{"id":21058,"date":"2019-01-30T15:17:16","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T22:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=21058"},"modified":"2023-06-23T10:53:12","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T16:53:12","slug":"the-abcs-of-ents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/the-abcs-of-ents\/","title":{"rendered":"The ABCs of ENTs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"A
ENTs, or otolaryngologists, can care for a variety of concerns related to the ears, nose or throat. Photo by Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s a lot that happens in our bodies from the neck up: from speech and vision, to breathing and smell, various processes are packed into a small space. Which means health issues can have far-reaching effects.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where the help of an otolaryngologist, or an ears, nose and throat doctor (ENT) can come in handy. Below, Dr. Jason Sigmon<\/a>, an otolaryngologist at UCHealth Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic in Steamboat Springs<\/a>, describes what you need to know about the specialty.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Dr. Jason Sigmon is an otolaryngologist at UCHealth Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic in Steamboat Springs. Photo courtesy of UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ENTs see patients for various issues<\/strong><\/h3>\n

From hearing and balance to chronic infections and sleep apnea, and from problems breathing and swallowing to allergies, ENTs help patients with a range of health challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re like the quarterback when it comes to issues involved with speech, vocal production, smell, breathing, hearing and balance,\u201d Sigmon said. \u201cWe work really closely with a lot of other specialists, such as optometrists, ophthalmologists, neurologists and more. We\u2019re a clearing house for evaluating a lot of these kinds of issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Often when a patient visits an ENT, he or she will have a range of symptoms. \u201cIt\u2019s not unusual to see a patient with ringing ears, hoarseness, swallowing concerns and stuffiness all in one visit,\u201d Sigmon said.<\/p>\n

These health issues can signal something bigger<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sometimes, an initial symptom is a clue that there\u2019s a system-wide issue. For instance, difficulty swallowing can be a sign of a gastrointestinal issue, while a hoarse voice may be an early sign of Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important for patients to not ignore those symptoms because there are times they can represent bigger issues,\u201d Sigmon said.<\/p>\n

ENTs perform surgical procedures<\/strong><\/h3>\n

From biopsies and sinus surgery, to inserting ear tubes or removing tonsils, ENTs perform a variety of surgeries. Many of these procedures are quick, outpatient procedures. However, most visits to an ENT do not involve surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are surgeons but it\u2019s important for people to understand that the bulk of the time, we\u2019re there in the clinic, seeing people for things that don\u2019t involve surgery,\u201d Sigmon said.<\/p>\n

A resource for allergy issues and skin cancer<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cENTs have a rich legacy of managing patients who have allergy issues,\u201d Sigmon said. Not only do allergies affect the upper respiratory system and breathing, but often, issues with anatomy make the allergies worse. Food allergy concerns can also be evaluated.<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t let the idea of shots scare you away: allergy testing can be done without needles and allergies can often be treated with drops taken under the tongue instead of allergy shots.<\/p>\n

ENTs also monitor skin issues and can identify and treat skin cancers.<\/p>\n

Improvements with technology<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Technological advances allow ENTs to weed through various symptoms impacting patients and\u00a0new technology makes surgical procedures much easier.<\/p>\n

For instance, 3-D image guidance is now used for procedures on the sinuses and nose, reducing\u00a0pain and bruising. \u201cMany people struggle with nasal problems but worry getting them fixed will involve a lot of pain,\u201d Sigmon said. \u201cThat\u2019s just not the case anymore because of the great technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

When to see an ENT<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A visit to a primary provider is always a good place to start, but don\u2019t hesitate to see an ENT if your symptoms are recurrent, worsening or have lasted for a while. Take ringing in the ears, for instance. \u201cIf your ears ring every now and then, you probably don\u2019t need to come in,\u201d Sigmon said. \u201cBut if the ringing is increasing, worsening or affecting your balance, then it\u2019s time to get evaluated.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This article first appeared in the Steamboat Pilot & Today on Jan. 7, 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a lot that happens in our bodies from the neck up: from speech and vision, to breathing and smell, various processes are packed into a small space. Which means health issues can have far-reaching effects. That\u2019s where the help of an otolaryngologist, or an ears, nose and throat doctor (ENT) can come in handy. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2163,"featured_media":21085,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9138,1112,9187],"class_list":["post-21058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-ear-nose-and-throat-care","tag-ear-nose-throat-care-otolaryngology","tag-readysetco"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe ABCs of ENTs - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From hearing and balance to chronic infections and sleep apnea, and from problems breathing and swallowing to allergies, ENTs help patients with a range of health challenges.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The ABCs of ENTs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From hearing and balance to chronic infections and sleep apnea, and from problems breathing and swallowing to allergies, ENTs help patients with a range of health challenges.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/the-abcs-of-ents\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-01-30T22:17:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-23T16:53:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/01\/18135113\/GettyImages-453441599.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Susan Cunningham, for UCHealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Susan Cunningham, for UCHealth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/the-abcs-of-ents\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/the-abcs-of-ents\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Susan Cunningham, for UCHealth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f2737182b44781de4109fdd5dd464270\"},\"headline\":\"The ABCs of ENTs\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-01-30T22:17:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-23T16:53:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/the-abcs-of-ents\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":666,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/the-abcs-of-ents\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/18135113\\\/GettyImages-453441599.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Ear nose and throat care\",\"ENT\",\"Ready. 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