Meet exceptional providers of dental, eye care, and ear, nose, and throat services.
Advanced ENT Sinus Center
Losing your sense of smell can have a debilitating effect on everyday life. Dr. Stacey Hudson, MD, FACS, and Theresa Birchfield, PA-C, with Advanced ENT Sinus Center in Reno recognize two primary ways patients suffer from smell loss. The first involves a problem with the conduction, or smell, molecules reaching the olfactory nerve — the only nerve in the body exposed to the outside world that can become blocked due to inflammation. The second involves damage to the olfactory nerve that can occur because of viral or bacterial infections that go untreated.
Some patients experience a complete loss of smell or an altered sense of smell causing everything to have a bad, rancid, or burned odor. Often an altered sense of smell affects the ability to taste; it also can be dangerous when it comes to detecting smoke from a fire or a gas leak.
Dr. Hudson and Birchfield work to alleviate the causes of their patients’ loss of smell.
“We review their health history and conduct a physical exam,” Birchfield explains. “We also can perform a CT scan to get a look at the sinuses and nose. From there, we decide on a course of treatment that may include steroids and antibiotics for infection that could be influencing the sense of smell.
“Once we have that cleared up, we talk about things like smell therapy, where people use familiar scents like lavender and lemon to train their brain to be able to smell again.”
A common symptom of COVID-19 is smell loss due to the dramatic inflammatory response the virus causes. Nerves can become damaged by any virus, affecting how people smell, hear, or maintain balance and equilibrium.
“We encourage everyone to take good care of your nose, especially considering our dry climate, allergies, and the germs always going around,” Birchfield adds. “Using smell therapy, the humidifier and saline, and a Neti pot or nasal irrigator can really help.”
Hudson, Birchfield, and the team at Advanced ENT specialize in treating ear, nose, and throat ailments — the loss of smell, chronic sinus issues, seasonal allergy symptoms, and more.
To learn about how the practice is dedicated to helping patients return to their optimum health function through innovative treatment, visit Myrenoent.com.
Eye Care Professionals
If you have inflammation around your eyelids, it’s possible you are suffering from blepharitis. Blepharitis usually affects both eyes along the edges of the eyelids. Let’s first discuss what this condition is, then how LipiFlow treatment can help.
Blepharitis occurs when tiny oil glands (Meibomian glands) near the base of the eyelashes become clogged. Your eyelids may appear red and swollen and feel like they are burning or sore. You may have flakes or oily crust particles at the base of your eyelashes.
“Patients often confuse dry eye with blepharitis,” says Dr. Matthew Mills of Eye Care Professionals in Reno. “Blepharitis is a more serious condition but can present like dry eye. LipiFlow is an excellent treatment option for patients suffering with this condition.”
LipiFlow treatment uses a device that warms and massages the eyelids, restoring a more normal function to the eyelids and meibomian glands. LipiFlow unblocks the microscopic Meibomian glands within the eyelid margins, which frequently become obstructed and, thus, contribute to inflammation, dryness, and irritation of the eye. By removing these obstructions and restoring a more normal flow to these oil glands, the eye doctors at Eye Care Professionals are able to stabilize the tear film, which helps protect and improve your ocular surface.
If you have blepharitis symptoms, it is time to make an appointment with Eye Care Professionals.
For details, visit Renoeyecare.com.
Sierra Smiles
June is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, and Dr. John Bocchi and the team at Sierra Smiles in Reno and Lake Tahoe encourage folks to seek care from professionals qualified in treating the disease. Providers at Sierra Smiles are trained in RECODE 2.0, in which dentists and physicians work together to prevent, stop, or reverse the progression of Alzheimer’s.
“A big part of treatment is nutrition and what we eat,” Bocchi explains. “Reducing inflammation is key, and that includes incorporating a KetoFLEX 12/3 diet, which is a brain-healthy option that becomes a lifestyle to optimize cognition.”
According to Apollohealthco.com, KetoFLEX 12/3 is a mildly ketogenic, plant-rich, highly nutritious diet combined with fasting. The whole-foods diet emphasizes local, organic, and seasonal, non-starchy vegetables from every color of the rainbow, combined with sensible protein portions and healthy fats. In addition, patients are encouraged to remove all toxicity from their diets, test their drinking water for harmful toxins, and more.
“Patients affected by Alzheimer’s need to prioritize ketosis and the brain’s ability to use glucose. We do this by creating ketones from a combination of diet, exercise, fasting, and quality sleep,” Bocchi notes.
Providers certified in the RECODE program work together to create a personalized, targeted, multifactorial, therapeutic program for the reversal of cognitive decline. Bocchi and the medical professionals at Sierra Smiles work on the side of sleep, airway, and dental health and connect patients with physicians in the area who are certified to help with blood work, nutrition, health coaching, and other needs.
“We aim to prevent periodontal disease, which often has P. gingivalis present, and this bacteria is found to have a direct connection to Alzheimer’s disease,” Bocchi says. “Treating periodontal disease, sleep, and airway issues such as sleep apnea, as well as replacing amalgam fillings containing mercury, can make a big difference.”
Searching for a dental care provider? Be sure to scan the QR code below to download Sierra Smiles’ new e-book, 5 Questions to Ask Your New Potential Dentist, for tips on vetting area professionals. For more than 15 years, Dr. Bocchi and his highly trained team in Reno and Tahoe have provided the highest quality care using state-of-the-art technology and techniques with a non-invasive, preventative care approach.
For details, visit Sierrasmiles.com.
