition clearly, as well as summarizing what surgical treatment options are available for ENS sufferers, such as Alloderm implants.

2) Medical Malpractice Lawsuits.

Frankly, I would prefer that it would not have to come to this. Hopefully doctors would adopt sound practices that avoid ENS, and I know many do. Yet still too many continue to perform surgeries that lead to ENS and this practice must be stopped. I must acknowledge that lawsuits are a vehicle behind change, as they could mandate in a shorter amount of time a change in law and practice among doctors. I am aware of several lawsuits throughout the United States and abroad that have taken place in recent years because of ENS, as well as two lawsuits to mind where the ENS sufferer won the case, although neither went to a full trial. I refrained from discussing lawsuits in my book lest some ENS-interested doctors might be overly distracted by it, turned off to ENS and not wish to help. Yet the sad reality is that too many doctors have not changed on their own; change is a slow, gradual process but when the stakes are this high (some will become ENS victims), change could not come quicker.

3) Media Attention.

Frankly, ENS demands more attention and the media can bring our condition to the general public faster than anyone else. Many ENS sufferers, new to wanting to raise awareness about this horrible condition, think of pitching Oprah on ENS. While it is a noble suggestion and Oprah could wield great power for helping these hurting people, and I admit to having tried it myself many times, we probably should be more aggressively pitching our local news stations where we have a better chance of being heard.

Unfortunately, the news media has been slow to pick up our story, because they view it as a minor issue affecting a small populace, although nothing could be further from the truth.

Or, in some instances, the news media caters to the medical community who is paying them large sums of money to run stories that highlight the benefits of nasal surgery. Take Global News Ontario, for instance, a Toronto-based television station that was planning on airing a story about the benefits of nasal surgery, specifically turbinate reduction surgeries using coblation-assisted technology (one of the safest types of nasal surgery). I was contacted by an intern at the station who ran across the www.emptynosesyndrome.org website about a month ago and she thought the story on nasal surgeries would benefit from hearing from those who have dealt with the unpleasant aspects of nasal surgery. I let her know how great it would be for the news media to present a balanced story on nasal surgery, which would enhance their credibility among viewers. I also let fellow Canadians know of this opportunity. When I followed up with this intern via a phone call, she informed me there was a "huge" response from ENS sufferers and that "all of a sudden" two stories came up that were demanding her immediate attention, which effective put the story on nasal surgery on the backburner. While that may be true, I surmise she probably had pressure either not to run that story, or to not allow viewers to see our side of the story. She said she would contact me if they decided to run the story. But I haven't heard from her. And I'm not surprised.

Yet I still believe there is hope for media interest. If you are thinking of pitching the media, in addition to making a small video on youtube for empty nose syndrome (a must-do so the media can watch a critical mass of ENS sufferers), which I encourage all ENS sufferers serious about making a difference to do, think about 1) what type of media you hope to pitch, and 2) what message you hope to send. You need to plan carefully, and expect rejection. I have many times. But I have also had some local newspapers run stories on my book, so I have enjoyed some relative success with respect to media awareness on ENS. Here's my suggestion: don't worry too much if the traditional media does not pick you up. Focus on the media most likely to listen. Develop a relationship with someone in the media and know what types of stories that person is working on. Then show that person how the story of ENS ties in nicely with their stories. I would personally suggest to try to secure media attention through 1) high traffic Internet blogs 2) radio stations and 3) newspapers. Keep in mind television stations are often more comfortable airing information that has already been presented in the radio or newspaper, and you have greater control over what is presented in the radio or newspaper than on television. So if the television station picks up the story, great. If not, don't sweat it. It's good to aim large, but to think realistically and small by focusing on the local news, which could ultimately end up becoming a national news story.

When approaching the news media, it is important not to play Mr. Nice Guy. It is important to show them why ENS is newsworthy and important, and how it could attract viewers or readers. Emphasize how terrible and severe ENS can be. Emphasize the large number of sufferers - it is possible that the low millions suffer from ENS in America alone, and thousands could become ENS victims each year. Cite a list of symptoms. Encourage the media to ask the tough questions: why are doctors not required to follow a protocol that mandates certain preventative treatments, such as saline irrigation and allergy treatment, prior to recommending nasal surgery? Why have doctors not developed a position statement on what turbinate surgeries are safe versus which ones might cause harm? Lead them to the answer: Does it have to do with money? Fear of malpractice suits?

If the media were to explore these questions, they could do a ton of good by not only holding the medical profession more accountable, and having many viewers thank them in the process, but any patient who is considering nasal surgery - and that is a sizable percentage of their readership or viewers - can make a more empowered and informed decision about nasal surgery, which will lead to improved outcomes.

2008-07-03T06:31:00.000-07:00

Below is pretty much all of the information from my website, http://www.emptynosesyndrome.net/, which I might close down in the near future.

"Too many surgeons today believe they can indiscriminately remove large amounts of turbinate tissue..."

-Wellington S. Tichenor, M.D., Creator of award-winning website http://www.sinuses.com/

*Are you considering nasal or sinus surgery? If so, do you know the range of options, benefits and risks? Are you aware that no professional standard exists regarding what is an appropriate amount of turbinate tissue to remove, which puts nasal surgery candidates at possible risk for empty nose syndrome (ENS)? Have you had a discussion of ENS with your doctor?

*Have you had nasal or sinus surgery, but now find yourself worse off than before? If so, do you know whether you have ENS?

*Are you among the millions of Americans who suffer from at least one of the following: empty nose syndrome, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, nasal congestion, postnasal drip, asthma or acid reflux? If so, would you like to learn holistic treatments from a sufferer who has been there and, in the process, learn about ENS and potentially prevent yourself from ever becoming an ENS sufferer?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above, then you have come to the right website. The home of a book that attempts to act as a self-help guide on the above issues by raising public awareness on a silent epidemic: ENS.

**WATCH VIDEO TESTIMONIALS BY ENS SUFFERERS AT YOUTUBE**

Go to http://www.youtube.com/ and type in the search phrase "empty nose syndrome"Nine ENS sufferers have created videos as of today (4/14) and five are posted at youtube. These sufferers did a terrific job in creating a video that will go a significant difference in raising ENS awareness. If you are an ENS sufferer,I beg you to please consider making a short video for youtube, which will help our cause.

Also, please consider visiting my friend's Christian-based web blog (who has asked me to keep his name anonymous) at http://emptynosesyndromehope.blogspot.com/. His blog is an encouragement to Christians with ENS and I thank him for his efforts in doing this.

You have made it to the site of a self-help book that I am confident will help you, not make you worse. In fact, this book could change your life. Welcome to emptynosesyndrome.net, a site dedicated to raising awareness on the comprehensive self-help book on empty nose syndrome entitled, Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! Read on...

My name is Chris Martin and I am a school psychologist from Upstate New York and ENS sufferer of 10 years. I am excited about seeing this book raise awareness of ENS to a new level as I wrote this book in part because I found so few resources for ENS while suffering from this serious problem. Suffer in silence no more! While writing Having Nasal Surgery?, I learned that many of the strategies for treating ENS could actually be very beneficial for a host of nasal and sinus problems. I am not a medical professional, but I am an ENS sufferer and thus have had to "live out" the treatments described in this book. This book is part testimonial and part informational.

How many ENS sufferers are there out there? I estimate 2-4 million Americans suffer from ENS as 500,000 turbinate reductions are performed each year in the U.S., and I back up this claim in Having Nasal Surgery? But the fact is no one truly knows. Another way to look at this question is to ask yourself: If you believe you are the only ENS sufferer in your area, then you need to be honest with yourself and think again: Do you actually believe your doctor did the aggressive turbinate reduction surgery only on you? Consider that, as a result of my book signing on November 10th, 2007, I learned many have ENS in my immediate area in Upstate New York as a result of aggressive turbinate reduction surgeries by a different doctor than the one who did my nasal surgery, as my doctor has since passed away. But you would never know it because ENS is a silent problem.

Abbreviated Reviews/Short Quotes on Having Nasal Surgery?

**Below is a compilation of short quotes of what various people have said about Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim!

Chris Martin's book is excellent and I recommend it to patients.…The important point is that ENS is preventable and this book will go a long way to that prevention. Yes, if you are having ENT surgery read this book.

-Murray Grossan, M.D., Author of The Sinus Cure and inventor of the Grossan HydroPulse Nasal-Sinus Irrigation System

Chris has done an amazing job putting together this book for himself and others considering or having already had nasal surgery.

-Tony Ponte, Alberta, Canada

I have to say that I am impressed. The book is an easy read and Chris does an exceptional job at putting some rather complex concepts into layperson's terms… The story of his journey through the world of ENTs rings all too familiar, and he does a very good job at examining various nasal surgery techniques and ENS medical treatments.

-Anonymous Source

You have written a valuable book for ENS sufferers and the medical community…I know I have said this before, but I am really impressed with your book.

-Margy Olmstead, Indexer for Having Nasal Surgery?

I truly wish that this book had been available prior to my nasal surgeries. I did research, but nothing that would have prepared and informed me like Chris Martin's book. It is very detailed and heartfelt. For those who have already rolled the dice and lost with a nasal surgery, this book offers hope, support and many helpful suggestions.

-ENS Forum Member "RE"

An ENS sufferer himself, Christopher Martin has written a comprehensive and thoroughly 'reader friendly' introduction to what ENS is, what can be done about it, and what to be aware of in various treatment options in "Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim!” Christopher relates his own personal account of coping with ENS, offers an informed and informative evaluation of turbinate surgeries with respect to nasal conditions, provides an 'insider' look at the politics surrounding ENS within the medical community, and identifies the best treatments for ENS, many of which are also efficaciously applicable to sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, postnasal drip, GERD, and asthma. Invaluable reading for medical students, physicians, and non-specialist general readers, "Having Nasal Surgery?" is especially recommended for personal, professional, and community library Health & Medicine reference collections and reading lists.

-Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review

This slim but potent book is tremendously important and informative not only for those considering nasal surgeries, but for the specialists who perform them.

-Kirkus Discoveries

Martin, now a family man and school psychologist in his late twenties in upstate New York, writes not as a doctor but as a survivor. He presents here a working definition of ENS and a primer on surgical as well as other medical, dietary, and environmental ways to treat its symptoms. He includes a layman’s guide to turbinate functioning and to the science and politics of turbinate surgery. Having learned to manage his condition, he tells a compelling personal story that adds passion and authority to his presentation. Martin grants, as his research shows, that “conservative” turbinate surgery can often alleviate chronic stuffiness, but his presentation implicates the many doctors and plastic surgeons who continue to remove excessive amounts of turbinate.

-Joe Taylor, Foreword Clarion Review

Chris has written a compelling and comprehensive account of his own personal experience with a relatively unknown affliction known as Empty Nose Syndrome (ENS)… Chris's book will make sure that you don't repeat other's mistakes or suffer the potentially devastating effects of nasal surgery.

-Paul, New York

Do yourself, all ENS sufferers out there, and Chris a great favor right now: stop reading this review, and start reading this book! It could save your life.

-Ryan Webb, Ontario, Canada

Anyone who is contemplating sinus surgery should read this book. Also, anyone who has a friend, colleague, or family member who is facing sinus surgery should urge those people to read this book as well… His message is powerful and important…Sinus sufferers who are considering surgery can learn a great deal about their condition and can possibly prevent themselves very serious problems in the future. It is certainly worth the time and money.

-Walter Ballenberger, founder of http://www.postnasaldrip.net/, Monument, CO

Thank you for this most telling account of your journey through the maze of ENS; your efforts in providing comprehensive information about ENS and your personal account of the roads that have led to finding hope is inspiring. It has been a companion when I have felt alone and has been the platform through which I find the strength to advocate strongly for informed consent and knowledge of ENS for any person who is entering into nasal surgery. -Jackie G., New YorkChris Martin has written the ultimate "Bible" for anyone considering nasal surgery in general, and more specifically for those who have breathing problems related to swollen turbinates and are considering turbinate reduction surgery.

-ENS Forum Member T.E.

I have read through the book and have found it really helpful. I think it covers a lot of important information, both technical and emotional.

-S. Kramer, New York

…Very well written and informative.

-Tom

Chris Martin's book is very helpful to anyone considering having nasal surgery, or anyone whom has undergone it and is experiencing troubling symptoms.

-Matt, Indiana

Having Nasal Surgery? is an ideal sourcebook on ENS - informative without being dense, written in a coherent style and filled with first-hand experience on the condition. It's a book that all nasal doctors should have on their shelves and be ready to pass onto patients looking for answers.

-Les Chappell, BookReview.com

His personal disclosures make the book very interesting. I was also very impressed with the amount of references that he cites in each chapter…I cannot imagine a more comprehensive, yet easy-to-understand source of information.

-Paige Lovitt, Reader Views

Could YOU benefit from this book? The following people certainly can:

1) Sufferers of ENS, sinusitis, allergies, nasal congestion, postnasal drip, acid reflux, and/or asthma (pretty much anyone with kleenex in the house) could benefit from the treatment strategies. Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! includes more than 30 pages of holistic treatment strategies from an ENS sufferer of 10 years.

2) Anyone considering nasal or sinus surgery could be better informed and empowered when discussing surgical options with their doctor. If you are considering one of these surgeries, this unbiased review of medical literature from a patient who has no vested interests could be very beneficial for you.

3) ENT specialists and plastic surgeons, as well as scientists studying regenerative medicine, could benefit by reading the scientific discussions of ENS and patient testimonial.

4) Families and friends could become more knowledgeable and understanding toward ENS sufferers.

Now, here is what is written on the back cover...Have you had nasal surgery, but now find yourself worse off than before? If so, you might be one of millions who suffer from a serious medical condition known as empty nose syndrome, or ENS - a complication of surgery. Symptoms of ENS include shortness of breath (despite a wide open nose), nasal dryness, throat irritation, thick, sticky mucus, shallow sleep, and sometimes chronic sinusitis. Many with ENS are depressed. Some have even committed suicide.

Endorsed by well-known doctors familiar with ENS, Chris offers a genuine message to the reader and hope for the injured patient through:

1) His personal triumph in coping with ENS.

2) A critique of turbinate surgeries for anyone considering nasal surgery.

3) An inside look at the politics of ENS.

4) Best treatments for ENS, many of which also apply to sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, postnasal drip, GERD, and asthma.

“Chris Martin's book is a must-read for anyone with nasal problems so they, too, can understand ENS and avoid becoming an ENS patient. His up-to-date information can empower the patient to best therapies.”

-Murray Grossan, M.D., Author of The Sinus Cure and inventor of the Grossan Hydro Pulse Nasal-Sinus Irrigation System

“I applaud Chris’ attempt to bring this critically important issue to the public’s attention. If one person can be saved from the devastation this surgery can cause, he will have performed a great service.”

-Wellington S. Tichenor, M.D., Creator of award-winning website http://www.sinuses.com/, and wrote the introduction for this book

Chris is addressing a tremendously important issue in otolaryngology. Empty nose syndrome is a real entity that requires further investigation. Although Chris' book is written for the general public, I truly hope my colleagues in ENT will read this book and take it to heart.

-Steven M. Houser, M.D., ENT specialist, MetroHealth Medical Center and the Cleveland Nasal, Sinus and Sleep Center, assistant professor, Case Western Reserve University, and wrote the foreword for this book

Below are some great links for ENS:

Listen to Dr. Kern's lecture on empty nose syndrome
Empty Nose Syndrome Patient Support Forum
Dr. Houser's rhinology, allergy and sinus pages
Dr. Grossan's non-commercial website
Dr. Grossan's explanation of ENS at Allergy Buyer's Club
Dr. Grossan's commercial website
Dr. Wellington Tichenor's explanation of empty nose syndrome
Testimonials from ENS sufferers
Sinusitis: A Treatment Plan that works for Allergy and Asthma Too
Walt's Postnasal Drip website
ENS means significant nasal problems by Walt Ballenberger
Snortal Portal Blog
Turbinates tutorial
Nose tutorial
Respiratory system tutorial
Obstructed Nose: turbinate surgery options and mention of empty nose syndrome
Grand Rounds Presentation on Atrophic Rhinitis
Need turbinate surgery?
Your nose: the guardian of your lungs
Web MD website
UCSD Nasal Dysfunction Clinic
The Mayo Clinic
Website for researching scientific articles
Cold Tree Press

How to Order

Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! was released into distribution on August 30, 2007. It is available in english in both the United States and many international countries (through Amazon), such as Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, and so forth. You will need to check with Amazon for your particular country to see if it is available there. This paperback book is now available for purchase from the following online sites:
Click here to buy from Coldtreepress.com
Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Click here to buy from Barnesandnoble.com (currently the lowest price)
Click here to buy from Booksamillion.com

I encourage you to try to purchase this book for the lowest possible price by clicking on one of the links below:
Compare prices for Having Nasal Surgery? at Alldiscountbooks.net
Compare prices for Having Nasal Surgery? at Bookfinder4you.com

Read below why it will only be sold as a paperback:

I have entertained the possibility of making Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! an ebook, but with time, thought, and some logical reasons, I have decided a paperback only is best.The reason? An ebook, although I would make 100% of the retail price if I sold it through my website, might appeal more to someone who "wants it fast" and might not read the book as thoroughly, or who might be tempted to distribute it to friends (who also don't read the book carefully). Conversely, a paperback looks more professional than an adobe pdf, it is easier on the eyes, and those who purchase a paperback are more apt to read it and take it seriously. I want people to read my book closely and take it very seriously. That's my mission. I only make 30% (or $3.88) for paperback books sold directly through Cold Tree and 15% (or $1.94) for books sold through other outlets, such as amazon. But my goal in writing this book is not to profit but to generate greater awareness on empty nose syndrome (ENS), and I believe selling a paperback will help me reach that goal much more effectively and quickly than selling it as an ebook.

Articles and News

You can read Chris' articles by clicking on the links below:

"Why You Must Enter Nasal Surgery Informed"http://ezinearticles.com/?id=751407

"Could You Possibly Have, Gulp, Empty Nose Syndrome?"http://ezinearticles.com/?id=751401

"A Nose Destroyed When Turbinates Are Terminated"http://ezinearticles.com/?id=751397

"Why You Must Do Pulsatile Nasal Irrigation Even If You're Healthyhttp://ezinearticles.com/?id=751410

Three Effective Treatment Principles for Sinus Sufferers"http://ezinearticles.com/?Three-Effective-Treatment-Principles-For-Sinus-Sufferers&id=693808 http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=587918

Press Release: Empty Nose Syndrome, No Laughing Matter. What it is, and what you can do about it!http://emptynosesyndrome.blogspot.com/2007/08/press-release-empty-nose-syndrome-no.html

On September 27th, the Life & Times of Utica (http://www.lifeandtimesofutica.com/) featured an article regarding Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim!

On October 29th, the Utica Observer-Dispatch (http://www.uticaod.com/) will feature a brief in the Healthy Living section regarding Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim!

Comprehensive Testimonials

Chris Martin's book is excellent and I recommend it to patients. ENS is so little understood or appreciated by the ENT profession. I am attending the national ENT convention and for the first time there is discussion of care to spare the mucosa and prevent ENS, this has come about from patient advocacy. I think patients benefit when they can discuss with the doctor, "will this procedure cause ENS and are there alternatives?"Because of my connection with the Hydro Pulse I probably hear from more persons with ENS than the average doctor so I can appreciate what the patient feels.The important point is that ENS is preventable and this book will go a long way to that prevention. Yes, if you are having ENT surgery read this book.

-Murray Grossan, M.D., Author of The Sinus Cure and inventor of the Grossan HydroPulse Nasal-Sinus Irrigation System. This was stated in a letter posted at http://www.postnasaldrip.net/ on 9/18/2007.

Chris has written a compelling and comprehensive account of his own personal experience with a relatively unknown affliction known as Empty Nose Syndrome (ENS). ENS is basically a surgically ruined nose that does not properly humidify and sense air flow, preventing it from performing its basic functions of smell and controlled, natural breathing. I can attest to the reality of this condition, as I have experienced many of the symptoms outlined in this book, as a result of nasal surgery involving my turbinates. If you are experiencing undefined, or hard to explain nasal dryness and crusting, loss of sense of smell, and uncontrolled breathing through your nose, this is a valuable and singular resource for gaining important insight that may not be provided from your local ENT. The complications and potential side effects of nasal surgery are not completely understood by many in the medical community (otolaryngology included), and as a patient that contends with sinus difficulties or is contemplating surgery, this book will serve as an enlightening introduction into the complexities of the nose. I know that I took for granted this amazingly complex organ and Chris's book will make sure that you don't repeat other's mistakes or suffer the potentially devastating effects of nasal surgery.

-Paul (New York, USA)

Chris has done an amazing job putting together this book for himself and others considering or have had nasal surgery. Please take the time to read this if you’re considering nasal surgery or if you've already had it. I truly believe this book can be a guide to helping those who had nasal surgery gone bad and to those who are considering nasal surgery.

-Tony Ponte (Alberta, Canada)

I have read through the book and have found it really helpful. Chris' story is inspiring...how he has suffered with ENS for so long and manages to still have a positive outlook. I think it covers a lot of important information, both technical and emotional. It is a book that many people could read - sufferers of ENS, friends and family, people thinking about getting surgery. It has helped me to gain a better understanding of what to expect, what turbinates are, their functions in the body, and how to better live with this serious condition. Oh! I wish I was informed like this before the surgery. I would definitely suggest this book to my friends and family so that they have a better understanding of what ENS is and what it entails. There are so many people every year who get butchered by doctors who for one reason or another do not inform their patients properly of the procedure and possible side effects. This is a problem in many areas of medicine. Chris' book is a reminder not to go blindly into surgery but also to live bravely with things one cannot change.

-S. Kramer (New York)

This is a comprehensive book about sinus surgery and empty nose syndrome for the general public. ens is a poorly understood real complication of sinus surgery. this book provides a good explanation of ens and its treatments

-Peggy (Cleveland, Ohio)

Your book is very well written and informative. I almost get sick to my stomach reading some of your experiences with ENTs and trying to get them to understand your symptoms. Great job on the book and you are truly an inspiration! Thank you very much for your excellent book!

-Tom

I have to say that I am impressed. The book is an easy read and Chris does an exceptional job at putting some rather complex concepts into layperson's terms. If you have ever wondered "what the heck is this person talking about?" when reading posts on the ENS forum then this is the book for you. For example, I found the glossary particularly useful as I was never quite sure what "Rhinitis" was or how you spell it. The story of his journey through the world of ENTs rings all too familiar, and he does a very good job at examining various nasal surgery techniques and ENS medical treatments. Chris, I would like nothing more than for your book to sweep the country and for you to appear on Dr. Phil or Oprah spreading the word. For all of you coming to this forum, this is $12.95 (U.S currency for you canadians) well spent.

-Anonymous Source

You have written a valuable book for ENS sufferers and the medical community. In later correspondence, she wrote: I have said this before, but I am really impressed with your book and hope Cold Tree can give it great distribution. As you know audiences for the book will include both lay people who are considering surgery or treatment and the medical community hence the index must be accessible to both. Given these considerations, I will include a peer review to be certain I give this fine, informative book the index it deserves!

-Margy Olmstead, indexer for Having Nasal Surgery?

Chris Martin's book is very helpful to anyone considering having nasal surgery, or anyone whom has undergone it and is experiencing troubling symptoms. The book is easily read by the layperson (me). Furthermore, Chris taps into the personal feelings and struggles that coincide with having an empty nose. Unfortunately, this condition is not understood by many ENTs. I can personally attest to how damaging it is, not only physically, but psychologically too. Especially when this is misdiagnosed and leads to a 2nd or 3rd procedure. Chris provides a fine resource of information to the reader. Finally, he concludes the book with a ray of hope; How progress is being made by a select number of doctors who are willing to take the time to further understand this devastating condition.

-Matt (Indiana)

Anyone considering sinus surgery or having sinus problems needs to read this book first!!! ENS is real and you don’t want to get it!

-Jeeves

Chris Martin put a lot of time and energy into writing this book, to raise awareness on this highly debilitating condition that is widely unknown to many, and in some cases even ignored. As someone who is currently suffering ENS symptoms, his personal story really hits close to home and provides me with inspiration, hope and treatment suggestions from a 10-year ENS veteran.

Turbinates are a common source of nasal obstruction and therefore reducing them is a common surgical procedure to reduce congestion. They are also highly complex and their importance is largely misunderstood, even in the medical community. Reducing them too much, or by using a method that damages too much healthy tissue, results in irreversible consequences. This book explains the turbinates, their role in nasal function and also all the different methods used to reduce them. By reading this book, you will be well prepared to understand their importance and the safest surgical options in reducing them. Or you can find out just how important these vital nose organs are, the hard way. You can have your nasal surgery, unaware of any negative consequences as I did, and once you have ENS you will truly understand how important your nose and the turbinates are for your overall well-being. I think you know what to do... just read the book! For those of you that already have ENS, or suspect you might because you still experience difficult breathing among other things after your nasal surgery, this book provides information on the most important ways to treat ENS. If you have recently had surgery, or if you are considering it, buy this book so that you can be well prepared to practice all the treatments mentioned within. Some ENS symptoms have a chance of resolving within a year after surgery, but those chances rely heavily on the actions you take to promote optimal healing.

Even if you don't experience any ENS symptoms, most of the suggestions in the book would be helpful to a healing nose after the trauma of surgery. The amount of references cited in each individual chapter is very impressive and will earn your respect and trust. ENS is real, and it is honestly the worst medical problem I have ever experienced, and unless it resolves within a year, it doesn't go away. This book should be read by anyone considering nasal surgery, those who have already had surgery, and anyone who practices nasal surgery.

ENS is a truly distressing and uncomfortable condition, both physically and mentally that is with you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's impossible to fully understand it until you've had your turbinates amputated and you see the difference, much like having your hand amputated after enjoying full use for your entire life. There is no going back, and at this time there are no doctors in Canada with any significant ENS experience or practice with ENS specific implant surgery which improves symptoms. There are a small few in the United States that acknowledge ENS and even less that have experience in treating it, but Canadian health insurance is very unlikely to cover this treatment outside of the country. I would assume that for most people, traveling to the United States and paying thousands of dollars from your pockets to gain some relief (but in most cases not 100%) to be difficult to manage. Being a young student myself, with little income it certainly doesn't seem very feasible that I will be able to afford proper care anytime soon. My only choice right now is to live with a condition that for many, constantly begs for relief every minute of every day.

We all know the saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". In consideration of ENS and its symptoms, it might be more appropriate to say that an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure. Well this book certainly weighs more than an ounce and it could be the difference between preventing or living with an action that you may regret for the rest of your life. If you have any choice in the matter, you do not want ENS. There has even been documented cases of suicide because of ENS.

Do yourself, all ENS sufferers out there, and Chris a great favor right now: stop reading this review, and start reading this book! It could save your life.

-Ryan Webb (Ontario, Canada)

How would you feel if you went into a surgical procedure to help alleviate a physical problem, only to learn after the surgery is completed that the surgeon created a much more devastating problem than the one you went into surgery to cure, even though the surgeon followed accepted medical practices? In fact you also later find out that over 50% of the people who come down with this artificially created illness meet the definition of clinically depressed, and this is on top of and because of the awful physical anguish which was the result of the initial surgery. And the icing on the cake is that the problems caused in surgery cannot be reversed. The above scenario sounds almost unreal, but this is what happens to victims of ENS, or Empty Nose Syndrome.

Anyone who is contemplating sinus surgery should read this book. Also, anyone who has a friend, colleague, or family member who is facing sinus surgery should urge those people to read this book as well. Christopher Martin has written an important book about ENS.

In layman's terms what happens is this: during sinus surgery all or a portion of the turbinates in the nose are extracted. It has been fairly common practice in the past for turbinates to be cut out because they sometimes can block nasal passages. Not much was known about the functions of the turbinates, and it was felt that extracting them wouldn't cause much harm. In fact the term ENS did not even appear until 1994 when Dr. Kern, formerly of the Mayo Clinic, coined the term when he was treating patients complaining about sinus infections and congestion, which was puzzling because their nasal passages were wide open. In fact they appeared to have an empty nose, and thus the term was coined for this condition. These people felt so miserable that, according to Dr. Kern, two of the patients he was treating committed suicide.

Martin discusses the basics about how the nose works. He talks about mucous tissue, cilia, and how mucus in the nose is normally disposed of. Of course he discusses the turbinates and the functions they perform, such as directing air flow, providing air flow resistance, warming and humidifying air before it reaches the lungs, etc. He discusses the symptoms of ENS, traces the history of various nasal surgical procedures, even discusses the politics of ENS and why many ENT specialists are not very aware of it or don't consider it seriously. He also talks about various surgery options and gives an opinion about which procedures are the safest and most risky in terms of ENS.

And of course he tells his own story. Here is a young man of only 27 years of age with a young family. He has had to deal with this condition virtually all of his adult life. Here is an excerpt: "While there are times I have felt confident and strong, I will concede there are times when I cried. I cried because of the severity of this problem and the constant management of it. I cried because I want to have more energy for my wife and children, for people other than myself, but I find myself preoccupied with my nose and depleted of such energy. It seemed selfish to be so consumed with my nose, but I could not avoid it. I wish I could say that I never complained, but I cannot. It is ENS with which I have been dealing and ENS is a difficult condition to endure." Martin offers extensive commentary about how he personally deals with his condition and gives suggestions and encouragement for other ENS sufferers.

In the Introduction of the book, Dr. Wellington S. Tichenor, a medical specialist in sinusitis in New York City who often treats patients who have had surgeries that did not work, says the following: "I have been overwhelmed by the devastation that ENS patients experience. As a result of an iatrogenic (caused by medical treatment) origin, the lives of these productive individuals have been profoundly affected. Before their surgery they could go about the lives with varying degrees of difficulty, but after it they were completely disabled." He adds, "Too many surgeons today believe they can indiscriminately remove large amounts of turbinate tissue and, indeed, there remains controversy in the field whether this surgery can be done with minimal complications. I am a strong proponent of conservative turbinate surgery that consists of removing the smallest amount of tissue possible."

If I were to criticize the book I would offer the opinion that Martin is sometimes too technical. I understand why he is doing this, as he wants to fully explain the condition and what to do about it. However, he often sounds like an ENT, which he is not. He clearly explains in his disclaimer at the outset of the book that he is not a medical professional, and I expect he had several ENTs review the book, and they apparently didn't ask him to change what has been published. For all I know everything he says and every medical term he uses are correct, and I would not be surprised if that were the case. It just seems to me that he sounds at times like an ENT, and I would respectfully question his credentials to do so.

What is clear, however, is that he certainly has sufficient credentials to speak about ENS, and his message is powerful and important and clearly overrides the comments in the previous paragraph. I personally have had two sinus surgeries and consider myself lucky and thankful that Empty Nose Syndrome hasn't happened to me.

For a few dollars to buy the book and a couple of hours to read it, sinus sufferers who are considering surgery can learn a great deal about their condition and can possibly prevent themselves very serious problems in the future. It is certainly worth the time and money.

-Walter Ballenberger, founder of http://www.postnasaldrip.net/, a website for sinusitis sufferers such as himself (Monument, CO)

Chris Martin has written the ultimate "Bible" for anyone considering nasal surgery in general, and more specifically for those who have breathing problems related to swollen turbinates and are considering turbinate reduction surgery. This book will also serve as the ultimate guide for how to improve the lives of those who have already had the misfortune of overzealous resections of their turbinates and are now struggling with ENS.

"Having Nasal Surgery?" is the first ever book on ENS. The coping strategies and tips detailed in this book can benefit not only ENS sufferers, but also all those who suffer from chronic nasal problems and discomfort, such as chronic sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, vasomotor rhinitis, and every otherwise healthy individual who simply wants to learn how to better deal with the most common medical problems affecting humanity: the common cold and nasal obstruction. "Having Nasal Surgery?" is addressed to the layman and medical professionals alike. It is written as an easy and well-flowing read, but at the same time is backed and packed with scientific references from the latest medical literature published in leading medical journals. True, Chris Martin is not a doctor himself, but the fact that his book is endorsed by well-known and acclaimed doctors - such as Drs. Grossan, Tichenor and Houser - with a foreword by Dr. Houser himself (a leading authority on ENS) adds greatly to the scientific and medical credibility of this book.

Chris tells of his personal misfortune of suffering from ENS due to an over aggressive surgery he had in his late teens. As a fellow sufferer, I can testify firsthand that his descriptions are honest and accurate. Sadly, ENS is a devastating medical condition which has a very negative impact on the sufferer's well-being and quality of life.

I hope that ENT and facial reconstructive specialists and plastic surgeons will embrace this book just as much as I know their ENS patients will. I hope that through this book they will better understand the depth of suffering from ENS and realize their responsibility to 1) not only avoid destroying the mucosal structures of the nose when they perform nasal and sinus surgeries of all sorts, but also 2) that they will recognize the fact that for many decades now patients have been over "turbinectomized" and as a result there are potentially millions of patients in the world today suffering from ENS symptoms and are misdiagnosed because of overmasking other pre-existing conditions and not enough awareness to ENS.

I hope that one of the accomplishments of this book will be that these doctors begin to more aggressively search for those misdiagnosed ENS patients and that they will maximize their efforts to help improve their symptoms and utilize their knowledge and skills to come up with viable medical solutions (surgical and others) to rebuild or regenerate amputated turbinates.
-ENS Member T.E.

I truly wish that this book had been available prior to my nasal surgeries. I did research, but nothing that would have prepared and informed me like Chris Martin's book. It is very detailed and heartfelt. For those who have already rolled the dice and lost with a nasal surgery, this book offers hope, support and many helpful suggestions. ENS is real! Even with a "conservative" surgery, it is still possible to experience a myriad of debilitating symptoms. Doctors are often dismissive and unhelpful. Hopefully this book will begin to turn that tide.

-ENS Member R.E.

The nose is an organ of the human body that can be afflicted with a number of serious ailments to health. These problems include such conditions as rhinosinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and empty nose syndrome (ENS). It has only been in recent years that physicians have come to understand and treat ENS. But there are still a great many doctors unfamiliar with this syndrome and the treatment options that sufferers have to choose from. An ENS sufferer himself, Christopher Martin has written a comprehensive and thoroughly 'reader friendly' introduction to what ENS is, what can be done about it, and what to be aware of in various treatment options in "Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim!” Christopher relates his own personal account of coping with ENS, offers an informed and informative evaluation of turbinate surgeries with respect to nasal conditions, provides an 'insider' look at the politics surrounding ENS within the medical community, and identifies the best treatments for ENS, many of which are also efficaciously applicable to sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, postnasal drip, GERD, and asthma. Invaluable reading for medical students, physicians, and non-specialist general readers, "Having Nasal Surgery" is especially recommended for personal, professional, and community library Health & Medicine reference collections and reading lists.

-Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review

School psychologist Martin explores a little-known condition that has lifelong detrimental effects.In direct, instructive language, Martin examines the devastation of Empty Nose Syndrome (ENS), a term coined by a Mayo Clinic physician in 1994. ENS is characterized by a “cluster of symptoms” that occur after too much of the airflow-regulating bony structures in the nasal cavity called turbinates are surgically removed, usually from efforts to assuage sinus pressure, headaches or nasal stuffiness (“turbinate reduction” surgery). The author believes that post-surgery, people with ENS go on to experience a wide array of harrowing symptoms including nasal dryness, sleep disturbances, excessive mucus, nosebleeds, diminished sense of smell and fatigue. Martin became an ENS sufferer after an overly aggressive partial turbinectomy performed in his late teens to improve a chronic nasal inflammatory condition. But before his ENS diagnosis, Martin endured numerous allergy injections, CAT scans, bacterial infections and the possibility of additional surgery. Determined to find answers, the author channeled his disillusionment, anger and psychological distress into increasing awareness about the condition and by positively dedicating (and educating) himself on the possibly devastating side-effects of nasal surgery. His comprehensive research has produced illustrations, tips, charts, glossaries and case studies about ENS, all presented in a straightforward manner, making the information more accessible to average readers with limited medical knowledge or experience. Martin smartly counterbalances the negative experiences (and clinical politics) of ENS with a host of beneficial natural remedies (chicken soup, humidifier, etc.), non-surgical options, as well as a chapter on the author’s own approach after suffering the debilitating effects of ENS. He had enlisted an ear, nose and throat physician to attach two restorative implants inside his nasal cavities, a procedure he advocates as beneficial in improving his own quality of life.This slim but potent book is tremendously important and informative not only for those considering nasal surgeries, but for the specialists who perform them.

-Kirkus Discoveries

In July 1997, shortly before going away to college, Chris Martin underwent surgery to remove turbinate tissue from both sides of his nose. An ENT doctor had recommended the procedure, called a bilateral turbinectomy, to relieve the chronic stuffiness the young man had been experiencing as a result of allergies and sinus infections. In the weeks and months that followed, Martin realized that the surgery had not helped him. The cycle of sinus infections had not only continued, but had intensified. His nose was perpetually dry, his throat sore, his mucous membranes inflamed. Before long, he was also experiencing panic-inducing shortness of breath, disturbed sleep, and intolerance to cold air. He became anxious and concerned. His discomfort led him back to ENT specialists and almost into another surgery, until, by accident in 2003, he discovered a Web site that defined “empty nose syndrome.” He now knew that his problem has a name: ENS. Its cause is summed up by Dr. W.S. Tichenor, a New York City sinusitis specialist: “Too many surgeons today believe they can indiscriminately remove large amounts of turbinate tissue.” Martin and his fellow ENS sufferers are the unhappy victims of these surgeries.
For the past four years, Chris Martin has been learning how to live with ENS. With this book he has fulfilled a major step in his mission to help educate sinus, allergy, and post-nasal drip victims who are considering surgery, as well as ENS sufferers and ENT professionals and plastic surgeons, many of whom have not been exposed to the scant literature about the syndrome. In August 2006, Martin met Dr. Steven Houser, an ENT specialist in Cleveland, Ohio who has been treating ENS sufferers—at times by rebuilding the remains of their turbinate tissue. Dr. Houser has performed two implant surgeries on Martin in order to decrease the nasal airway volume. The lesser amount of air entering the nose results in more resistance to airflow, thus less dryness. A second important effect of Dr. Houser’s implants has been to partially restore the pulmonary functioning that was impaired by the “empty” or too-open nasal passages.
Martin, now a family man and school psychologist in his late twenties in upstate New York, writes not as a doctor but as a survivor. He presents here a working definition of ENS and a primer on surgical as well as other medical, dietary, and environmental ways to treat its symptoms. He includes a layman’s guide to turbinate functioning and to the science and politics of turbinate surgery. Having learned to manage his condition, he tells a compelling personal story that adds passion and authority to his presentation. Martin grants, as his research shows, that “conservative” turbinate surgery can often alleviate chronic stuffiness, but his presentation implicates the many doctors and plastic surgeons who continue to remove excessive amounts of turbinate.

-Joe Taylor, Foreword Clarion Review

The frightening thing about the human body is that it can break down in thousands of ways, and it is impossible to prepare for every contingency. Between the endless variety of specialty doctors, conditions dramatized by hospital television shows and words far larger than an average vocabulary, it's easy to be either terrified by the possibilities or caught off guard when an unheard of condition enters your life. When this happens, the only way to confront the problem is to educate yourself as best you can - and if you have empty nose syndrome (ENS), Christopher Martin's "Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim!" is the ideal resource. One of the first books on the subject, it is ideal for both the typical person considering nasal surgery and doctors who may not know enough about the condition. ENS, as Martin describes it, is a condition resulting from the removal of inner tissue known as turbinates following nasal surgery. This removal leaves the patient unable to breathe properly, with a string of chronic health problems including shortness of breath, nasal dryness, thick mucus and an inability to sleep. The discomfort caused by these symptoms frequently leads to distraction and depression, especially since many doctors don't even know how to treat ENS. Martin, who has lived with ENS since 1997, provides it with a much-needed personal connection. He tells his story in detail, beginning with his flawed surgery and showing specifically how the condition impacted his life and the choices he had to make. Through it all, with the exception of a few wistful "what if" statements, Martin maintains a positive tone and a desire to move forward. The book is not only useful for those looking for a personal story of ENS, but also to anyone who suffers from it and is looking for relief. Martin provides the reader with a comprehensive list of treatments, ranging from practical everyday remedies (even providing recommendations on what brand of nasal spray and gel to use) to recommending a certain type of surgery if necessary. For those who are looking for more in-depth information on ENS, he includes an appendix of medical texts, websites and specialized doctors. "Having Nasal Surgery?" is an ideal sourcebook on ENS - informative without being dense, written in a coherent style and filled with first-hand experience on the condition. It's a book that all nasal doctors should have on their shelves and be ready to pass onto patients looking for answers.

-Les Chappell, BookReview.com

ENS sufferer, Christopher Martin, has written a very comprehensive book about his experience with ENS. ENS, or Empty Nose Syndrome, is defined in this book as, "...a cluster of symptoms in individuals who had a turbinate reduction or excision surgery that resulted in removal of too much turbinate tissue, leaving the nose "empty or wide open and the turbinates unable to function properly." Turbinates, which are located in our nasal cavities, help to warm and humidify air. When a person has turbinate reduction surgery, this can lead to ENS if too much turbinate tissue is removed. This problem is iatrogenic in origin, meaning that it is caused by medical treatment and not something that is genetic in origin. An ENS sufferer is described as having, "...the sensation of not getting enough air despite a wide open nasal cavity, nasal dryness, and thick, sticky mucus." In addition to having their quality of life reduced as a result of this, many people that have ENS also are highly susceptible to depression and future sinus problems. Mr. Martin wrote this book with the hope of making people aware of the complications that can result from turbinate reduction surgery. He offers suggestions for alternative treatments that could be used to avoid having this surgery. People who have sinus, allergy and postnasal drip problems would also benefit from these treatments which include natural, medical, dietary, and environmental remedies. Mr. Martin has been dealing with this issue for ten years. He openly discusses his experiences with a variety of medical doctors and the differing opinions that he was offered. He felt fortunate to finally be able to find the doctors that were able to help him with his problem. These doctors also help contribute to this book. His personal disclosures make the book very interesting. I was also very impressed with the amount of references that he cites in each chapter to help back up his information. People that would benefit from reading "Having Nasal Surgery?" include those close to people with ENS, people considering turbinate reduction surgery, those suffering from ENS, those with sinus and allergy problems, and the doctors involved with this type of treatment. I cannot imagine a more comprehensive, yet easy-to-understand source of information for the people whose lives would be improved by accessing this information. I truly hope that people who are planning to have nasal surgery will find this book before they go through the surgery, and not have to experience what Mr. Martin and numerous other people have had to.

-Paige Lovitt, Reader Views

About the Author

After developing empty nose syndrome (ENS) as a result of surgery in 1997, Chris Martin completed 7 years of college and is a nationally certified school psychologist (NCSP) in Upstate New York.

Despite living with empty nose syndrome for the past 10 years and knowing how tough it can be, Chris still considers himself tremendously blessed because he is married to his beautiful wife Colleen, has two sweet daughters, Faith, age 3, Abigail, age 1, and one son, Luke, who is 6 months old.

Book Excerpts

Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! is now available on the Amazon "Search Inside" feature. Please click on the link below to do a search inside of this book through Amazon. I hope you enjoy browsing Having Nasal Surgery?
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I'm done with ENS....

2008-06-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

Let me clarify.

Don't get me wrong. I will always advocate for ENS sufferers if the media or doctors are to contact me in the future, for example, but I need to move on with my life and focus on other important aspects that merit attention.

Many of the people who read this blog likely don't know me on a personal level anyhow and my various interests. For instance, they don't know that I enjoy playing tennis passionately, as the feeling of smashing a tennis ball with all my might (no matter where it lands!) is a great thing. In fact, somehow I earned tennis scholarships (offering a small stipend toward tuition) to 2 small colleges in the state of Kansas as a freshman in college. I declined both offers, as I had a better academic scholarship at another college in Kansas. Upon transferring back to New York, I played on the community college's tennis team anyway and that was grand. I had a great time. Academically, I had been rejected from Cornell University in my application as a freshman in college. And I was determined to prove that I could be accepted at Cornell, perhaps out of a surreal dream for me to go to Cornell or maybe it was where my heart was at that time, I don't know. After two years at the local community college, I was accepted into the College of Human Ecology as a family development and human studies major (which is a state-run Cornell college so it would have cost less than the private colleges at Cornell). But I ended up declining the offer because, shortly after the acceptance, I realized I could go to a local college for a much lower price and it offered me a terrific education. I was at that time saddened to think I had given up what could have been an Ivy League education, but I don't regret it now. I recall sitting on the back porch of my parents' house and just crying with my then-girlfriend (now wife) about the thought of moving away from her and losing two years of our lives apart. In retrospect, I firmly believe I made the right decision by staying local and not missing anytime apart from her. I saved money with the college choices I made, this local college really enhanced my writing skills, and I got a job right after graduate school - actually, I was offered 3 jobs. Today, I have been greatly blessed with not only a job that can support my family, but also with a wonderful wife and 3 children - two daughters and one son. They all are so unique and special. My faith is an important part of my life; I enjoy playing most sports, but especially tennis; reading the Bible or inspirational or health books; spending time with my wife and children; too many hobbies to list, including uptake of the house, its projects, and the vegetable garden in our backyard; and one of my dreams was to write a book, either on a topic related to my profession (such as ADHD) or about my faith that uses a Christian perspective (such as parenting or on a moral issue); while these are important topics, I saw the urgency to write about empty nose syndrome since I myself have suffered from it and I did. I achieved this dream.

Frankly, I believe that Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! has been effective at raising awareness for empty nose syndrome on many levels.

It has caused some people to think about how they could personally take action on behalf of ENS.
It has even held some doctors more accountable; not only have the scientific aspects of this book been used for legal purposes, but I am aware of cases where the book has been used to ask a doctor questions about nasal surgery, with great outcomes from it (and this was from a doctor whose patients were buying my book, if you get my drift!).
It has encouraged some doctors to re-think about how to best treat ENS, while the few brave doctors have taken increased interest in surgical treatments for ENS. Dr. Houser's practice, for instance, has seen a significant increase in patients seeking reconstructive surgery (i.e., Alloderm implants) since my book, which came out at the same time as his research article, Surgical Treatment for Empty Nose Syndrome.
Despite many hours of trying and good faith attempts, no my book has not appeared on Oprah nor garnered national media attention, but honestly that's OK because it is making a difference with patients who are hurting and it has encouraged and renewed the interest of the few brave doctors who really want to help us.
Bottom line: it has gotten the ball moving, with interest in ENS among patients and doctors throughout the world, which is more than I could have hoped would happen. It has started a movement.

Now it's time for me to move on.

But I'm not finished yet. Here's my game plan or the exit strategy, if you will: I have received donations from two people who want to see ENS awareness continued. To use this money toward that end, on July 9th I am flying across the country to a prestigious hospital to visit some doctors who might be financing a study on ENS. I will be a patient, to be sure, but I will also be an example of a informed and passionate patient who has benefited from surgical reconstruction for ENS (which might be the focus of their study). So it works both ways. I will meet a friend of mine and his wife while there as well who has a keen interest in seeing ENS awareness continued. Beyond that, I plan to step down from being the webmaster at http://www.emptynosesyndrome.org/ shortly, as I look to transfer this position to someone else. I will also write two more Internet articles, with one being about my treatment plan (some ideas that extend beyond what is written in the book) and an article about how best to raise awareness for empty nose syndrome. The treatment ideas in the book are actually quite comprehensive, as they cover many areas, but I thought further elaboration on some treatment strategies is in order so the readers can be even more equipped to better themselves. One of my own recent interests of ENS is on foods we eat and how they have an impact on our sinus health. These Internet articles will also be posted here and on the Internet in various article sites, for free. Then I'm done.

My personal health situation: I have overall improved and I have been treated by some of the best doctors in the country for sinusitis, allergies and empty nose syndrome. I still have days where I have some struggles, such as some dryness in my right nostril and mild nasal, sinus and throat inflammation, and I might at a later time get further treatment from doctors, surgical or non-surgical, but my treatment ideas have helped me for now; I'm not cured, but helped.

My blog and Internet website (http://www.emptynosesyndrome.net/) will remain, and of course the website, http://www.emptynosesyndrome.org/ will remain with a new webmaster, with the belief all these sites will continue to raise awareness for empty nose, but the first two sites will not be active or updated regularly.

It has been a real pleasure corresponding with many of you and striving to raise awareness for empty nose syndrome, and I believe that in large measure this goal has been accomplished. Thank you for your interest. I wish you all well and my prayer is that you would be in good health and that your sinus issues would be under control.

#1 in Germany Otolaryngology Books

2008-06-11T19:46:00.001-07:00

The below Amazon.com listing showed that my book was the #1 otolaryngology book in Germany as of today, June 11, 2008, at 10:46 PM EST (these rankings change hourly or daily, so I have to celebrate when I can). Isn't that great? If only I could speak a small bit of German, I would celebrate in this language. Oh, and I received an offer today of someone who might be interested in translating "Having Nasal Surgery?" into the spanish language by next summer. I am elated....this is all terrific news for the cause of empty nose syndrome worldwide.....

Produktinformation
Taschenbuch: 236 Seiten
Verlag: Cold Tree Pr (August 2007)
Sprache: Englisch
ISBN-10: 1583851976
ISBN-13: 978-1583851975
Größe und/oder Gewicht: 21,6 x 14 x 1,8 cm
Durchschnittliche Kundenbewertung: Noch keine Kundenrezensionen vorhanden: Schreiben Sie die erste!
Amazon.de Verkaufsrang: #18.167 in English Books (Die Bestseller English Books)
Beliebt in diesen Kategorien:
#1 in
English Books > Medicine > Specialties > Otolaryngology
#1 in
English Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Medicine > Surgery > Otolaryngology

Canadian ENS sufferers needed - don't miss this golden opportunity

2008-06-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

I have been contacted by Ashleigh Russell of Global News TV, which is based in Ontario, Canada. She is working on a story about a surgical procedure said to relieve allergy sufferers of breathing problems and she came across the www.emptynosesyndrome.org website and was wondering if some Canadian ENS sufferers might be interested in contributing to this story.

Ashleigh said, "I think it's really important to hear the other side of nasal surgeries where results aren't as pleasant as hoped."

So, please, please consider offering her some feedback or encouraging your fellow Canadians to take action, as this is a golden opportunity to raise ENS awareness among the media in Canada. Her contact details are as follows:

Ashleigh Russell
Family Health Intern
Global Television News
416-446-5589
asrussell@globaltv.com

Press Release - Having Nasal Surgery? Wins Award

2008-05-31T20:49:00.000-07:00

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.

Three goals for ENT specialists on empty nose syndrome

2008-05-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

When we think about ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctors, what exactly is it that we really want from them? Why do we want more awareness among them? Here is what I think are three goals we want from the ENT profession:

1) To simply understand and become knowledgeable about ENS, so they can diagnose the currently undiagnosed. The doctors can identify the specific symptoms and its relation to the specific turbinate reductions. If we have a problem, just like any other sufferer of a serious condition, we deserve to have our problem correctly identified and offered appropriate treatment options. The difference between us and a cancer patient, is at least they get treated. These previously undiagnosed sufferers should thus be able to get appropriate help. And I don't mean a cure because there isn't one available; I just mean being offered the best options available to relieve the suffering.

2) We want ENTs to develop a position statement and legal mandate in the field about nasal surgeries (and its relation to ENS), and properly inform patients, so that ENTs would not cause ENS to other prospective nasal surgery patients. I personally believe ENTs should be required to mandate allergy treatment and saline irrigation prior to performing a turbinate reduction. This is a selfless reason, because the damage has already been done to us ENS sufferers; however, we know how damaging ENS can be and want to save others. A position paper would state what nasal surgeries are most likely to lead to ENS (e.g., total turbinectomies, partial and subtotal turbinectomies, and laser turbinate reductions) and which ones are least likely to lead to ENS (e.g., submucous resection with outfracture or radiofrequency).

3) To explore, refine and perfect reconstructive surgical options for ENS. Dr. Houser is already doing this and he is doing a terrific job at it. ENTs are surgeons. This is how they can help us. What we want is more ENT doctors to take interest in researching and performing reconstructive surgical options for ENS sufferers and perfecting these surgeries so that the surgeons are using the best and most cutting-edge materials available for implants (e.g., SIS, Alloderm); and through experience, they perfect and refine the size, location, and technique of the implants so that ENS sufferers would get optimal relief. ENT doctors could collaborate with plastic surgeons to perfect the technique and research scientists to use the best materials available.

It is point #3, reconstructive surgical options, that is the focus of a new forum section at www.emptynosesyndrome.org.

In my own experiences, I have found some relief from treating ENS with implants, as noted in my book. For example, I have much greater nasal airflow resistance, somewhat deeper sleep, and my nose is overall more moist and the mucus somewhat thinner after the implant. I find the implant to serve a sort of "preservation function" for my nose. In Dr. Houser's research article, it was shown that the implants provide improvement ranging from 25% to 90% relief, but his article also noted that the implants do not significantly relieve pain. The implant thus is not a cure, but it has brought partial relief, for which I am thankful.

What I have also learned in treating ENS is that an implant treats ENS, but its effect is more limited on sinusitis, allergies, asthma, gastroesaphogeal reflux, etc. If you have concomitant problems, you need to treat them as well. Our bodies consist of interdependent organs and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You are only as strong as the weakest link. You need to treat all issues. And you can often be preventative in treating an issue, such as the more effectively you treat your allergies, the less your symptoms of acid reflux or sinusitis.

Having Nasal Surgery? wins major national award

2008-05-24T18:07:00.001-07:00

Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! won an Independent Publisher Book Award 2008, Bronze Medalist, in the National category, Health/Medicine/Nutrition. Please check out item #41 at the following link: http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1231

I am elated and will develop a press release shortly announcing this award, with the hope it will attract media attention.

My visit with Dr. Tichenor and free flights for ENS sufferers

2008-04-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

I posted the following message at the General Discussion Forum of www.emptynosesyndrome.org, but thought I'd share these messages here as well.

My visit with Dr. Tichenor

Having improved in various ways via the implants, such as increased moisture and heat in the nasal mucosa leading to thinner mucus, improved sleep, increased airflow resistance, I still have some issues to deal with, so I visited Dr. Tichenor. These issues I am trying to tackle include chronic postnasal drip, irritated throat and sometimes bothersome ears.

The visit with Dr. Tichenor went very well. He was very thorough and gave me red carpet treatment. Dr. Tichenor really showed me he was trying to get to the bottom of my issues, unlike most other doctors. It took me about 1-2 hours to fill out all the paperwork regarding my presenting issues, the biggest of which was an irritated throat. He is a soft-spoken doctor who takes his time and listened to my concerns. The nurse also took quite a bit of time with me before I met with Dr. Tichenor. Dr. Tichenor did 4 mucus samples, taking 2 from my nasal vestibules and 1 from the base of the maxillary sinus where mucus built up, and 1 from the ethmoid sinuses where I have a lot of scarring. Depending on results of the cultures, he will determine whether any additional medicine is warranted. Most doctors don't draw cultures because it is not cost effective medicine. He also had his nurse draw my blood to check out my immune system. I had a pneumonia shot about 2 years ago (you are supposed to get one every 5 years) and he wanted to see if it was effective enough in boosting my immune system. So depending on the results of the blood drawn, his office will determine whether I should proceed with another pneumonia shot. Dr. Tichenor also did a nasal endoscopy using a flexible endoscope -as opposed to a rigid endoscope - which was attached to a video monitor. He talked into the video monitor while investigating my nose. He said I might have some mucus recirculation on both sides of the nose in part caused by the uncinate process and one of the ostia (drainage holes) could be made larger. Dr. Tichenor recommended I do not need surgery if I feel better in the future, particularly with respect to my mucus/postnasal drip issues, and there is always a chance such a surgery could make me worse and some doctors might be reluctant to operate on me anyway given my extensive tissue loss; but I could entertain it at a later time. And if I did it at a later time, it must be done using computer-aided imagery, probably for safety reasons....so I'm not entertaining it now but it is an option for me to improve my sinusitis if need be at a later time, but hopefully I can avoid it (This surgery is the same as the one recommended to me in 2003, as noted in my book, but they would not have used computer-aided imagery, so I'm thankful it was avoided.

Dr. Tichenor is also entertaining possibly giving me a round of allergy tests, as he thinks my allergy injections might not be helping me enough and should be reevaluated. All in all, I felt like this visit I was treated as a first-class citizen and he really seemed to be getting to the root of my sinusitis problems (in part caused by ENS). If I can get some of these issues under better control, such as postnasal drip and my irritated throat and ears, I am going to be doing all right.

Glad I had implants and now I'm glad to be solving the other part of the puzzle....If you are in the NYC area or elsewhere and suffer from allergies or sinusitis in addition to ENS, consider paying Dr. Tichenor an office visit. I was glad I did.....

Lifeline Pilots

Thanks to efforts from my friend Paul (http://emptynosesyndromehope.blogspot.com), he has notified me that LifeLine Pilots (http://www.lifelinepilots.org) has agreed to offer free charter airline flights to ENS sufferers. This is great news, particularly for those who might be experiencing economic hardship with respect to ENS. I informed Dr. Tichenor of this development and he was encouraged, as he mentions this group on his website as well (http://www.sinuses.com)

Lifeline Pilots the shortest distance between home and hope
Lifeline, Inc. dba LifeLine Pilots Suite 302, Byerly Terminal Greater Peoria Regional Airport 6100 W. Dirksen Parkway, Peoria, IL 61607

Hours: The office is open Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Central Time. We are available on a 24/7 basis for changes regarding missions already scheduled or in progress. The after hours cell number may be obtained after hours by calling our toll free number: 1-800-822-7972. Office: 1-309-697-6282 Office Fax: 1-800-822-7969 To speak to a Flight Coordinator: 1-800-822-7972.

E-Mail a general question: mail@lifelinepilots.org

Watch the video testimonials...

2008-04-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

I encourage you all to go to www.youtube.com, type the phrase of "empty nose syndrome" and then watch the video testimonials of ENS, including my own. We have so far 5 people granting testimonials on youtube (4 more have done them already but just not posted yet to youtube), and all these testimonials do such a great job at describing their symptoms and all they have been through as ENS sufferers. Please visit them and rate them or offer feedback, as I need to do as well. If you are an ENS sufferer or a doctor who is familiar with treating empty nose patients, please consider making a video for youtube. A short video of 5 minutes could go a long way for ENS awareness.

Also, I want to encourage you to visit my friend's web blog (who would prefer to remain anonymous) at http://emptynosesyndromehope.blogspot.com. This blog is a Christian-based blog for ENS. I enjoyed reading the Scripture and found the song "Praise you in this storm" to be quite soothing.....thanks to this friend for making this blog.

CPAP forum and ENS Awareness

2008-04-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

I've noticed some people coming to this blog from the following CPAP forum: http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t29862/Turbinate-Reduction-Deviated-Septum-Surgery-Quesiont.html.

While I appreciated the attention brought to empty nose syndrome at this forum, some of the comments made at this forum really made me realize the number of obstacles ENS is up against in raising awareness. Unfortunately, I have ran into these obstacles quite regularly due to widespread lack of knowledge on ENS. Thank goodness for the Internet because, if it were not for the Internet, ENS would still be a totally silent problem and doctors would still be mum about it. Because of the Internet, they are forced to respond and take ENS more seriously, and ENS sufferers can correspond with one another more readily. Lines of communication threaten dictatorships. My book might not have been as successful as it has been, either.

So let me reply to the CPAP forum at this blog. I'd post directly on the forum, but rather than create my own username and password, I thought it would be easier to reply here. If anyone wants to reply to me, they can reply to this blog. I do need more comments at this blog ;)

One of the posters wrote the following myth: "Ignore all the dry nose syndrome warnings, that is rare and can be avoided by following suggestion #1." Suggestion 1 was to go to an experienced, conservative ENT. Here's my reply: Dry nose syndrome ("rhinitis sicca") is a term that seems to downplay the significance of ENS. Many people have dry noses as a temporary complication after nose surgery, but doctors might prefer us confuse a mild, short-term dry nose with something far more serious known as ENS. ENS has not only the long-term complication of dryness, but often many serious symptoms as well. Secondly, the poster claims ENS is rare, another false claim made by doctors who would rather just have us be quiet and disappear. Primary atrophic rhinitis is rare. ENS, sometimes known as secondary atrophic rhinitis, is not. And that's a fact. I had a book signing locally so I learned of many ENS sufferers in my area who have it as a result of turbinate surgeries by a well-liked doctor, not the one who did my surgery. I am aware of other very well-known doctors who are causing ENS as well. I, too, would think it was rare if I did not have it or my book signing. As do most people in my area....although now I know that it is possible hundreds in my immediate area have it. With 400,000-500,000 turbinate surgeries performed each year in the US, it stands to reason that more are suffering from ENS than just a few rare. Many likely have ENS, but don't know it. Their symptoms might be more mild than mine, however.

Another poster commented: "I feel very sorry for anyone who has empty nose syndrome - it is horrible. However, ask your surgeon about it. Mine said it was caused by surgeons reducing the turbinates down to nothing. He said most surgeons are now well aware of it and are careful to leave appropriately sized turbinates." ENS sufferers want respect, not sympathy, but I do appreciate the concern. However, your doctor was wrong in suggesting it is only caused by surgeons who reduce the turbinates to nothing. While it is true that reducing the turbinates down to nothing does cause ENS and doctors are more aware of ENS and conservative than they used to be even just 10 years ago, there is still great ignorance about ENS among doctors and patients, and some patients are still dealing with ENS from surgeries in recent months......Turbinate surgeries where either part or full turbinates are removed, the middles and/or inferiors, can cause ENS. I have corresponded with someone who had just 40% of her inferior turbinates reduced, and she has been experiencing harrowing symptoms. Or consider in Dr. Houser's newest research article, "Surgical Treatment for Empty Nose Syndrome," he describes ENS-Type, which is where the turbinates seem fully intact although previously operated upon, but the patient is still experiencing ENS.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure many doctors would still like us to believe ENS is rare and only happens when an extreme amount of the turbinates are removed, which is really the means to protect a profitable business. Nasal surgery could often be avoided if the patient knew enough strategies to reduce the size of the turbinates through natural means, allergy treatment, proper diet, hydration, saline irrigation, etc.....

As an aside, go to www.youtube.com, search for "empty nose syndrome" and watch these video testimonials. Mine will be posted soon. There are four posted, including one from "Kathy Esckilsen" but 5 others have made videos and hopefully they will be posted soon as well. It shows some testimonials from ENS sufferers; they are revealing and powerful. I look forward to seeing many more in the coming days.

My reply to Jason

2008-04-07T18:27:00.000-07:00

Jason,
Here's my opinion for whatever it's worth: the cotton test can help you determine whether you want to follow through with an implant. It is important for determining the size and location of an implant. Since more is being placed in your nose, rather than removing a critical structure as in a turbinectomy, chances are you will only improve. It is adding some needed tissue inside your nose that can partially restore functions. The implant would only make you worse if too much is put in, but this can always be taken out later on if need be.

You mentioned sleep, your earaches and your throat, wondering the effect an implant has on these. In my experiences, the implant has improved my sleep to an extent, as it does increase resistance and helps direct airflow in a more orderly patterns, but has had little effect on my earaches. I still have them. Yet the resistance does seem to have helped my voice get closer to normal most of the time. I have thinner mucus due to increased moisture and heat in my nose, but I do still experience postnasal drip. The jury is still out, in my view, on whether the implants help my throat and perhaps that is because the postnasal drip still impacts upon my throat. I am visiting Dr. Tichenor (http://www.sinuses.com/) who wrote the introduction to my book on April 17th to get further opinion on my ears, nose and throat and will report back here after that. My ears and throat tend to be my most troubling symptoms at present, although I have greatly improved over the years thanks in part to the implants. Going to New York City will not only be helpful for some answers with respect to my nose, but it is also a good opportunity to have fun and it is a time for my father and I to bond.

In the meantime, a friend of mine has started a blog. Check it out: http://emptynosesyndromehope.blogspot.com/

Looking for advice for JS

2008-03-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

1 comments:
js said...
Hello to all...I am going to see Dr. Houser on June 5th for an evaluation and a cotton test. Here is my dilema- after getting great advice from Chris and others on how to manage the symptoms of ens, my symptoms have improved. Granted, much of this improvement, I believe, is because of the weather as it is getting into the 40's on a consistent basis in Illinois. I have been subscribing to the GOLDEN RULE of Mucosa health with great benefit. My question to all of you who have implants, or went for a cotton test and chose not to implant is this... should I wait to get implants if Houser offers or should I go ahead with the implants? I must say, fear does play apart of this, as I am afraid to have another person touch me. Sleep and my ears are probably my two worst symptoms. I should probably add in my throat because my ear fullness/ache wraps around my jaw down into the right side of my throat. Also, has anybody wished they did not get the implants because of nasal stuffiness? I guess this would not be a bad thing for me as I feel wide open, not congested or stuffy.One good thing that has come out of my surgeries is that I do not get sinus infections anymore and when I do get a cold it lasts typically 7-10 days, which is very normal. All the pro's and con's on this subject would be greatly appreciated!! Chris... we have discussed this topic before, so I am sorry if this is redudant. Looking forward to as many opinions as possible. Take care.js
March 30, 2008 8:28 AM

JS, looking forward to hearing what others have to recommend to you or share with you. It is interesting how our symptoms seem so similar, yet I have had more battles with sinus infections than you. To the readers of this blog, just click on the time link to post a comment to JS.....(or to read a comment, for that matter)

See 2nd comment and my reply and TE's reply

2008-03-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

nicks said...
Hi ChrisThanks for your efforts and keep them up. Rest assured you are doing good for so many people in this world. If you ever have doubts about your efforts never forget the people whom you are helping. They really do apreciate it even if you don't necessarily find out.

My comment:I received my Hydro Pulse although unfortunately I can't use it! The power specifications it runs from (110V 60Hz) are only suitable for USA (and a few other places like Japan). Its no major drama for me as I will be able to use it when we are in KC, but it would be great if like most electronic gizmos these days it could be manufactured to work on 100-240v 50/60Hz so it could be made available to people all over the world (Europe, Australia/NZ, lots of Asia, Africa etc etc). It would also make good business sense too.I was wondering if through your channels to Dr Grossan you could provide this feedback (perhaps even this blog post).
Thanks, Nick
**********************************************
Nick, you can email Dr. Grossan directly at ENTconsult@aol.com to report your concerns or copy and paste this blog post. I'm not sure what could be done to remedy the situation. You could try using a neti pot in the meantime for irrigation or saline nasal sprays or Neilmed, etc.; or there is the SinuPulse Elite as well, which is another pulsating irrigator, although I'm not sure of its specifications. Hope that helps. Best wishes on your move to America!

***********************************************
To Nick:The hydropulse irrigator is also availabe for 220-240v countries. You simply need to look for it on the sites that sel it. It says so clearly and I bought 220v one myself. works great!TE.

See the first comment!

2008-03-19T03:47:00.001-07:00

Click on the time link under my March 11 blog post, which will bring you to the first person to comment in the life of this blog!

Great post and suggestions - and thanks for sharing your story, JS! Your story rings all too true among ENS sufferers. Most if not all had no idea what turbinates were prior to our nose surgeries. And I'm interested in that sublingual immunotherapy as well...

A mass, but informative email to 361 accounts....

2008-03-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

I just sent an email to 361 people I have either corresponded with about ENS or have signed up as members at emptynosesyndrome.org. I am new to sending out such a large email and I learned that my email account webmaster@emptynosesyndrome.org only allows an email to 250 people per day. That said, it took me 2 days to send out this email. Contents of the email included updates for the emptynosesyndrome.org website (send me an email if you want to get involved with improving the site; serious inquiries only), some treatment ideas, such as Craniosacral therapy and exercise, and a Warm Air Mask that ENS sufferers enjoy a 25% discount on (see the post below).

Some interesting statistics of my 3/10-3/11 mass email:

-An email to 361 email accounts.
-34 email accounts out of order.
-2 people who did not want to receive future mailings (that could potentially help them:)

So, that leaves an email that was sent out to 325 members of the ENS site and those I have corresponded with. I have worked on updating the emptynosesyndrome.org website, between adding information on the Warm Air Mask on the home page, updating the news link, and providng a new cover look to the site. It still needs much improving, but I am going to be taking a break for now, maybe for a week or more so I can focus on my family. I have not gotten more than 6.5 hours per sleep on any night over the past week and it's not because of my children. I am tired and my health isn't terrific because I am tired.

Honestly, I wish I could correspond in depth with everyone that emails me, as I care about you all, but my energy level is really dwindling and I have been getting a fairly high number of emails of late - about 8-10 per day in recent days. While I enjoy corresponding with every person who emails me, it takes time. That said, I have removed my juno email account from the http://www.emptynosesyndrome.net/ so people would not contact me about ENS at my juno account. Rather, I have asked that people primarily contact me about ENS at webmaster@emptynosesyndrome.org, because I cannot access this email account at work, which helps me keep work and home life separate. I have also requested that those who do contact me at my webmaster account primarily contact me if they are interested in assisting with the site (serious inquiries).

There is a solution to all this....if you want to correspond about symptoms, post a comment to my blog; or, there is the emptynosesyndrome.org forum to discuss symptoms and treatments with fellow sufferers as well. In the life of this blog, not a single person has posted a comment. I have been told a few have tried, but failed. If people did post on this blog, I can respond at this blog and it can become interactive. All you have to do is click on the time button underneath any blog post and it will lead you to where you can leave a comment. Thanks for reading...and caring :)

God bless,
Chris

Heart Run, Website, and Warm Air Mask

2008-03-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

On a personal note, I completed a 3-mile run as part of the Heart Run and Walk in Central New York this past Saturday (http://www.uticaheartrunwalk.org/). Unfortunately, I did it all wrong. I did no training prior to the run and went into it cold turkey - and I mean "cold turkey!" My legs are still somewhat sore from this run! Normally if I train up to being able to run 3 miles, it is really not a problem. I should not be sore from that and do it with grace and ease...yeah right. I was not planning on running in it, to be honest, as I was expecting 2-5 inches of snow the night before and additional snow (and cold) on the day of. My wife woke me up around 7:20 AM and informed me that it was mild outdoors with only rain rather than snow and, to my surprise, it was. So I got up after only 6 hours of sleep and prepared for the run. Despite all this, I enjoyed it and was glad to do it for a good cause. And my nasal breathing felt good for the remainder of the day because of the increased blood flow to my nose that the running brought, while my throat was extra irritated from the cold air. Enough about that....

If you have been following of late, I have taken over as webmaster of http://www.emptynosesyndrome.org/ as of March 1st. I'm not sure how long I will remain webmaster, but it is privilege and while I continue on as the webmaster of that site, I'll do my best at maintaining it and keeping its contents fresh. The site gets far more traffic than this blog, about 200-300 unique visitors per day. However, I really am limited with time in improving it, given my family responsibilities of my wife and three little kiddos and my job; if others are willing to pitch in, it can be improved. Today I sent out an email to 150+ members of the ENS site announcing this transition of webmaster from David Lemberg to myself, and tomorrow I will send out another email to 150+ members. I would send it out all at once, but the server does not allow me to send out an email to more than 250 members on one day, so it takes 2 days to do that.

On the home page of http://www.emptynosesyndrome.org/, I have added a link and product information for a warm air mask from http://www.polarwrap.com/. Polar Wrap has offered ENS sufferers a 25% discount on this mask. I sure hope others take advantage of this offer and enjoy breathing in warm air as I have of late....if only I had worn it for the Heart run (sigh)....

Update on Book - some international success

2008-02-26T19:15:00.000-08:00

I am hoping to send out an email to all 300 members of the empty nose syndrome website soon, as well as the many members who have signed up for my newsletter. The focus of the email will highlight developments in empty nose syndrome, as well as treatment therapies I have found beneficial in recent months.

Until then, I thought I'd share an observation that I noticed this evening. Every so often, in addition to amazon.com, I like to see how my book is selling on amazon.uk (United Kingdom), amazon.de (Germany), amazon.fr (France), and amazon.ca (Canada).

The great news is as I write this post, Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! is among the top 100 Otolaryngology books in various countries, including the United States, as it is right now #51 & #69 in Otolaryngology, and it has been among the top 100 Otolaryngology books in the United States for the most part since it was released. However, now it has become an international success as well, and is right now among the top 100 otolaryngology books in the following countries (Amazon sales rank changes on an hourly basis, please note, so it might not be on the top 100 otolaryngology books at a different time; I must savor the moment!):

United Kingdom

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 226,771 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#77 in
Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Medical & Healthcare Practitioners > Internal Medicine > Otorhinolaryngology

Canada

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #50,103 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories:
#13 in
Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Medicine > Surgery > Otolaryngology
#18 in
Books > Science > Medicine > Specialties > Otolaryngology
#18 in
Books > Medicine > Specialties > Otolaryngology

Germany

Durchschnittliche Kundenbewertung: Noch keine Kundenrezensionen vorhanden: Schreiben Sie die erste!
Amazon.de Verkaufsrang: #130.245 in English Books (Die Bestseller English Books)
Beliebt in diesen Kategorien:
#18 in
English Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Medicine > Surgery > Otolaryngology
#23 in
English Books > Medicine > Specialties > Otolaryngology

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all blog readers, doctors, friends, family, stores, and ENS sufferers who have bought, recommended, or helped me in promoting Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! I think that is tremendous that the book is selling well on an international level. I even heard about an Australian buying the book. Today, I sold 5 copies of Having Nasal Surgery? to my local health food store, Peter's Cornucopia. I have sold 14 books (and counting) through the local bookstore, Park Row Books, in Clinton, New York as well, where I've enjoyed successful book signings. It also has a sales rank of 250, 588 at barnesandnoble.com, so it is selling there as well.

The primary country where it has not yet sold is France. We need some French to buy the book, as I know many French suffer from empty nose syndorme. There is a complete french forum at the emptynosesyndrome.org website, for that matter. If you are reading this blog and from France, I hope you will consider buying this book. Many thanks.

Until next time, I hope your sinus health is under control! (PS- promise will focus on tips once again in future blog posts)....

A day in my life, racism, and good news....

2008-02-24T18:21:00.001-08:00

I have not written on this blog in over 2 weeks, and perhaps that is because life has been rather hectic lately - between taking care of three little ones, possibly taking over as webmaster of the emptynosesyndrome.org website, and my job - and I have been battling a persistent cold on top of all that. This past week was my week off from school and I found myself writing 10 psychological reports as well as a myriad of paperwork details for my job. Thankfully, it will be a good feeling to hit the ground running when I go back to school tomorrow because I completed so much, but it was time-consuming. I'm happy to report that finally my cold is starting to get better (without antibiotics) and so are my spirits. I am going to refrain from discussing treatment techniques in this post, but I have tried a number of different, new techniques of late, if you just hang on and keep reading this blog, I will discuss them; and they might be helpful for your situation.

Many of the readers of this blog probably don't know what a typical day in my life is like. So I want to share with you this past Thursday, a day I had off because of our school vacation, so you can know me better. After going to sleep around 10:30 or 11:00 on Wednesday evening, I woke up around 6:30 to write some psychological reports for my job. As mentioned, this past week was my week off from work. I worked on 2 psychological reports from 6:30 to 8:30. I drank a number of cups of water during this time to help thin the mucus in the back of my throat. The mucus has been feeling rather thick and irritating back there, particularly after a full night of sleep. I have been finding that I can cough up some of this phlegm after I wake up and become more active. Around 8:30, I knew I had to start getting ready because my wife was bringing my 2-month old son to the doctor's appointment at 9:15 while I was at home watching our two girls - ages 3 and 1. So I took a shower, shaved, put on some fresh clothes, did a nasal irrigation (both nose and throat), and then ate a quick muffin and then retrieved the vitamins I am taking. I am taking a number of vitamins including but not limited to Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Host Defense, Bee Propolis, Pantothenic Acid, Zinc, Echnicacea/Goldenseal, acidopholus (a probiotic), my allergy pill, and so forth. My girls were busy watching the Donut Man and Hide 'em in your heart by Steven Green, while also doing puzzles. We began to read a couple stories, just as long as I could keep my oldest daughter's interest. Yet I knew our house was a total disaster and made it my mission to clean it up before my wife returned. I told my little kiddos that mommy will be so proud if we help clean it up. And boy did we clean. We picked up all the toys, cards (go fish), animals, chalk, crayons, etc. that had been laying on the ground. Then I filled and took out the garbage that was overflowing. Then we cleaned the dirty dishes and cleaned and sorted in our front room as well. (I live in a small ranch home, about 1400 square feet, in a semi-rural area with half an acre.) After cleaning up all these areas, we vacuumed in the living room - where it needed it. Then we sorted all the DVD's and VHS tapes that were lying everywhere around the television - above, below it in the cabinet, and on the ground. Then I changed my littlest one's diaper and put on her clothes for the day. (Do keep in mind not all days I am this ambitious at cleaning, believe me). Then we sat and began to read again as my wife pulled the car into the garage. As my wife came home with our little one, she was so happy to see the house clean. It just made her day. She told me that my son's lungs were clear, although he still is coughing and uncomfortable at times, but he has been battling this cold and was put on a nebulizer by 4 weeks of age! It was heartbreaking, but I know he will get over it in time as he is being nursed, and we are health-conscious parents who will choose good foods for him as he gets older. By this time it was around noon and we had lunch - turkey sandwiches, yogurt, veggies, and water - and then soon after left for grocery shopping at the local Hannaford. This grocery shopping took about an hour, ran into some different people I knew at Hannaford's, and my little girl, Abigail, fell asleep while riding in the little yellow and red kiddie cart. We were not sure what to do after that, but we ultimately decided to go to the mall as my wife wanted to shop for clothes. We hit a number of stores at the mall, including the Disney store, Auntie Anne's, Mr. Smoothie, (sorry, I hope I'm not making you think less of our eating habits), as well as Sears and Northern Reflections. My children are often quite the busy bees in these stores, finding the endless array of clothes almost to be like a hide-and-seek maze, but they were quite well-behaved and we were proud of them for that. Our littlest one seemed a bit tired on the way out the mall, but generally they were very well-behaved. Upon returning home, we had leftover spaghetti and meatballs, as well as salad and water. The girls don't go for the salad, but I do! Our girls were in need of a bath, as well as our little boy who has been spitting up much after this cold, so they all got baths this evening. Of course, our 2-month old son gets a smaller bath for his little body than the girls who use the bathtub in the bathroom. After that, my family has devotion time where we read Christian stories together, sing, and pray, which is what we did this evening. Then we brush their teeth. After they were all asleep, I decided to complete another psychological report. I told myself I would only do 1 so I would not be too tired the next day and since I had to complete 2 more on the following morning. Before going to sleep, I do nasal irrigation, acupressure (time-permitting) and then pray. That is one day in my life. I hope I didn't bore you with all the details, but that is what a typical day (when not in school at my job) in my life is like. Here's a photo of acupressure taken from http://www.csc.gov/

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The following story is off-topic from ENS but it is troubling to me. I encourage you to watch the video and reflect on how you can make a difference on behalf of people of a different race. A friend of mine, Mark Montgomery, is an African-American who I know well and have great respect for. He is a strong person who is well-respected and seems to know everyone. When I was applying for my first job as a school psychologist, he called up the director of special education at one school district and next thing you know I was being offered a job. He literally got one for me. I ultimately declined that job offer, but it just goes to show how great of a guy he is. While in college, he and I were tennis doubles' partners on the college tennis team and have enjoyed many tennis outings and very deep discussions on our jobs and the importance of education. In fact, I conducted a "meaning of difference" interview during which I probed into how being African American affects his life. It was an englightening conversation and I learned much including that Mark is part Irish and that he has incurred racism against him in his own life. I was surprised, thinking, how could anyone yell racial epithets against someone of such high standing. Mark was a counselor at Hamilton College (where B.F. Skinner trained, you psychologists out there) and he is currently a professor at Morrisville College where he has invited me to talk with his class about school psychology - that was a good experience, too...Anyway, to make a long story short, Mark sent me an email on the Monday of a couple weeks ago telling me to "check this out." It was a news clip from news channel 10 that discussed how a noose had been found outside of his door at the school where he works. Can you believe that?? This school is only a few schools away from where I work. I hope to get together with Mark soon and I was truly appaled that anyone would think of this as a prank; it may have been thought of as a prank, but truly it's a hate crime. I sent an email to all the staff at where I work encouraging them to watch the video and think about what it is they can do to make a difference on behalf of people of color. I encourage you to do the same. Here's the link: http://www.wktv.com/news/local/15675197.html

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Finally, I had the privilege of receiving an email from a reader of my book who remarked they were so happy that their doctor recommended my book, Having Nasal Surgery? to them. Dr. Ken Fletcher of Georgia recommended my book to this patient. I have never met Dr. Fletcher or am aware of how he knew about my book, but knowing that he recommended my book to this patient is terrific. I owe him one. A big thank you goes out to Dr. Fletcher!!

Until next time, I hope your sinus problems are under control....

This post is just a test....

2008-02-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

This post is just a test to see if the 'post a comment' is now enabled....

Acupuncture for ENS....

2008-02-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

First, I apologize it has been a number of days since my last blog post. My family and I have been under the weather with colds during the past week. Thankfully I am finding that my health - and the health of my children- is on the rebound. Since I have better understood my condition of ENS in recent years, I have been able to better treat it and consequently incur fewer colds/infections. My wife is very blessed as she rarely gets sick and so was able to fight off this one.

OK, here's a treatment idea that has been beneficial for my sleep: Acupuncture. I cite this treatment in Having Nasal Surgery?, while acknowledging I had not done it by the time of my writing. Now I have. Acupuncture originated from the Chinese and it consists of inserting thin needles that almost feel like mosquito pricks in strategic places of the body. They can be placed along 14 meridians - or energy pathways in the body and are considered effective for treating various conditions. A condition ENS sufferers often suffer from is sinus headaches, and thus acupuncture is beneficial for alleviating a headache - or even promoting better sleep. The following describes acupuncture from wikipedia:

Acupuncture treatment regulates the flow of Qi and Blood, tonifying where there is deficiency, draining where there is excess, and promoting free flow where there is stagnation. An axiom of the medical literature of acupuncture is "no pain, no blockage; no blockage, no pain."

Now, here's my experience: I have undergone two acupuncture treatments thus far. During these treatments, the doctor (a great, ENS sympathetic, holistic-minded doctor) inserted the needles along my right ear, beneath my nose, in my forehead, between my toes, and between my thumb and pointer finger. During these treatments, I noticed a significant warming around my right ear region due to the increased blood flow. I also noticed mucus draining down my throat. After the treatments I felt more relaxed but not necessarily lightheaded. I slept much better those nights after the acupuncture. The effect I found that it had on my body was similar to how I feel after I exercise, but I find the longevity of the effect is greater - up to a few days. Similar to the aftereffects of exercise, there is a release of endorphins and an increased blood flow. (Please note: I believe exercise and subsequent increased blood flow is critical for treating ENS.) I am looking forward to continued acupuncture and will report back here after I undergo more treatments. It has helped alleviate sinus headaches to some extent and has helped me sleep better overall as well.

Hot Liquids for ENS....

2008-01-30T17:31:00.000-08:00

Consistent with my recent theme of hot liquids, I want to emphasize one hot beverage that I thoroughly enjoy and seems to bring me at least some temporary relief of my symptoms. It is hot tea, sometimes with lemon and honey. Hot tea with lemon and honey is considered one of the best mucus thinners. I believe a real problem in our society is dehydration, which sometimes leads to sinus infections itself, and it is particularly important to hydrate even more when you feel like you might be coming down with an infection or if you are trying to fight off a cold. In my view, my favorite teas are generally decaffeinated and are herbal. I particularly enjoy Throat Comfort tea by Yogi Tea, as well as the Cold Season Sampler (which consists of Breathe Deep, Echinacea Immune Support, Cold Season, and Throat Comfort). I will generally drink these teas with honey, and sometimes a bit of lemon juice as well. Did you know that lemon is actually alkaline? Given the fact that lemon is very sour, you'd think it was acidic, but I was reading that it is in fact alkaline in a book called The PH Miracle. So, bottom line: lemon is good for you! Some of the herbs in these various teas include:

Licorice Root
Thyme
Eucalyptus
Basil
Mullein
Echinacea
Ginger
Cardamom
Clove
Peppermint
Slipper Elm Bark

Other teas I enjoy include chamomille and cinnamon spice. I find the spicy teas are not only soothing on the throat, but also promote healthy digestion.

In an upcoming blog post, I plan to write about some treatments that I have been trying of late to help promote better sleep. I actually had a great night of sleep last night, as I was sleeping more deeply than I have in a while. The treatment is cited in my book, and I plan to share this treatment ideas with those signed up at my ENS newsletter first (www.emptynosesyndrome.net) and then on this blog. As an aside, I learned that the patient mentioned on my January 25th blog post had a turbinate reduction surgery by the doctor who was unreasonable about empty nose syndrome....go figure. In a future blog post, I also hope to pose "hard," yet incredibly important questions that must be addressed by ear, nose and throat specialists in America. Until then, I hope your sinus health is doing well and under control.

'ENT hurdles' in getting treatment help for ENS

2008-01-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

I have copied the following testimonial from a writer at the general discussion at emptynosesyndrome.org. I thought it was a good testimony of what some ENS sufferers have to deal with, the hurdles ENS sufferers face in getting proper help, and the total lack of sympathy by some doctors who should know better. This patient has been through multiple turbinate reduction surgeries, so likely is dealing with some level of ENS. This testimony should trouble every person who reads it. All this patient wanted was to be listened to by a sensitive, caring, sympathetic, ENS-knowledgeable doctor who explores medical solutions and puts her health over the protection of a fellow doctor causing empty nose syndrome. ENTs, please take note: That's all we want. That's why we are overly appreciative of Dr. Houser for his work with ENS because we want help desperately -and need it, too. I have edited and shortened the following to highlight the key points. Here's what she wrote:

Hello All,

I have turned to these boards for some time, and especially recently. This winter with the dry heat in NYC has been dreadful for my breathing. I am in the process of sending my CT scans to Dr. Houser. This is a relief, after five years of being told by ENTs to do more procedures and/or that I was inventing a problem for psychological reasons. (As far as I know, psychological problems do not produce mucus that sticks inside the nose, but until I read Chris' book and found out about this site and Dr Houser's work, I was willing to believe I was crazy and alone.) Thank heaven there is a doctor like Dr. Houser who has a soul and a capacity to listen, care, investigate, and respond to our needs with medical solutions.

...I ended up making the mistake of letting my ENT argue for months for the turbinectomy, although I understood it was all or nothing -- no turbinectomy, no septoplasty -- at least this is how the doctor presented it. I had NO idea what a turbinate was and thought he was fighting for the whole surgery to get approved. Finally he told me things were a go, and I did the surgery. After the surgery, he told me "secretly" that although the insurance did not approve the turbinectomy, he went ahead and did it anyway! I just thought, maybe he is just a nice guy, if cavalier, but I did not expect a problem. Why would he have done this if he did not get paid? Was he trying to be a hero? Why didn't he inform me of anything regarding turbinates?

...It has been five years. I am confused. I had NO idea that the missing turbinates were causing my problem, for real, until about a year ago, or less. That is four years later!....I have been through departments!!!! NYU, NY Presbyterian. My current ENT dismisses ENS but still tries to treat my symptoms, at least. I pretend to his face that ENS is something "my worried mom" thinks I have because she does too much internet research. He completely dissed Chris's book to my face and Dr Houser, whom he appears to know, and right then I knew I had to stop trying to convince all these ENTs. Why are they so defensive of something that is standard practice but does not work on everyone? Is it just about protecting themselves from malpractice suits? I don't get it. It seems that could be avoided by informing patients of the risk of turbinate surgery....

Thank to you all for this lifesaving forum.

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Thank you to the above reader for her comments. Here's my challenging questions to the defensive ENT.

1) Why is it that you acknowledge and know how important the turbinates are, but do not address the resulting symptoms from removed turbinates or potential reconstructive surgical treatment options for empty nose? Research has been published in a medical journal clearly defining and offering a surgical remedy for empty nose syndrome, so ENS is an indisputable fact - not something that can be dismissed.

2) Why is it that you appear to be more concerned with protecting a doctor who is causing harm via turbinate removal than the health of that patient?

3) Why is there no professional standard regarding the amount of turbinate to remove in turbinate surgery?

It would be great if that doctor could answer those questions satisfactorily. As the old saying goes, if you are not part of the solution, then you might be part of the problem. Makes you wonder if this particular doctor is part of the problem or solution. Thoughts?

Comments from a reader

2008-01-23T17:57:00.000-08:00

Below are some comments from a reader and fellow ENS sufferer, Jdog. I tried to put them in as a post, but he nor I was sure how to do it! Frustrating since I want this blog to be interactive. Here are his comments followed by my own:

Subject: Great work Chris, love the blog.

I think the reference is great for awareness and the low readership is more due to a lack of understanding.

It's obvious that alot of ENS suffers dont know theyhave ENS. However that is changing fast with the forum, book and net in general. The more people thatknow what they have the more people will know what to look for. Keep up the good work. Love the articles.

Chris replies:

Your comments are much appreciated. I agree that a primary reason for low readership of this blog is lack of awareness. It is astounding how many people might be suffering from this condition, at one level or another, yet don't know they have it. Those who don't have it still think it's rare, which couldn't be further from the truth. I very much agree that the Internet has been the primary reason my book has been able to sell as well as it has, and it is the primary means of communication for raising awareness on empty nose on many fronts. The forum, book, and various Internet sites have threatened a medical cover-up, for lack of a better way to put it.

Carbonated water for ENS?

2008-01-22T19:17:00.001-08:00

My most recent post discussed how staying properly hydrated by drinking water is an important part of treating empty nose syndrome (ENS). As mentioned in one of my newsletters, a friend of mine suggested that drinking carbonated water is a somewhat effective at treating ENS. He buys many bottles of tonic water at the store. I agree and acknowledge that having the stimulation from the effervescence probably does help a seemingly "dead" throat/inner nose by stimulating otherwise inactive nerve cells. And I encourage you to try this remedy and to report back to me at this blog with a post (just click on the time button at the bottom of this post in order to post).

However, I personally believe the key when drinking water for treating ENS is to keep it warm or hot, which increases blood flow to the throat, helps stimulate the cilia, perhaps even kills bacteria, whereas cold water can do the opposite. Hot water also seems to promote healthy bowel movements, and BMs seem to decrease the stuffiness in my nose; this of course should not be surprising given that the mucous membrane extends from our nose right down to our digestive tracts. This same friend informed me he had started coming down with the beginning stages of a sore throat, but drank many cups of hot water over a period of several days and that effectively cured his sore throat at that time.

What do you think?

Another thing about water and hydration...have you ever noticed that if you drink a lot of water, then your skin becomes less dry and you have less of a need for hand lotion, even if you live in a cold climate, as I do, this time of the year?

On my next post, I'll talk about different teas that are worth drinking for ENS, so stay tuned....

Liquids for ENS....

2008-01-21T04:37:00.000-08:00

As an ENS sufferer, I find that liquids are very important for maintaining healthy mucous membranes. The most important liquid for an ENS sufferer is water. Water is considered the universal solvent because it dissolves more substances than any other liquid. Water is a mucolytic because it helps thin mucus by increasing its water content. Thinner mucus drains better. And ENS sufferers need thinned mucus! I believe many ENS sufferers (and Americans, for that matter) are often dehydrated. The first signs of thirst are often an indication of dehydration. Dr. Rob Ivker, in his book, Sinus Survival, recommends drinking even when you are not thirsty. You should drink 8 cups of water per day as a rule of thumb, and upwards of 13 if you are engaging in a fitness program.

Now, here are some tips to make the water even more effective: make sure the water is pure and heat it up. Hot water is particularly effective at draining thick mucus that has accumulated in your throat. Drinking numerous cups of hot water per day will help moisturize your throat, perhaps even partly substiting for the heating and lubricating role of your removed turbinates. Granted, please be careful not to burn your throat if the water is too hot, but do heat the water up. Is it not surprising that Dr. Ivker (if my memory serves me right) recommends sinus sufferers live off the western coast of Florida because of its heat and humidity? Ice cold water, conversely, as Dr. Grossan points out in his book, freezes the cilia and mucus stays there longer.

My wife, Colleen, and I went on our honeymoon in Maine and stayed at a place called Green Woods. Below is the view from our cabin where you can see the ocean water.

Direction for this Blog: A focus on nasal health tips & ENS News Updates & Pics

2008-01-18T17:54:00.000-08:00

As you might notice, it has been a couple weeks since I blogged last, as I have been very busy with my growing family. (And, while writing this post, I took a 1.5 hour break to assist my family, which isn't a bad thing - although I'm more tired right now. We are very blessed, but I am stating a fact). Between my family and job, I have had little time for much else. However, I have fit in an upcoming, second book signing at Park Row Books in Clinton, NY, on February 9th, from 1-3, and I am looking forward to that. This bookstore is the one such store in my local area that has been very supportive toward me as a local author.

As the new year continues to proceed, I believe it is a ripe time to consider the future direction for this blog. I believe this blog should have two goals: to become more interactive and to create a larger readership. I have done about 50 blog posts in the past year and not a single reader of this blog has posted a comment. In order to post, all you have to do is click on the time underneath the message and then post away. Some might suggest I am writing on a narrow topic or readers don't know how to post a reply, but the number of email responses to me has indicated a healthy - no pun intended - number of responses. So I need to make it more interactive. On most given days, I have between 10 and 40 page loads of this blog which, honestly, is very low readership. I'm not sure quite why this is, whether it is I don't blog frequently enough or because the topic turns some off or if it's because the blog focuses almost exclusively on my book - or maybe it is all of the above.

So, my hope for this blog in the newyear is:

1) to encourage readers to post on this blog.

2) to increase the readership of this blog.

It's interesting because the Internet and specifically amazon.com are the primary reasons my book is able to have any impact. The vast majority of my books sold have been through the Internet. Amazon.com has a host of nonfiction, niche books that otherwise would receive little attention in bookstores (which are often indifferent toward self-published authors) or in the media. Amazon.com allows the viewer to be at the doorstep of your book, and you can market it any way you want. Plus, I believe the more savvy readers are those who buy items from the Internet, as you can often find better deals on Internet sites than through local stores.

I am getting on a tangent here, but the question is, how will I encourage readers to post on this blog and increase its readership? After some thought, I am planning to focus this blog more on treatment tips for nasal sufferers (and specifically empty nose sufferers), to blog on a more frequent basis, and to attempt to present the most current news with respect to empty nose syndrome. To some extent, I already do the aforementioned through my empty nose newsletter (which has about 30 readers), and I will keep the newsletter on the cutting edge of my thoughts - that won't be provided through this blog - but I will post more regularly on what I find has been helpful to me as an empty nose sufferer.

And maybe I'll even add some more photos, so you can get to know me better. Below is a photo of the view of the valley about one half mile from my house on my road, which is where I run during the summer months. And, yes, that is what it looks like this time of the year, snow covered and all!

So, please stay tuned...because in the coming days and weeks, my blog will take this turn, hopefully for the better.

New Year's Resolutions, a fitness plan, a THANK YOU

2008-01-04T19:03:00.000-08:00

It has been a couple weeks since I wrote last because my computer monitor totally crashed shortly before my third child, Luke, was born. I bought a monitor earlier this week - wow, was it expensive. I am told I got a deal, as a kind friend referred me to it and I paid $125 for it. Yet most cost more! For the price of most monitors, you might as well buy a new computer. Anyway, I'm glad to be up and running again...and posting.

Each year I excitedly set before me New Year's Resolutions. This year, I have three resolutions: the first is to spend more time doing Christian devotions with my family each night; the second is to spend more time reading the Bible with my wife after my children go to sleep; and the third is to rid myself of sinusitis and allergies once and for all. Although I cannot regenerate the turbinate tissue that was removed, and thus have to suffer the effects of the turbinectomy to some extent, I CAN control the sinusitis and allergies to a large extent. It's going to be a real challenge, but I believe it can be largely cured.

The main areas in which I really need to improve in order to control my sinusitis include 1) improving my diet - e.g., I have been taking many herbal supplements, eating more vegetables, and decreasing the amount of dairy food of late - and developing a fitness program. I have been reading "Fitness Your Way" by Jim Lafountain. Jim is the athletic director where I work and owner of the All-American Fitness Center in New Hartford. I would strongly recommend reading his book that is chok full of practical suggestions on how to begin developing a fitness plan to meet your particular needs. You can buy it at amazon.com. This book has so much useful information on fitness that I can't believe I was following some of the lies that the media promotes. One such lie is what Jim calls the myth of mindless miles. Basically, this belief amounts to the fact that more is better when it comes to running. Jim reminds the reader that our legs will tire and like a vehicle, will experience much wear and tear over time, causing knee injuries to the chronic runner. He notes that while mild discomfort is to be expected, pain should not be tolerated in a fitness plan. He notes a mixture of running, walking, biking and - yes, stretching, might help you meet your cardiovascular needs. That's a simplification, but you get the gist. Jim recommends ensuring that your fitness plan has three components - cardiovascular, stretching, and resistance training (strength training), but that often people focus on just one aspect of fitness, excluding the other two. This is a mistake, in his opinion. His book is really a great book, and I would heartily recommend it for getting help developing a fitness plan on your terms.

Finally, I would like to kick out a thank you to Dr. Winston Vaughn of San Francisco, California. Dr. Vaughn trained at Stanford Medical School and, according to his online resume, is also on the Board of the American Rhinologic Society. Given his connections, now I know why he thought my book was having an impact among the ENTs. Clearly, he is a distinguished professional. So why do I kick out a big thank you? Dr. Vaughn enjoyed reading Having Nasal Surgery? so much that he bought 10 copies of it. He plans to share these copies with those in his journal club and with other ear, nose and throat specialists. That is wonderful. It is a great feeling to win the respect of intelligent people. I learned of this because one of his patients told me. Thank you so much, Dr. Vaughn, and I hope the other specialists enjoy the book as much as you did. And I hope they buy a number of copies for their fellow doctors and colleagues. I and other empty nose sufferers much appreciate your attention to and support of this worthy cause of empty nose syndrome.

Having Nasal Surgery? in 2007- HIGHLIGHTS

2007-12-16T17:57:00.000-08:00

I want to wish all readers of this blog a Merry Christmas (or happy holiday) and a happy new year. My wife is expecting our third child any day now so I am quite excited about that. If I am absent a short time from this blog, that is why.

Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! was published on August 30th and has enjoyed a successful first three months. My publisher, Cold Tree Press, selected my book and has assisted me in applying this book for some book contests, believing it stands a reasonable chance of winning one of them. To recap, its accomplishments have included:

1)Selling fairly well - more than 2 books per day.
2)Receiving favorable reviews from customers at Amazon, Kirkus Discoveries, Foreword Clarion, Midwest Book Review, BookReview.com, and Reader Views. The Amazon listing is at: http://www.amazon.com/Having-Nasal-Surgery-Become-Victim/dp/1583851976/ref=sr_1_1/104-8078597-4322336?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190430354&sr=1-1.
3)Dr. Steven Houser, who wrote the foreword, has seen a significant increase in the number of ENS patients he is treating in recent months. His research article that was published in the September 2007 edition of Archives of Otolaryngology, likely contributed to this increase as well.
4)A successful book signing at Park Row in Clinton, New York. There could be potentially hundreds of ENS sufferers in the greater Utica area. I have been invited back for a second book signing; and all bookstores locally that have bought copies of Having Nasal Surgery? have sold them without a problem.
5) Comments from a doctor in Northern California to his patients that my book is having an impact in the ENT community. According to Dr. Murray Grossan of Los Angeles, at the American Academy of Otolaryngology, for the first time at a major conference, doctors were discussing how to best spare nasal mucosa to prevent ENS.
6) Having Nasal Surgery? is posted beneath the picture of the current Vice President of the American Rhinologic Society at the Cleveland, Nasal Sinus Center website.

While there is still much more work to be done on the awareness front, and hopefully the media will take notice in the upcoming year, all of the above leads me to believe Having Nasal Surgery? is contributing to an increase in awareness of empty nose syndrome locally and around the country...and that means more doctors informed of ENS and more patients with ENS receiving better help....and that is the most exciting news of all!

How to GET empty nose syndrome quickly

2007-12-09T17:45:00.000-08:00

The following is a quick way to get empty nose syndrome (ENS) quickly if you so desire, although I'm not sure why you would want to. In fact, I urge you NOT to try this at home (like I did) and I'm absolutely not responsible for any decisions people make who read this blog. Enough said. Here's my cookout in the winter story:

1) Bring your gas grill outside on a cold winter day (preferably, 30 degrees farenheit or colder)
2) Once the gas grill doesn't start because it is too cold, keep the gas running
3) Bring a lighter and light the grill and....

Kaboom!

Now there must be a better way to start a gas grill on a frigid winter day. Or maybe grills aren't meant for winter cookouts. Seriously, the aluminum foil must have shot up 5 feet in the air and there was a huge fireball - almost looked like out of a movie. Thankfully, I (and my children who were inside in the warmth) was safe. Now, the gas grill did start at this point in time and I was able to cook the chicken and green beans. The plow man went by a few minutes later to clean the snow off the road. I was probably looked at cross-eyed by everyone in my area but it didn't matter because it is dark outside and you can't see them looking at me anyway. All in all, I had fun cooking some chicken while the snow fell and my wife took a picture of me making a fool of myself.

....PLEASE, don't do what I did with the grill!!!!! That's just asking for trouble.

**************************************************
Some promising news....

On a more serious note, I learned of the number of books I have sold and, according to Dr. Murray Grossan, I have sold a good number. Not enough to pay off the expenses of the book (yet), but enough to say it is making a real difference. Let's just put it this way: I am selling more than 2 per day almost solely on the Internet and without any marketing plan or major media endorsements. I would say that's pretty good. If I could sell a niche topic book of this nature fairly well, I wonder what would happen if I tried to write a book on a topic with broad appeal. I have in the past entertained writing a book on a topic related to my faith or one related to my profession of school psychology. Not that I'm planning on it, as my job and family keep me plenty busy (and rightfully so), but it is an interesting idea to ponder. I have also learned that Dr. Houser's practice has been flooded with empty nose syndrome patients (coming out of the cracks) in recent months and that he has been doing Alloderm implant surgeries regularly.

This is all good news for empty nose sufferers and raising awareness on empty nose syndrome (ENS).

Update on Amazon Sales Rank

2007-12-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

I am hoping to find out soon how many books of Having Nasal Surgery? have been sold in its first 3 months on the market. In the meantime, I was checking my amazon sales rank and saw this book as #1 in Otolaryngology. If it can stay at this level, then that's great, but it will take work to keep the sales rank good. The amazon sales rank is updated hourly, so it might very well change -- for better or worse during the next few hours and days.

Product Details
Paperback: 236 pages
Publisher: Cold Tree Press (August 30, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1583851976
ISBN-13: 978-1583851975
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,587 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#1 in Books > Science > Medicine > Specialties > Otolaryngology
#1 in Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Medicine > Surgery > Otolaryngology

SHARE Having Nasal Surgery? with....

2007-11-24T19:17:00.000-08:00

1) ENT Doctors and Plastic Surgeons.
2) Libriarians.
3) Family and friends.

Now before reading further (or after reading further if you wish), please take a moment to visit my professional website, which complements this blog, at http://www.emptynosesyndrome.net. That site was significantly updated on November 25th. Thanks!.....OK, now read on....:)

ENT Doctors and Plastic Surgeons

As I began marketing Having Nasal Surgery?, my early concern was that some people might approach the doctor who caused them harm and angrily present my book to that doctor. I was concerned that instead of garnering doctor interest and sympathy, this might cause backlash. However, now I am convinced more than ever that these doctors are in fact the ones who need to hear the message of empty nose syndrome (ENS). It is these doctors who might be unknowingly causing ENS.

Here's how I recommend to approach the doctor: Approach the doctor in a graceful manner, and remark how you found Having Nasal Surgery? useful for your situation, as it help you put the issue of ENS in perspective, from a political, scientific and personal perspective. You then proceed to state what you really appreciated about the book is that you found solace from another ENS sufferer, and now your once-skeptical family and friends can respect and understand your condition. I recommend especially approaching plastic surgeons regarding this book, because there is no literature in the plastic surgery field on ENS. So they very much need to hear the message.

Librarians

Librarians need to hear the message of Having Nasal Surgery? This book has been highly recommended for libraries, through various professional reviews, and it is exactly what I want them to buy. I want people to have free access to information, and a library is where they can get this book free. Although many libraries face budgetary constraints, it shouldn't put librarians in a crunch to buy a single copy of my book! If they are resistant, inform them in depth regarding this book, and then offer to donate a copy to the library (after you have read it). Libraries really should have a copy of Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! Otherwise, they are missing out.

Family and Friends

Share my book with family and friends. Doing so adds authenticity to the message, and you might feel better understood in the process. Word of mouth is one of the most important vehicles behind increasing awareness of a book.

Bookstores and Health Food Stores (if you have passion to do so...)

Frankly, I encourage you, if you have a heart for promoting word of my book through bookstores and health food stores, to please do so. Unfortunately, while I have had a great experience with one local bookstore (Park Row, who has invited me back for a 2nd book signing), and anticipate future book signings with Borders, I have generally found bookstores and health food stores to be less receptive to buying copies of Having Nasal Surgery? The reason, as I see it, is too many managers are just downright ignorant of ENS and need to be educated; they assume it is a rarity, even though I know it is not. And bookstores will not buy a copy of a book unless they believe it will sell in good enough quantity. So I promote my book on the Internet and people can order through any bookstore they want, but it won't be on the shelf of that bookstore. Health food stores generally don't sell many books and are reluctant to do so. My local health food store indicated it would buy a copy of my book, but by and large, most health food stores are not jumping at the opportunity to buy new books, whatever they might be. It's not as good of business for them as selling health food. Again, if you do have a desire to sell through these venues, please go ahead and do it...

Now post your comments by clicking on the time link below...

Foreword Clarion Review

2007-11-21T11:54:00.000-08:00

The final of my professional reviews are complete. Granted, some of these reviews were paid becuase I am self-published and it is impossible to get reviews from some sources (such as Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal or Booklist) otherwise, but all 5 professional reviews have been very favorable toward this book. I would rate the Foreword Clarion Review, which is below, as a very accurate review. Befoe showing you the review, though, here are some interesting developments of late:

-The Vice President of the American Rhinologic Society heard from a fellow ear, nose and throat specialist who was pleased with my book.

-A fellow sufferer from California went to his doctor who remarked how Having Nasal Surgery? is having a "real impact in the ENT community." This comment was very encouraging to me and leads me to believe this book is accomplishing its objectives. And that is a wonderful thing.

Here is the Foreword Clarion Review by Joe Taylor:

HEALTH

Having Nasal Surgery?
Don’t You Become an Empty Nose Victim
Christopher Martin
Cold Tree Press
209 pages
Softcover $12.95
978-1-58385-197-5
Four stars (out of Five)

In July 1997, shortly before going away to college, Chris Martin underwent surgery to remove turbinate tissue from both sides of his nose. An ENT doctor had recommended the procedure, called a bilateral turbinectomy, to relieve the chronic stuffiness the young man had been experiencing as a result of allergies and sinus infections. In the weeks and months that followed, Martin realized that the surgery had not helped him. The cycle of sinus infections had not only continued, but had intensified. His nose was perpetually dry, his throat sore, his mucous membranes inflamed. Before long, he was also experiencing panic-inducing shortness of breath, disturbed sleep, and intolerance to cold air. He became anxious and concerned. His discomfort led him back to ENT specialists and almost into another surgery, until, by accident in 2003, he discovered a Web site that defined “empty nose syndrome.” He now knew that his problem has a name: ENS. Its cause is summed up by Dr. W.S. Tichenor, a New York City sinusitis specialist: “Too many surgeons today believe they can indiscriminately remove large amounts of turbinate tissue.” Martin and his fellow ENS sufferers are the unhappy victims of these surgeries.

For the past four years, Chris Martin has been learning how to live with ENS. With this book he has fulfilled a major step in his mission to help educate sinus, allergy, and post-nasal drip victims who are considering surgery, as well as ENS sufferers and ENT professionals and plastic surgeons, many of whom have not been exposed to the scant literature about the syndrome. In August 2006, Martin met Dr. Steven Houser, an ENT specialist in Cleveland, Ohio who has been treating ENS sufferers—at times by rebuilding the remains of their turbinate tissue. Dr. Houser has performed two implant surgeries on Martin in order to decrease the nasal airway volume. The lesser amount of air entering the nose results in more resistance to airflow, thus less dryness. A second important effect of Dr. Houser’s implants has been to partially restore the pulmonary functioning that was impaired by the “empty” or too-open nasal passages.

Martin, now a family man and school psychologist in his late twenties in upstate New York, writes not as a doctor but as a survivor. He presents here a working definition of ENS and a primer on surgical as well as other medical, dietary, and environmental ways to treat its symptoms. He includes a layman’s guide to turbinate functioning and to the science and politics of turbinate surgery. Having learned to manage his condition, he tells a compelling personal story that adds passion and authority to his presentation.

Martin grants, as his research shows, that “conservative” turbinate surgery can often alleviate chronic stuffiness, but his presentation implicates the many doctors and plastic surgeons who continue to remove excessive amounts of turbinate.

Joe Taylor

Read the Kirkus Discoveries Review

2007-11-12T19:08:00.000-08:00

I had the following review of my book, which is posted at the Kirkus Discoveries website (http://www.kirkusdiscoveries.com). Kirkus Discoveries has a reputation for offering "tart" or "critical" reviews, so I was pleased to see that not only did my book go unscathed, it was praised. The Discoveries service allows authors who are not traditionally published to pay for a review and have it done by a professional Kirkus Reviewer. Below is the review (I put in bold the statements I thought were important):

HAVING NASAL SURGERY?
Don't You Become an Empty Nose Victim!

Author: Martin, Christopher

Review Date: NOVEMBER 12, 2007
Publisher:Cold Tree Press
Pages: 236
Price (paperback): $12.95
Publication Date: August 30, 2007
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-58385-197-5
Category: AUTHORS
Classification: NONFICTION

School psychologist Martin explores a little-known condition that has lifelong detrimental effects.

In direct, instructive language, Martin examines the devastation of Empty Nose Syndrome (ENS), a term coined by a Mayo Clinic physician in 1994. ENS is characterized by a “cluster of symptoms” that occur after too much of the airflow-regulating bony structures in the nasal cavity called turbinates are surgically removed, usually from efforts to assuage sinus pressure, headaches or nasal stuffiness (“turbinate reduction” surgery). The author believes that post-surgery, people with ENS go on to experience a wide array of harrowing symptoms including nasal dryness, sleep disturbances, excessive mucus, nosebleeds, diminished sense of smell and fatigue. Martin became an ENS sufferer after an overly aggressive partial turbinectomy performed in his late teens to improve a chronic nasal inflammatory condition. But before his ENS diagnosis, Martin endured numerous allergy injections, CAT scans, bacterial infections and the possibility of additional surgery. Determined to find answers, the author channeled his disillusionment, anger and psychological distress into increasing awareness about the condition and by positively dedicating (and educating) himself on the possibly devastating side-effects of nasal surgery. His comprehensive research has produced illustrations, tips, charts, glossaries and case studies about ENS, all presented in a straightforward manner, making the information more accessible to average readers with limited medical knowledge or experience. Martin smartly counterbalances the negative experiences (and clinical politics) of ENS with a host of beneficial natural remedies (chicken soup, humidifier, etc.), non-surgical options, as well as a chapter on the author’s own approach after suffering the debilitating effects of ENS. He had enlisted an ear, nose and throat physician to attach two restorative implants inside his nasal cavities, a procedure he advocates as beneficial in improving his own quality of life.

This slim but potent book is tremendously important and informative not only for those considering nasal surgeries, but for the specialists who perform them.

ENS is Widespread - my book signing

2007-11-10T18:44:00.000-08:00

If you are like most ENS sufferers, you are led to believe we are just a rarity. I strived to prove this statement incorrect by showing logic and research, that ENS is a terrible problem with the possibility of low millions suffering from it in the US. But I only had numbers. Yet after my book signing, I am more convinced than ever that my estimate is correct -- too correct. ENS is alive and well in my small city in Upstate New York I don't want others suffering from this terrible problem and it is so hard to know it is still being created right around me. Right under my nose! Yet you would never know it, unless you were an author like me running into a reader/neighbor who has ENS or a doctor treating these patients.

My heart broke today when I ran into another ENS sufferer who lives just down the road from me. (She and other patients were created from a different doctor than I had, as mine has passed away.) The first words out of her mouth were "I have all the same symptoms as you." Hearing her voice that sounded in some ways like my own, I could tell she suffered as I had. I felt so saddened to know that others are suffering like me. Then came the next patient who stated her daughtered suffered from the same problem as me from a surgery just one year ago. Next the confession that empty nose patients who have their inferior turbinates overly reduced is happening all the time locally. It is sort of like when I told a colleague about my book who immediately knew of 2 ENS sufferers who suffered all the same symptoms as I had. This is all upsetting. Then I got some customers with the genuine curiosity as to whether ENS is real, to which I should have replied if you removed your fingers, would you still have them? Just because you can't see my amptutation because it is internal, does it mean it is not there? There is such a strong scientific basis for ENS, it is not funny. Just because ENS is not talked about much and it has not been given much attention anywhere does not mean it does not exist. It exists more than we think.

Obviously, there is a real need for public awareness on ENS and I just hope those reading this blog will take interst in empty nose and please feel free to post a comment by clicking on the time underneath this message. My heart is very heavy right now...

Listen to my welcome message

2007-11-05T19:30:00.000-08:00

Please consider listening to my newly added audio message at http://www.emptynosesyndrome.net It is a 7 1/2 minute audiotape where I welcome readers of my website and talk a bit about my condition of empty nose syndrome. I am not a great public speaker, as I am often short of breath and sometimes have to think twice as hard before I talk due to difficulties with concentration, but hopefully it will provide a glimpse into my world of empty nose syndrome.

I Picked The Right Publisher - Cold Tree Press

2007-10-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

Having spent countless hours writing and revising my book, Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! it was critical that I select the right publisher to publish my book, and I did - Cold Tree Press. I meticulously researched numerous publishers, contacting many. What impressed me about Cold Tree Press was that, unlike some publishers, Cold Tree did not appear out to make an extra buck, was realistic, and seemed genuinely interested in me as an author. This attitude was constant as the senior designer, Amanda Butler, worked tirelessly with me for 3 months to produce a book that was professional, striking and engaging, both on the cover and interior. Cold Tree Press displayed an attention to detail and concern for the author that is simply unsurpassed in this industry. I cannot thank Cold Tree enough for how pleased I am and hope other authors would trust this fine publisher with their book.

Send me your comments!!!!

2007-10-27T18:37:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to allow people to post on this blog and there is a simple way for you to do that: Click on the time link underneath this post and then click on post a comment. If you are having trouble doing that and have read or been reading my blog and have been touched by anything I have written, and would like to add some comments, email me at webmaster@emptynosesyndrome.org and put "blog post" in the subject line. As long as the comments are in good taste, I will post them to this blog. So I do hope to hear from you and hope this blog can be interactive.

Among New & Future Releases in "Otolaryngology", this book is # 1

2007-10-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

For whatever it is worth, I was looking through "hot new releases" on Amazon.com. At this time, the below link shows my book is #1 in this category (these are updated hourly, so it could change but, given the sales at Amazon, I anticipate my book will continue to stay #1 in this category until it becomes "old").

http://www.amazon.com/gp/new-releases/books/227691/ref=pd_nr_pg_1/102-3020670-5236135?ie=UTF8&pg=1

Good News - Amazon Lowered Its Price!

2007-10-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

I was very pleased to learn that Amazon.com has lowered the price it is asking for my book. Amazon.com gets books at deep discounts - 50-60% off the retail price, so this giant company can easily afford to lower the price on books and it would be nice if the price on Amazon goes even lower. That's my goal. You see, I personally have been offering copies of my book on Amazon.com at a significant discount. Just go to the following link and click on 8 used or new and you can order a signed copy directly from me - for a very hard-to-beat discount: http://www.amazon.com/Having-Nasal-Surgery-Become-Victim/dp/1583851976/ref=sr_1_1/104-8078597-4322336?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190430354&sr=1-1 I'm not sure how the pricing works at Amazon.com, but it is my hunch that the fact I have been offering my book at a significant discount has increased competition for Amazon.com, which encouraged this company to lower its price. Therefore, if you order directly from me, you might also be helping the price drop at Amazon.com in the future. And I want Amazon.com to offer an even lower price than it is currently offering.

While I believe Having Nasal Surgery? is worth every penny, it is my hope that people would be able to read it for a low cost - free if possible. That is why I am working so hard to see that this book gets into libraries. The more people who read it, the more people who will be informed and empowered, the more ENTs will learn of this book, recommend it to their patients and take empty nose syndrome seriously, and the more help us empty nose sufferers will ultimately receive from the medical community. And that will be a grand day - and hopefully not far off in the future.

Having Nasal Surgery? - Where to go from here...

2007-10-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

My greatest fear: Some people will be entering nasal or sinus surgery, either now or in the near future, and will come down with ENS as a result; and they won't intuitively know what their nasal problems are until much time (and good health) has passed. They will assume that complications are common after surgery but ENS is an unlikelihood. This misconception, however, could be very costly. One person remarked how they were undergoing a septoplasty, so it would not affect their turbinates. This person really needs to look at it differently because very often turbinates are pared down in size during a septoplasty.

Regarding my book, Having Nasal Surgery? has been on the market for about 1.5 months so far and it seems, at times, that it is picking up steam, hitting as high as #2 in Otolaryngology on Amazon - at least according to the Amazon sales rank - while other times its sales rank climbs steadily worse.

Make no mistake, this book is fully devoted to raising awareness for empty nose syndrome, as it is what I suffer from (in addition to allergies and sinusitis), and it is the motivation behind writing this book. The primary criticisms of this book is that 1) I am not a doctor - and I admit I am not, but am an informed and empowered patient. However, my book is endorsed by great doctors. If this is the only criticism that can be levied against this book, then that criticism is honestly quite weak. I have 3 doctors who put their names behind this book and I suffer from empty nose so I have authority to talk on this topic, whereas almost all doctors do not personally suffer from ENS. Further, 2) some naively misperceive that its application is limited - to just nasal surgery candidates or empty nose sufferers - but I am ready to prove this latter claim wrong, dead wrong. Now I dare you. If you have sinusitis or allergies, but not empty nose syndrome, buy a copy and read it. This book can help you, too, and perhaps prevent you from ever becoming an ENS patient. And of course your purchase will also be supporting a very worthy cause. I guarantee there will be some helpful tips from my years of experience as an ENS patient who also suffers from sinusitis and allergies. Read one of my earlier posts on the blog: http://emptynosesyndrome.blogspot.com/2007/08/does-this-book-apply-to-you-you-bet.html On the other hand, the various ways in which people have praised this book include: that it's easy to read, thorough yet concise, very well-written, well-organized, professionally done, very informative, and strongly backed by research.

So where do I go from here? I keep plugging away, with fierce determination and persistence, and get ready for my book signing on November 10th, which is the first of many!

Two Very Special, Meaningful Events while Promoting "Having Nasal Surgery?"

2007-10-11T18:06:00.001-07:00

Since the book has been published on August 30th, there have been two very special occurrences that have happened. These two happenings that have meant more to me than anything else with respect to the book are:

1) Midwest Book Review
2) A Blessed Friendship

Midwest Book Review (http://www.midwestbookreview.org/) is considered a reliable source for reviewing books. This company tends to review books for small publishers. Publicist Karen Villanueva (http://www.authorcare.com/) did a one-hour phone consult with me and I must say she is the BEST publicist around. If you need a publicist to help you promote your book, you should seriously consider her. While I know there are many fine publicists, she is the most professional and personable one I have yet encountered. She has taken her time with me, corresponded with me considerably by email, and she seems to really care about my book. So during our one-hour phone consult, Karen informed me of just how prestigious and valuable Midwest Book Review is for its authors. Apparently, after a Midwest review is done, the review appears in a cd-rom (Thomson-Gale) and in book review databases (Lexus-Nexus and Goliath), which are published for academic, corporate and public library systems in various parts of the country. So having a book review done by Midwest, who do not charge the authors a penny to have the review done, you can have a review that is placed in libraries across the country. This book review therefore was quite meaningful for me because I know it will be in databases in libraries across the country. I want people to read the book for free, and libraries are a place they can get the book for free. Unfortunately, many libraries are on tight budgets, though, so please support your local library. And, if you think about it, tell them about my book. Getting Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! in libraries is the most important and meaningful goal I have for my book. And what's the best part of having it reviewed by Midwest? Midwest receives around 1,500 books per month and review only about 1/3 of them. There is a current roster of 81 reviewers at Midwest Book Review, a company in business since 1976. And guess who did my review?? The Editor-in-Chief, Jim Cox, himself!!!! In an email to me today, he remarked, "Thank you for your very kind words. They are much appreciated. Since I was the one who wrote the review...." He wrote the review!!! This made my day. If you haven't already, please read the review by Midwest Book Review (i.e., done by Jim Cox himself) below in the blog. And, if you are an author who has been published by a small press, submit your book for review to Midwest Book Review. It's been one of the best decisions I have done for my book.

The other very special happening occurred during the process of book promotion is a friendship that has been richly blessed already. One evening last month I received an email, out of the blue I might add, with the subject line that read "ENS Advocate!" Below in the email he remarked, "God bless" and left his phone number. The following day, I called him up by phone and we talked for more than an hour, and I prayed with him and he prayed for me. (This was the same day I received the 'proof' of my book in the mail.) We have been corresponding by phone and email for the past month and we always just have a great time talking and sharing our experiences - ENS and otherwise. And we have a lot in common. He has a great sense of humor and one thing we both have in common is our faith in Christ. And another thing we both have in common, is he also plans to write a book about his experiences with ENS in the coming years. In fact, he told me reading my book was like reading his own story. This friend informed me that, since our friendship began, he has not felt alone anymore and his health (and spirit) has improved considerably. I must say ditto, especially for the latter part - the improved spirit - for me. And another "coincidence" is that he lives 777 miles away. "7" is a number associated with perfection in the Bible. You know, I'm not quite sure these are coincidences! He and his wife plan to come visit my family and I sometime in the future. I can't wait for this day to happen. You see, I have received many very encouraging words on my book, some moving and really uplifting, and these are all really wonderful, but his friendship is far and away one of the most blessed happenings since I began writing the book. I cherish his friendship.

Hits # 2 in Otolaryngology!

2007-10-10T14:51:00.000-07:00

Below is the best I have seen my book do at amazon since its listing on August 30. It hit #2 in Otolaryngology today, October 10th. I'm very excited, but I will keep on plugging away....

Paperback: 236 pages
Publisher: Cold Tree Press (August 30, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1583851976
ISBN-13: 978-1583851975
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: based on 10 reviews. (Write a review.)
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,227 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#2 in
Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Medicine > Surgery > Otolaryngology
#2 in
Books > Science > Medicine > Specialties > Otolaryngology

Midwest Book Review Writes Favorable Review

2007-10-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

Midwest Book Review, a reputable reviewer and reliable source of information on books, has written a very favorable review of Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! This is posted at //www.midwestbookreview.com/sbw/oct_07.htm#heal and is below:

The Health/Medicine Shelf

Having Nasal Surgery? Don’t You Become An Empty Nose Victim!
Christopher Martin, N.C.S.P.
Cold Tree Press
214 Overlook Court, Suite 253, Brentwood, TN 37027
ISBN # 9781583851975
$12.95, http://www.coldtreepress.com/

The nose is an organ of the human body that can be afflicted with a number of serious ailments to health. These problems include such conditions as rhinosinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and empty nose syndrome (ENS). It has only been in recent years that physicians have come to understand and treat ENS. But there are still a great many doctors unfamiliar with this syndrome and the treatment options that sufferers have to choose from. An ENS sufferer himself, Christopher Martin has written a comprehensive and thoroughly 'reader friendly' introduction to what ENS is, what can be done about it, and what to be aware of in various treatment options in Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! Christopher relates his own personal account of coping with ENS, offers an informed and informative evaluation of turbinate surgeries with respect to nasal conditions, provides an 'insider' look at the politics surrounding ENS within the medical community, and identifies the best treatments for ENS, many of which are also efficaciously applicable to sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, postnasal drip, GERD, and asthma. Invaluable reading for medical students, physicians, and non-specialist general readers, Having Nasal Surgery? is especially recommended for personal, professional, and community library Health & Medicine reference collections and reading lists.

#14 in "Otolaryngology" on Amazon

2007-09-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

On September 26th, Having Nasal Surgery? hit #14 among "Otolaryngology" books on Amazon. This is the lowest/best rank I have seen yet. This book was released in late August. As for overall sales rank, I saw it hit #40,736 on September 11th, which was the lowest overall rank I have seen for this book. I really have no idea of how many books have been sold, but my tentative plan if this book does sell enough copies is I will reinvest the money into a large, national campaign on behalf of the book. I will not know how many are sold until the end of November. My whole purpose in writing this book is to raise awareness on ENS and I am committed to that end.

Anyway, below is the listing on Amazon on the evening of September 26th, which details how it hit #14 on Amazon....

Product Details
Paperback: 236 pages
Publisher: Cold Tree Press (August 17, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1583851976
ISBN-13: 978-1583851975
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: based on 4 reviews. (Write a review.)
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #85,453 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#14 in
Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Medicine > Surgery > Otolaryngology
#18 in
Books > Science > Medicine > Specialties > Otolaryngology

Read the just-published, well-received article, "Surgical Treatment for Empty Nose Syndrome"

2007-09-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

The groundbreaking research article, “Surgical Treatment for Empty Nose Syndrome,” by Dr. Steven Houser, was published in the September 2007 Archives of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. You can read and *download* this article http://archotol.ama-assn.org/ for as long as the Archives of Otolaryngology make it downloadable (it might be just temporary). This article is perhaps the first ever to properly define empty nose syndrome (ENS) and what it truly entails, while also discussing a surgical remedy of an Alloderm implant for this problem. To my knowledge, there have only been two research articles in the past that have dealt specifically with empty nose syndrome: “Empty Nose Syndrome Associated with Middle Turbinate Resection” by Dr. Houser, and “Atrophic Rhinitis: A Review of 242 Cases” by Drs. Eugene Kern and Eric Moore.

A unique concept specific to this article is what Dr. Houser calls ENS-Type, which is when the patient has adequate turbinate tissue but still experiences symptoms of empty nose and responds positively to a cotton test. The cotton test, in short, is saline-moistened cotton that is placed strategically in the nasal cavity which results in the patient reporting an improvement in breathing symptoms and thinner nasal secretions as a result.

I am also excited to report that a mailing circulating among ear, nose and throat doctors cite “Surgical Treatment for Empty Nose Syndrome” as one of the best medical journal articles for the month of September. I certainly hope this article will stimulate interest among other ear, nose and throat specialists to help us ENS patients while also encouraging them to be overall more careful with turbinate surgeries, and ensure their patients do not end up with the serious complication of ENS.

Best of luck, Dr. Houser! We are certainly hoping this article will have its intended impact!

This book is # 98 on Amazon..

2007-09-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that, after only 3 weeks after release, Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! is #98 on Amazon in the category Otolaryngology. I am happy, but I will continue to work hard in promoting word on this book! Below is the listing:

Paperback: 236 pages
Publisher: Cold Tree Press (August 17, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1583851976
ISBN-13: 978-1583851975
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: based on 4 reviews. (Write a review.)
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ENTs are now discussing ENS

2007-09-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

The following was posted at the www.postnasaldrip.net website. Hearing that ENTs are now discussing how to better spare nasal mucosa nearly brought tears to my eyes. I appreciated what Dr. Grossan said so much that I thought I would post it here:

Yesterday I invited people who have read the newly released book by Chris Martin to express their thoughts and comments. The book is entitled “Having Nasal Surgery? Don’t You Become An Empty Nose Victim!”The well known ENT specialist and author, Dr. Murray Grossan, sent in the following comment. Dr. Grossan is the inventor of the Hydro Pulse nasal irrigation system that has helped countless sinus sufferers, including myself. Here is Dr. Grossan’s message:

“Chris Martin's book is excellent and I recommend it to patients. ENS is so little understood or appreciated by the ENT profession. I am attending the national ENT convention and for the first time there is discussion of care to spare the mucosa and prevent ENS, this has come about from patient advocacy. I think patients benefit when they can discuss with the doctor, "will this procedure cause ENS and are there alternatives?"

Because of my connection with the Hydro Pulse I probably hear from more persons with ENS than the average doctor so I can appreciate what the patient feels.

The important point is that ENS is preventable and this book will go a long way to that prevention. Yes, if you are having ENT surgery read this book.

Murray Grossan, M.D.

Thanks to Dr. Grossan for his comments. ENS is still in the awareness building stage, so if you have friends or family who also are considering sinus surgery, please pass the word about the new book.

*Upcoming Reviews

2007-09-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

I recently made the decision that Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! will undergo great scrutiny in the form of numerous professional reviews. These reviews include places such as Kirkus Discoveries, ForeWord Magazine, Midwest Book Review (I hope!), Readerviews.com, and bookreview.com. I will also have reviews completed by a number of other people - and I can't wait for them as well. All these reviews will take place in the next few months, with most of them likely done by Christmas.

I firmly believe that once people start reading this book, they will embrace it. Some initial thoughts on people who have very recently received this book seem to suggest that. I am committed to seeing these high-quality reviews take place, as I strongly believe word of mouth will benefit this book and the ENS cause.

Sales Rank at Amazon (whatever it means)

2007-09-11T14:35:00.001-07:00

I don't understand how Amazon sales rank works when it comes to book sales, except that a lower numer on the "sales rank" means more sales. I admit I'm a "numbers nut" and I could probably watch these numbers all day left to my own volition. But from what I have read, I doubt the Amazon sales rank really means much at all.

I learned that if you bought a lot of books at once, your sales rank would plummet significantly. In fact, I read that if you bought 1,000 books in a single day, you might fool Amazon and become an Amazon bestseller! Trust me, I'm not planning on doing that. Of course, it would be amusing to see this book hit the bestseller list - that is, until I have to sell all 1,000 books. For whatever it is worth, though, I checked a few days ago, and my Amazon sales rank was in the 40,000s, which is actually pretty good, considering there are more than 100,000 books produced each year. My rank has generally hovered between 40,000 and 260,000 in the past week, a big range indeed. I've seen other sinus self-help books such as The Sinus Cure and Sinus Relief Now in this range as well, although I think Sinus Relief Now has been even lower than 40,000 at times and it has been out since last December. Here are the numbers (although they are probably creeping much higher and in the 6 digits as I write this; I gotta keep this number low to prevent acid reflux! (joke):

Product Details
· Paperback: 236 pages
· Publisher: Cold Tree Press (August 17, 2007)
· Language: English
· ISBN-10: 1583851976
· ISBN-13: 978-1583851975
· Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
· Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
· Average Customer Review: based on 2 reviews. (Write a review.) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,736 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Paperback or ebook?

2007-09-08T19:29:00.000-07:00

I have entertained the possibility of making Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! an ebook, but with time, thought, and some logical reasons, I have decided a paperback only is best.

The reason? An ebook, although I would make 100% of the retail price if I sold it through my website, might appeal more to someone who "wants it fast" and might not read the book as thoroughly, or who might be tempted to distribute it to friends (who also don't read the book carefully). Conversely, a paperback looks more professional than an adobe pdf, it is easier on the eyes, and those who purchase a paperback are more apt to read it and take it seriously. I want people to read my book closely and take it very seriously. That's my mission. I only make 30% (or $3.88) for paperback books sold directly through Cold Tree and 15% (or $1.94) for books sold through other outlets, such as amazon. But my goal in writing this book is not to profit but to generate greater awareness on empty nose syndrome (ENS), and I believe selling a paperback will help me reach that goal much better than selling it as an ebook.

Sales good so far...after all, it's a book for 70 million

2007-09-07T19:43:00.000-07:00

I am very pleased to announce that book sales seem to be doing fairly well during the first week of Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! I am not sure exactly how many have sold, but the Amazon sales rank has been relatively low. I can tell this book is going to do very well, as I will continue to put energy behind it.

One unsubstantiated comment that a few have suggested to me is that my book is too specialized, so let me address that here. That's a bunch of baloney. Make no mistake, my book wants to help the low millions of Americans (or foreigners) who have ENS more than anything and is dedicated to promoting our cause, the motivating factor for me to write this book, but this book has numerous treatment ideas for 70 million Americans who suffer from all sorts of sinus and allergy problems. Got that?! If you can treat ENS (with co-morbid conditions of sinusitis and allergies, like I have), then you can probably tackle any sort of sinus problem with some success. My nose starts at point A, so I feel the effects of treatment strategies better than anyone, particularly someone with a more mild problem. I'm not a frog in water with the temperature gradually increasing! Rather, I have a nose that, because it is so largely removed, feels significant effects from treatments. Consequently, I can probably offer a lot of insights based on my experiences to patients suffering from sinusitis, allergies, postnasal drip, nasal congestion, the sniffles, acid reflux and asthma.

Happy reading!

An author's confession of what to do now

2007-08-31T17:55:00.000-07:00

While I am going to do everything I can to promote Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! I will not be putting another dime into it for the time being, although maybe in the future - I am honestly broke (read my August 30 blog to see why) - I will need to sell some copies so I can reinvest in a large-scale campaign. That is why I need the readers of this blog to purchase the book. The only ENS sufferer who read this book thought it was great, the indexer said my book is very well-written and should be very well-received by the medical community, and a number of people have said they "cannot wait" to read it. So now is the time to purchase and start reading it - it is available! In the meantime, I will be promoting it through various marketing strategies that don't make me go more broke than I already am. These strategies include, but are not limited to, some additional Internet marketing, article marketing, book reviewings, book signings, and contacting the media.

1) Some people have suggested I should "give out" copies to surgeons, medical facilities, or certain people - that is a reasonable thought, but it would cost me about $15 per book to do that. While a few are getting copies, for the most part, that's just not feasible for me right now.

2) What is desirable for me is to return my life to normalcy to the best I can, as even my health has suffered some from the stress associated with writing Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! Here are some things I want to do in the coming months:
-Exercise or run each morning so I can get in shape again.
-Sleep 8 hours per night.
-Spend more time with my wife, two daughters, and prepare for our unborn baby who will be born around Christmastime.
-Spend more time in prayer and in reading the Bible, which is my most favorite book.

3) If you are reading this blog and interested in Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! rest assured that money I receive from purchase of this book will be reinvested into raising awareness for empty nose syndrome further, perhaps through a large-scale campaign promoting this book.

Thank you for reading this blog and have a GREAT day.

What will 'make' or 'break' Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim!

2007-08-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

1) To purchase the book, please click: http://www.coldtreepress.com/catalog/book/187/
2) The *new* empty nose website: http://www.emptynosesyndrome.net/

Now that I got those off my chest, I'm going to do my little pep talk from an "author's perspective" for readers of this blog. I guess you can call me that - an author - as of today because my book was released into distribution on this very special day. And I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! will be a smashing success, elevating ENS awareness to a new level. It's too controversial for it to be ignored. Just wait. You'll see. Even just one little person can make a difference.

Now here's what goes into a book. An author has a career that is excruciatingly hard but very rewarding, not for any monetary incentive unless you hit it big, but because your book can be helpful to people who are suffering or because your book can make a difference in the lives of others. You see, if you purchase the book, Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! you are not reading the first draft of it, you are reading the 150th. That's right. The 150th. No exaggeration. And at least 1,000 hours went into it, no less. These hours consisted of readings and re-readings of research, email contacts, lengthy phone calls, casual conversations, copyright requests, writings, incorporation of edit suggestions by person A, by person B, by person C, by person D, etc., exhausting late nights (and even a couple all-nighters), review of publishing options, details you never thought of before, details no one but you and anyone who wants to sue you will read, and details that are excessively trivial but somehow make or break the book, never mind the index. Heck, if you are like me, you might receive threats that your book will damage an entire medical profession. Believe it or not, I actually did. And I have been told from a credible source that there are mailings circulating among a certain specialty of doctors in the US and abroad who are very concerned about the impact of my book - that the book is not only confrontational (which it isn't), but that my book might steer too many away from nasal surgery. Of course, not a single "professional critic" has read the final version and I received some endorsements from some excellent doctors because of the genuine, respectful message of the book. So I'll say thanks for the free PR and keep talking about it! And if Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! encourages some to make good choices for their health, be it surgical or non-surgical treatments, then this book has accomplished its purpose. I admit, it is controversial, but we ENS sufferers need a bit more attention to our very serious problem and I'm not sure anyone could argue that we have received it from the medical profession. We haven't. Our topic is still hush, hush, taboo times 40, and buried in silence. That's all we want.

Back to the publishing aspects: and if you are not one of the famous ones published by a traditional publisher with a great big title by your name, then expect to be forking out $2,500 just for YOU to do all the work. Or you could pay an additional $5,000 and have a ghostwriter do it. Either way, you will go broke.

Then when you are getting ready to sell the book, you are told that 477 books are put into print each day, what will make yours stick out? Ah, so here's the interesting part: when your book is published, it really is just the beginning - now you have to market it. Got that? I have been told the publication of a book is like the birth of a baby. Not sure I care for that analogy because babies are precious human life while books are made from trees, but there's truth about the liveliness of the book after "birth." This is when the fun starts. Now, after your $2,500 in the hole, you can choose to pay publicists $1,000s of dollars to promote your book or let it sink to the bottom of the self-published barrel amidst the ravenous, highly competitive book market in the world. You can contact A, B, C, D, and E by email to let them know about your book and you might get one response (if you are lucky) or you can send 6 million emails out by doing a highly ineffective eblast campaign that is read by roughly .0002% of the recipients, as the emails get deleted before they are read. Never mind those options. I have a better one.

There is just one key for you to remember when writing a book, and it is one that readers and writers of this blog should appreciate alike: it is that you do the work yourself. It is too cherish those 6 individuals who respond to your emails and give you some verbal support. It is too continue to work hard whether or not people tell you that your book is destined for success or failure. It is to work your little tail off, be it writing an article for the Internet (as in article marketing), making a phone or email contact with someone, and having thick skin so you don't take "no" for an answer. It is persistence, nothing else, that will pay off. Don't let anyone tell you your book will fail. They are wrong - unless you just sit on your book. You just need to have drive. Incredible drive for a lousy book can probably make it a bestseller. That's what will make or break a book.

So, when you are reading Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! (or any book for that matter) if you made it this far in my blog, remember what went into the process of writing it and, if you can get some good sleep on a regular basis, please share with me how.

And, lest I forget to mention, buy the book! You are getting THAT much of someone's effort when you read this book. Better yet, you are helping a worthy cause with ENS in the process or perhaps, after reading the nose surgery critique, you are informing and empowering a potential nasal surgery candidate and perhaps thereby preventing someone from a lifetime of ENS misery. And, if you suffer from sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, postnasal drip, nasal congestion, the sniffles, asthma, acid reflex, or even just kleenex overload in your house, you'll benefit from reading some treatment strategies that just might help your condition.
God bless.

It is Now Available!

2007-08-30T16:19:00.001-07:00

Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! is now available!!! It was released into distribution on August 30, 2007. You can purchase it at Cold Tree Press by clicking on the following link: http://www.coldtreepress.com/catalog/book/187/

It should also be available to purchase from amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and booksamillion.com in about 2 weeks from now. I'm getting quite excited about marketing this book. And this marketing will be done aggressively. I will be pursuing all options to ensure this book receives maximum exposure to the press, and that public knowledge will hopefully improve ENS awareness everywhere.

New Empty Nose Website Launched

2007-08-22T01:08:00.000-07:00

You can now visit my website, http://www.emptynosesyndrome.net/, where you will soon be able to purchase Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! This website was setup for the sole purpose of raising further awareness for this book and hence the cause of empty nose syndrome as well. I'm anticipating this book will enter distribution either at the end of this week or sometime next week.

A special feature of this site is I will be writing a free monthly newsletter on empty nose syndrome that includes treatment tips and news related to ENS. I would encourage anyone interested to please enter your e-mail address at the bottom of this new website. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.

Press Release: Empty Nose Syndrome, No Laughing Matter. What it is, and what you can do about it!

2007-08-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

Are you among the 1 in 5 Americans who suffer from sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, nasal congestion, postnasal drip, acid reflux or asthma? Having Nasal Surgery? Don’t You Become An Empty Nose Victim! details numerous treatment strategies that can improve your condition and perhaps prevent the need for surgery. Such holistic strategies include, but are not limited to:

1) Pulsatile nasal irrigation
2) Allergy medicine and injections
3) Exercise
4) Proper diet
5) Adequate sleep

It is critically important, though, that you are aware of one treatment that can make you worse - far worse. It is an overly aggressive nose surgery in which so much tissue (turbinates) is removed from the nose that there is nothing left. Symptoms of empty nose syndrome (ENS) include shortness of breath (despite a wide open nose), thick, sticky, viscous mucus, shallow sleep, along with high rates of depression - and, yes, even documented cases of suicide!

Having Nasal Surgery? Don’t You Become An Empty Nose Victim! offers an inspiring account of a nationally certified school psychologist who has lived with ENS for 10 years, a critique of the medical literature on nose surgery, politics surrounding empty nose (and why doctors do not understand it and have not taken it seriously), and key treatment strategies for it and other sinus conditions. Enthusiastically endorsed by top doctors familiar with empty nose, the audience for this book includes the lay person as well as the medical professional.

For further information, please visit my blog at http://emptynosesyndrome.blogspot.com/. For an interview or review copies, please contact me by email at webmaster@emptynosesyndrome.org

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Christopher Martin

Some are getting ready to read it....

2007-08-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Encouraging words from a high-profile individual:

Thank you for referring X. I spoke briefly with her—she said your book was fantastic...I thought the cover looked tremendous and bravo for writing this—it is an important service to patients, potential patients, and ENTs! I can hardly wait to buy a copy and read it all.

******************************
Walt Ballenberger, founder of www.postnasaldrip.net, a website for sinusitis sufferers like himself, sent the following notice to members of his site. Be sure to read Walt's review when it comes out. I will provide a link for you to read it when that time comes. Thanks, Walt.

Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become an Empty Nose Victim!, by Christopher Martin, will be released and available in 1-2 weeks.

If you are considering sinus surgery or even if you have had one, this book can provide valuable information about empty nose syndrome (ENS). This is a tragic condition caused by excessive cutting and removal of turbinates during sinus surgery. Chris has set up a blog for people to discuss the book at http://emptynosesyndrome.blogspot.com/

Take a look at the blog and check it out again after the book comes out. I’ll be reading it as soon as possible and will write a review and it will be available at http://www.postnasaldrip.net/.

Walt Ballenberger, founder of http://www.postnasaldrip.net/

What causes empty nose syndrome?

2007-08-09T17:58:00.000-07:00

I have been reading on various websites where some people are questioning if allergies or sinusitis can lead to empty nose syndrome. The answer is a resounding no. Allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, postnasal drip, asthma, and acid reflux do not lead to empty nose. Only an aggressive turbinate surgery can. A CT scan and/or a thorough physical examination that details how much turbinate tissue is left, along with subjective patient reporting of symptoms, can provide a diagnosis of ENS. A cotton test, where a doctor places saline-moistened cotton in the nose, can also be used to determine whether it improves breathing or not, and consequently if the patient might have ENS. Unfortunately, there is such little understanding on empty nose syndrome that some people believe that a variety of conditions might cause empty nose - that's simply not true. This lack of knowledge and lack of readily available resources is part of the ambition for sharing my story.

The fact is only an overly aggressive nose surgery (of the turbinates) can lead to empty nose syndrome. Granted, a long-term sinus bacterial infection might lead to primary atrophic rhinitis but, given the increased antibiotic use and improved hygiene, this is rather rare in the Western World. What some people might be suffering from is in fact enlarged turbinates that are blocking breathing. Do I suffer from sinusitis and allergic rhinitis? Yes, I do, I have nasal and sinus inflammation, but this inflammation is not blocking breathing as it is with patients who have enlarged turbinates that largely block the airways. I have difficulties with breathing (among other nasal issues) because too much of the turbinates have been removed and my nasal airway is too wide open - a very hard concept for some doctors and patients to understand.

I believe that not all turbinate surgeries result in ENS. If they did, they would have ended long ago. But some do, and that's a point I hope every reader of this blog appreciates. And I further readily acknowledge a conservative turbinate surgery can be helpful, but I am a firm believer that all reasonable non-surgical treatments should be exhausted prior to undergoing surgery. It is just better practice to try to do everything possible before going under the knife. My experiences are proof of that.

Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! describes what non-surgical treatment ideas are beneficial for treating the nose, which might prevent the need for surgery in the first place. Many treatment strategies for empty nose, although it is a distinct and different problem, apply to sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and postnasal drip. It also critiques the medical literature on nose surgeries so that a patient can make an informed decision when and if they decide to pursue a turbinate surgery. I am not aware of any books that tackle the medical literature on turbinate surgeries and present the options in straightforward language, without vested interests of protecting surgery. Most books will just say if after you have tried various treatment strategies, then surgery might be a good option for you; here is how to prepare for it and what to expect. Conversely, Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! details which turbinate surgeries are safer than other ones based upon the literature, which ones might leave you most at risk for empty nose, and what important questions to ask your doctor before surgery. This newfound knowledge might intimidate your doctor, but an informed patient is all the more power to you. Hopefully your doctor will appreciate that you want to take more of an active role in your health. Because you are the one who needs to take control of your health. No one else will do that for you.

Does this book apply to you? If you made it to this blog, I bet it does!

2007-08-07T18:14:00.000-07:00

Some who browse this blog might think "empty nose," I never heard of it, so Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! must not apply to me. If you are one of them, in my earnest attempt to prove you wrong, let me ask you the following questions:

1) Do you have allergies? If you are among the millions of Americans who answered yes, then let me inform you that so do I. In fact, if I had treated them properly, perhaps I could have prevented the need for surgery in the first place. Allergies lead to enlarged turbinates, which doctors resect. When doctors resect too much turbinate tissue, it can lead to ENS.

2) Do you have sinusitis? If you are among the millions of Americans who answered yes, then let me inform you that so do I. Sometimes turbinates are removed in conjunction with a sinus surgery to better access certain sinuses (e.g., ethmoid sinuses).

3) Do you have postnasal drip? If you are among the millions of Americans who answered yes, then let me inform you that so do I. If you do not treat postnasal drip properly, you could develop sinus infections. Strategies in this book are proven to effectively treat postnasal drip. And not only are these strategies doctor-endorsed, these strategies come directly from a patient who has many of these conditions!

4) Do you have acid reflux? If you are among the millions of Americans who answered yes, then let me inform you that so do I. And my acid reflux either gets better or worse, depending on the treatments I do for my nose. Strategies in this book can effectively treat acid reflux.

5) Do you have asthma? OK, I admit, you got me on this one, because thankfully I do not have asthma. Many ENS sufferers do have asthma, though. But I do have allergies. And 60% of asthma patients have what is called "allergy-induced" asthma.

6) If you are considering nose surgery or have empty nose syndrome, then this book most certainly applies to you! :) Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! includes a review of medical literature on nose surgeries from a patient who has no vested interests.

However, if you still do not believe this book applies to you, then I should ask if you have family and friends who have sinus problems or know someone considering or who has had nose surgery. If you answered "no" to those questions, then I concede this book perhaps does not apply to you. But nevertheless, I still extend an invitation for you to read my story anyway because it addresses an unspoken, undeniably tragic, real-life medical issue that is in need of further attention.

I thank you for your interest! I'm already very excited about the enthusiastic comments I have received about Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become an Empty Nose Victim! from people who answered "no" to questions 1 -6 and could not book this book down. I can't wait to share my experiences and ideas with you....

Review by an ENS Sufferer

2007-08-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

I received the following comments from an ENS sufferer whose surgery of 3 months ago led to ENS:

I have read through the book and have found it really helpful. Chris' story is inspiring.. how he has suffered with ENS for so long and manages to still have a positive outlook. I think it covers a lot of important information, both technical and emotional. It is a book that many people could read -- sufferers of ENS, friends and family, people thinking about getting surgery. It has helped me to gain a better understanding of what to expect, what turbinates are, their functions in the body, and how to better live with this serious condition. Oh! I wish I was informed like this before the surgery.

A Valuable Sinus Self-help Resource

2007-07-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

Have you had nose surgery, but

now find that you are

experiencing:

1) Shortness of breath (despite a wide

open nose)?

2) Chronic nasal dryness?

3) Thick, sticky mucus?

4) Does the air you inhale seem too

cold or dry?

5) Have you felt anxious or even

depressed over it?

If you have had nose surgery and could answer "yes" to any of the above, then there is the possibility you might have empty nose syndrome....Read on...

Based upon living with empty nose syndrome for 10 years, a nationally certified school psychologist (N.C.S.P.) has written a valuable sinus self-help resource for patients as well as the medical community, which will cost you less than a lunch at McDonald's....

Symptoms of ENS include shortness of breath (despite a wide open nose), nasal dryness, throat irritation, thick, sticky mucus, and sometimes chronic sinusitis. Many with ENS are depressed. Some have even committed suicide. Endorsed by well-known doctors familiar with ENS, Chris offers a genuine message to the reader and hope for the injured patient through:

1) His personal triumph in coping with ENS. There is room for hope as Chris shares his personal story.
2) A critique of turbinate surgeries for anyone considering nasal surgery. After reviewing the medical literature, Chris has strived to inform and empower YOU, the patient considering nose surgery, to know which turbinate surgeries are more effective than other ones and which ones might leave you at higher risk for empty nose syndrome. Doctors will always tell you their particularly surgeries are safe and effective, whether it be laser, cautery or a resection procedure, but as a patient Chris has no vested interests -- he will tell you flatly which ones are safest, which ones will leave you most at risk for empty nose syndrome, and what questions to ask based upon the literature.
3) An inside look at the politics of ENS. (Never-before explored!)
4) Best treatments for ENS, many of which also apply to sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, postnasal drip (PND), GERD, and asthma. More than 40 pages of the book is devoted to treatment strategies. Did you know that by effectively treating the nose, you might be able to treat or prevent other problems as well? Did you know that many of the strategies for treating the nose and sinuses also apply to other conditions, such as even acid reflux and asthma? Yes, they do! And this resource lays out why it is so important to treat the nose effectively, how these are all inter-connected, and most importantly, exactly what you can do about it....based upon Chris' experiences as a patient with many of these conditions.

Now, read what well-known doctors, an expert indexer, and empty nose sufferers have said about this book below in this blog or view the Table of Contents, which also includes quotes from the book, by going to the February section of this blog.

Read on....

Expert Indexer Signs On...

2007-07-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

Just recently, it was determined that Margy Olmstead, an expert indexer from Oak Grove Indexing Services at http://www.oakgroveindex.com/, will be creating the index for this book. Margy informed me that she sometimes does indexes for Health Communications, Inc., which is a top publisher of health information today.

Margy wrote to me: I have looked at your book and am delighted to provide it with an index. You have written a valuable book for ENS sufferers and the medical community. In later correspondence, she wrote: I have said this before, but I am really impressed with your book and hope Cold Tree can give it great distribution. As you know audiences for the book will include both lay people who are considering surgery or treatment and the medical community hence the index must be accessible to both. Given these considerations, I will include a peer review to be certain I give this fine, informative book the index it deserves!

I am certain she will do an exceptional job for this book and I look forward to working with her, as I am confident her efforts will enhance the final product.

What Top Doctors Had to Say....

2007-07-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

“Chris Martin's book is a must-read for anyone with nasal problems so they, too, can understand ENS and avoid becoming an ENS patient. His up-to-date information can empower the patient to best therapies.”

-Murray Grossan, M.D., Author of The Sinus Cure and inventor of the Grossan HydroPulse Nasal-Sinus Irrigation System

“I applaud Chris’ attempt to bring this critically important issue to the public’s attention. If one person can be saved from the devastation this surgery can cause, he will have performed a great service.”

-Wellington S. Tichenor, M.D., Creator of award-winning website http://www.sinuses.com/, and wrote the introduction for this book

"Chris is addressing a tremendously important issue in otolaryngology. Empty nose syndrome is a real entity that requires further investigation. Although Chris' book is written for the general public, I truly hope my colleagues in ENT will read this book and take it to heart.

-Steven M. Houser, M.D., ENT specialist, MetroHealth Medical Center and the Cleveland Nasal, Sinus and Sleep Center, assistant professor, Case Western Reserve, and wrote the foreword for this book

June Update

2007-06-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

Update...
I have been continuing to work on the book with Cold Tree Press, and am still anticipating a publication date around August 11th, 2007. The senior designer at Cold Tree has produced a cover page (which you will notice to the right). She has also started the initial formatting of the interior of the book. It is quite exhilarating to see these efforts over the past year come to fruition. It is about time empty nose will be taken seriously!

On the marketing front...
Locally, I have talked with a small bookstore owner and they have offered for me to do a book signing. I have also requested to write a piece for my local newspaper (circulation 60,000), which I am confident will happen. On a personal level, I have also been able to get family, friends and colleagues interested in reading the book. This book will be available on many different websites, such as Allergy Buyer's club, Dr. Tichenor's website, Dr. Grossan's website, as well as Barnes N' Noble's and Amazon's websites. All these developments are encouraging to me. Once the book is out, I will pursue further marketing in numerous media outlets to ensure the voice of empty nose is heard loud and clear, never to be forgotten!

What about its critics?
I anticipate this book will have its critics, because empty nose is considered a controversial topic and I do not shy away from discussing the politics of it all; rather, I view discussing politics of empty nose as providing the reader with necessary context and documenting history on empty nose syndrome. And the fact is I have truth on my side (that I present in a fair, but firm manner). And personal experience. I am attempting to reveal that truth and that is what scares the critic the most. Truths such as:

1) doctors have largely ignored ENS
2) there may be millions suffering from ENS
3) ENS is a tremendously important problem in need of far greater attention

To that end, I sincerely hope and pray this book will have its intended effect. Please stay tuned.

Publication Soon

2007-05-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that I have submitted the book, Having Nasal Surgery? Don’t You Become an Empty Nose Victim!, for publication. Cold Tree Press (http://www.coldtreepress.com) has notified me that it takes on average 90 days from the date of submission until publication, as they strive to make their books in the best possible condition for the market. That means this book will be published sometime in the summer, perhaps by August 11th. I will keep you posted as this date approaches.

Cold Tree Press is one of the top self-publishers in America and this company is selective regarding the manuscripts they publish. I feel fortunate to be working with such a talented publishing company. As you can see above, they have already created a great cover design for this book and I look forward to continued working with them on it.

Empty Nose Sufferers on the ENS Book

2007-05-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

Although the book will not be out until August 11, I have been communicating with a patietn who had a nose surgery just 3 months ago and is now experiencing full-blown ENS symptoms. I knew she was suffering quite a bit, so I shared my adobe pdf of the book with her. Below is what she wrote after she read the the book:

I have read through the book and have found it really helpful. Chris' story is inspiring.. how he has suffered with ENS for so long and manages to still have a positive outlook. I think it covers a lot of important information, both technical and emotional. It is a book that many people could read -- sufferers of ENS, friends and family, people thinking about getting surgery. It has helped me to gain a better understanding of what to expect, what turbinates are, their functions in the body, and how to better live with this serious condition. Oh! I wish I was informed like this before the surgery. I would definitely suggest this book to my friends and family so that they have a better understanding of what ENS is and what it entails. There are so many people every year who get butchered by doctors who for one reason or another do not inform their patients properly of the procedure and possible side effects. This is a problem in many areas of medicine. Chris' book is a reminder not to go blindly into surgery but also to live bravely with things one cannot change.

I wish to thank this patient for her kind comments. I really hope her condition improves and her prognosis is good. And I hope the readers of this blog will find her comments useful.

The interest from members of the empty nose syndrome forum at (http://www.emptynosesyndrome.org/) is encouraging to me. This is a great website for ENS patients to come together and support each other. (I read posts on the ENS forum on a daily basis.) This website contains a lively discussion forum, a section where Dr. Houser answers questions, and a tutorial on the nose and turbinates. A half-hour audio tape of Dr. Eugene Kern’s lecture on empty nose syndrome is also available.

I thought it would be helpful to post some of their thoughts they have publicly posted on the ENS forum in support of this book:

Forum Member "3":

Very impressive! You should get the 21st century genius award.

Forum Member "TT":

I think it’s great to put a face on ENS. I'll keep a close eye on your blog. I wish you the best of luck. Your children are adorable.

Great work on the site!!

Excellent job! The fact that there is now a book written entirely about this disorder really legitimizes the cause. Otherwise it remains just a footnote in a technical journal.

I love the name of your book. "Nasal Surgery?" Really windens up the audience to anyone having nasal surgery over just people that found out they have ENS. I hope you're able to get a wide distribution into mainstream stores across the country. It is important to get the word out.

Forum Member "Simon81":

Wow, looks good Chris. Nice Job.

Forum Member "Sp1d3rdan":

Chris, Great work! You should give them away at Medical Schools so that the latest group of ENTs are aware of this.

Forum Member "Andrew":

Looks great. Best of luck and thank you for doing this!!

Forum Member "Tom":

Great cover, looks very nice. I can't wait to read it.

Forum Member "Matt":

Howdy Chris, Thanks for all the effort. I look forward to reading it! Best, Matt

Forum Member "MF":

Chris, You really have to be commended. Working this hard on a book that can not really help your self that much, yet can save hundreds or thousands of people the distress we all experience, is a noble and selfless act. Bravo!

Forum Member "Jdog":

Looking forward to the book Chris!!

....I'm excited for the book! It should be pre-requsite reading by the doctor before you agree to surgery.

Dr. Tichenor on the ENS Book

2007-05-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

I am very happy to announce support from Dr. Wellington Tichenor. Dr. Tichenor wrote the Introduction to the book. He is a medical specialist in sinusitis who does not perform surgery, but primarily treats patients who have not responded well to surgery, such as ENS patients. Dr. Tichenor is a leader in both prevention and treatment of ENS. His website, http://www.sinuses.com, has won numerous awards for outstanding content.

Here is Dr. Tichenor’s back cover endorsement:

“I applaud Chris’ attempt to bring this critically important issue to the public’s attention. If one person can be saved from the devastation this surgery can cause, he will have performed a great service.”