Nose, Sinus, & Allergy Treatments in Poway, San Diego

Serving Ear Nose and Throat Patients in San Diego and Greater Area

Functions of the Nose

Understanding the nose and the problems affecting it, while simple on the surface, is actually a complex process of understanding numerous medical and surgical conditions. The nose must both function well and have the right shape, as well as interact with the environment in a correct way to work correctly. In addition to understanding the nose itself, we must also grasp a fundamental understanding of its neighbor, the sinuses, which are airspaces above and below the eyes which communicate air and mucous to the nose.

When we discuss the nose, we need to understand the nose’s primary purpose is to help bring in air to the lungs. In so doing, it must also warm and humidify the air by passing through the nasal lining, warming the cold or dry air before it gets to the lungs. The nasal lining has a large amount of blood flowing through it to accomplish this task. The nose is also responsible for allowing a sampling of the air that passes through it to reach the smell receptors high up near to the brain to give us our sense of smell.

What are the purposes of the sinuses?

The sinuses, in contrast to the nose, have a very unclear purpose. Some theorize the sinus spaces are a fancy crumple zone for injury while others think the sinuses lighten the head to make it more mobile on our necks. Irrespective of their purpose or lack thereof, when the plumbing to the sinuses takes a turn for the worse it produces significant pain, headaches and drainage. Billions of dollars a year are spent on medications and treatments trying to correct the impacts of malfunctioning sinuses and abnormally functioning nasal lining, or troubles breathing through the nose.

Sinus and Allergy Diagnosis

When you come to the doctor, the first challenge is effectively communicating what is your actual concern. Keep the following in mind when you visit the Poway sinus care specialist at Rancho ENT: I have ‘sinus’ or ‘congestion’ or ‘allergies’ means something distinct to your physician, but it may mean something different to you. Using simple terms to describe your concerns such as ‘I feel like I cannot breathe’, ‘I feel like I have mucous draining down my throat”, or ‘I get pressure and pain in my head’, may be more effective than misusing the equating terms of congestion, postnasal drip, and sinus headaches which may paint a different picture if misused.

Many people come to our Rancho Bernardo ENT doctor complaining of ‘allergies’, which may or may not be the culprit for any or all of the above symptoms. Allergy is a complex topic in of itself, but in short, can be thought of as an overactive body defense response to something harmless. Liken this to calling the fire department out for simple cooking smoke. Many conditions, including allergies, can cause the symptoms of sinus pressure, nasal drainage, or trouble breathing.  Examples of non-allergic conditions that can contribute include a distorted shape of the nose, infectious problems or simple environmental irritation, to name a few.

Treatment of Nose, Sinus & Allergy Issues

Understanding your concern is the beginning of the road to finding a treatment for your condition. As ENT physicians at Rancho Ear Nose and Throat, we are uniquely able to address all aspects of nasal and sinus care. We are able to provide every facet of nasal treatment, ranging from simple education, medications, allergy treatment, therapy and counselling, to surgical intervention on your nose and sinuses.  Additionally, we are able to address many cosmetic or aesthetic concerns for your nose.

Having all the tools available to treat you allows us to pick the right treatment in the least invasive fashion. If medications are needed we can prescribe antibiotics if they are needed, as well as recommend over the counter prescriptions allergy and sinus relief treatments tailored to your nose’s need. If allergies are suspected, we can perform allergy testing so we can help counsel you on avoidance measures, or prescribe you allergy medications to limit the impact of allergy symptoms on you. We can also prescribe immunotherapy, a course of desensitization treatment, through allergy shots, or newly available allergy drops (home sublingual immunotherapy) to help retrain your nose and immune system to be less reactive to what you are allergic to.

San Diego’s Top Sinus Surgeons

Rancho Ear Nose and Throat physicians are also skilled surgeons with the expertise to drain sinus infections as well as reestablish optimal nasal airflow pathways to improve nasal breathing and sinus drainage (septoplasty, turbinate reductions and endoscopic sinus surgery). At Rancho ENT we are on the cutting edge of the latest technology offering the latest advancements in minimally invasive care such as in office and in operating room balloon sinusplasty, as well as steroid eluting stent therapy (Propel Stents). We also utilize computerize navigation to minimize risk of surgery when needed. Not to mention, we can also make your nose look better too through cosmetic rhinoplasty if desired. We are also able and willing to tell you when surgery is not needed or necessary, and medications or allergy therapy are your best choices.

We are proud to provide patients comprehensive nasal, sinus and allergy care at Rancho Ear Nose and Throat. Allow our years of expertise and study in all aspects of medical, surgical and allergy care to provide optimal benefit to you.

• Sinus
• Sinus Treatment
• Sinuplasty