As Featured in the Northern Nevada Business Weekly: Dr. Lancaster

Nevada ENT and Hearing Associates announces Eileen Lancaster has joined its team of practitioners as an audiologist.

Lancaster started her medical schooling at the University of Kansas, where she completed her undergraduate studies and earned her Bachelor of Arts in speech, language, and hearing sciences, along with a minor in dance.

She followed her undergraduate education with the University of Iowa, where she earned her Doctorate of Clinical Audiology.

Lancaster completed her clinical externship at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., from 2019 to 2020. In her new role at Nevada ENT and Hearing Associates, she will diagnose, manage, and treat hearing, balance, or ear problems.

You can check out the full article here.

 

Nevada ENT and Hearing Associates is pleased to welcome Dr. Samara to our team of specialists. With over 26 years of experience in Otolaryngology, as well as head and neck surgery, Dr Samara is well versed in everything ENT. His background includes the use of robotics, salivary gland endoscopy, minimally invasive surgical techniques, the use of lasers, and skull base surgery. 

 

Dr. Samara began his medical journey at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida. His hard work at the University of Miami paid off with his following residencies at Columbia University in New York City as well as UCLA in Los Angeles.

 

After his schooling, Dr. Samara completed a 26-year tenure at SUNY Stony Brook. There, his practice encompassed a broad range of ENT, with special emphasis placed on nasal and sinus surgery, head and neck tumors, and salivary gland disease. After experiencing almost all four corners of the United States, Dr. Samara is now bringing his expertise to the biggest little city.

 

Over the course of his career, he has received many honors and awards including induction into the American College of Surgeons and even the Triological society; the most prestigious society in Otolaryngology. Nearly three decades of experience and hard work have made Dr. Samara a leading voice in the world of ENT. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and he has authored over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles.

 

Nevada ENT and Hearing Associates is so excited to welcome Dr. Samara. As he brings his wealth of knowledge to our practice and our patients, we look forward to our future working together. We encourage interested patients, new and old, to make an appointment to see Dr. Samara soon.

 

We are thrilled to announce the newest member of our team, Dr. Eileen Lancaster! Originally hailing from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Dr. Lancaster is taking the Reno/Tahoe area by storm. She brings with her a wealth of experience and expertise, and we couldn’t be more excited to have her on board.

 

Dr. Lancaster started her medical schooling at the University of Kansas, where she completed her undergraduate studies and earned her Bachelor of Arts in speech, language, and hearing sciences, along with a minor in Dance. In fact, her passion for music is what helped inspire her path in audiology.

 

She followed her undergraduate education with the University of Iowa where she earned her Doctorate of Clinical Audiology. Most notably, Dr. Lancaster completed her clinical externship at the renowned Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, from 2019 to 2020. This externship fuels her dedication to staying up to date on the most current audiological findings.

 

After her externship, Dr. Lancaster joined the team at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, MA, where she worked for two years. It was there that she continued to refine her skills in hearing evaluations, hearing aids, vestibular assessment, and cochlear implants. Her care for her patients and her passion for audiology shine through her work.

 

In October 2022, Dr. Lancaster made her way to Reno. We are delighted to have her join Nevada ENT and Hearing Associates. Her qualifications include holding a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology from the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association – an association of which she is also a proud member.

 

 Dr. Lancaster is ready and eager to contribute to the excellent care we provide. Please join us in welcoming her to our practice!

Featured in the Northern Nevada Business Weekly – Keely Chevallier joins Nevada ENT and Hearing Associates. Read the full announcement below!

RENO, Nev. — Nevada ENT and Hearing Associates announced Aug. 3 that Dr. Keely Chevallier joined the Reno-based practice.

According to an Aug. 3 press release, Dr. Chevallier, a Nevada native, comes from David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, where she served as an Active Duty Air Force officer for four years, most recently as the Officer in Charge of the combined ENT, Audiology and Speech Language Pathology Clinic, and the Surgical Champion for the Hospital’s Informatics Steering Committee.

She served a tour in Afghanistan in 2018 as the only NATO forces ENT in the country. During this time, she took care of patients including U.S. Service Members, NATO forces and Afghan troops, providing care for traumatic injuries, respiratory failure and all diseases of the ears, nose, and throat.

Dr. Chevallier received a Bachelor of Arts in integrative biology from University of California, Berkeley. She received her Doctor of Medicine degree from University of Colorado, School of Medicine in Aurora, Colorado and completed her residency in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Dr. Chevallier has been a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society since 2009 and has been board certified with the American Board of Otolaryngology since 2017.

Hearing loss and dementia seem unrelated to the majority of us. Aside from the fact that they both accompany aging, one has to do with one’s ears, and the other has to do with one’s brain.

However, multiple studies have shown they are actually closely related. In the latest study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin, cognitively healthy adults in their fifties and sixties who had been diagnosed with hearing loss were shown to face double the risk of developing dementia within five years.

Other studies have shown that risk of dementia increases as hearing loss increases. According to a study by a researcher at Johns Hopkins, mild, moderate, and severe hearing loss made the odds of dementia two, three, and five times higher in the next decade or more, respectively. What’s more, cognitive impairment seems to occur faster in those who have hearing loss. Older adults with hearing loss experienced mental decline an average of 30-40 percent faster.

This correlation affects many of us. Hearing loss is a common ailment in late middle age. At age 65, about one in three adults experiences hearing loss. For adults over 70, two in three have some degree of hearing loss. Dementia is slightly less common, but still prevalent — about one in three Americans will die with some form of dementia.

Why is this the case? We don’t yet know. One possibility is that a brain pathology we’re not aware of is responsible for both symptoms. Another potential reason is that hearing loss causes social isolation. When individuals are no longer able to interact with their surroundings as much as they used to, their brains deteriorate. A third theory is that because hearing is responsible for a fair amount of brain stimulation, the loss of hearing stimuli leads the brain’s functioning to weaken overall. It’s also possible that having to decode noise continually puts too much strain on the mind, leaving it weak and vulnerable to degeneration.

Protect your hearing early in life by limiting your exposure to loud noise. At 90 decibels of uninterrupted sound, the limit of safe noise exposure is eight hours. For each six decibels increase of uninterrupted sound thereafter, the limit of safe exposure is reduced by half.

Also, be on the lookout for symptoms such as excessive ear wax, repeated ear infection, pain, itching, ringing or sudden hearing loss. If you have any of these symptoms, see an otolaryngologist as soon as possible. Ear damage can worsen over time when the issue causing it remains unresolved.

If you already have hearing loss, speak with your otolaryngologist to see what treatment is ideal for your situation. Don’t put off buying a hearing aid if it means you can’t follow along with your friends’ and family’s conversations. Stay social and keep your brain engaged. Additionally, follow a healthy diet and exercise program — the healthier you are overall, the healthier your mind is likely to be.

Sources:
https://www.hear-it.org/hearing-loss-and-dementia
https://www.hear-it.org/why-there-link-between-hearing-loss-and-dementia
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jul/17/hearing-loss-could-pose-greater-risk-of-potential-dementia-in-later-life-study
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/802291
https://bhsl.wiscweb.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/114/2017/07/TFields_AAIC2017_final.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5527366/
https://www.alz.org/facts/
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/features/hearing-loss-dementia#1
http://www.hearingloss.org/content/basic-facts-about-hearing-loss

Smell loss or anosmia can be due to many varied causes, such as acute head trauma, a severe cold, chronic sinusitis, nasal polyps, neurological conditions, and rarely tumors.   An important distinguishing factor is the acuity of onset. Acute smell loss can be due to a severe upper respiratory infection or head trauma. Viruses can cause cell death of the olfactory neurons, and head trauma can shear off the olfactory nerves. Both have the potential for recovery, as olfactory nerves can regenerate, though it can take years.

Brain tumors of the olfactory groove (or anterior base of skull) can cause a gradual smell loss. These can include esthesioneuroblastoma or meningiomas – treatment would be surgical resection.

A common cause of chronic smell loss is chronic sinusitis, which through inflammation can cause swelling of the sinus mucosa, and will block the path of odor molecules to the olfactory groove. Fortunately a combination of nasal topical steroids, prednisone and surgery may be able to improve smell.

Chronic sinusitis with polyps is chronic sinusitis with more inflammation where the normal lining of the sinuses, the mucosa, becomes swollen and edematous forming small grape-like polyps. These physically block the passage of smell molecules. Surgery can help with this.

There is some data out of Stanford showing that olfactory retraining is a beneficial therapeutic option for patients with smell loss. This is a simple, cheap treatment option for patients with smell loss that Dr. Meier offers.

 

Josh Meier, M.D. F.A.R.S.

 

Nevada ENT and Reno Tahoe Sinus Center are excited to announce that we have just completed installation of a brand new Carestream CS 9300 cone beam CT scanner. Our office has offered in-office CT imaging for the last 7 years, and we recently decided to upgrade to the latest technology. We can image both the paranasal sinuses and temporal bone (ear).

Your doctor will review your images with you immediately after the scan. In addition, the board-certified radiologists at Reno Diagnostic Center will review your scan and send a report to our office.

Advantages of in-office cone beam CT imaging:

• High resolution, down to 0.09mm, for excellent imaging detail
• CBCT radiation dose is much lower than low-dose and standard conventional CT exams (approximately 1/10 of the dose)
• Convenience – imaging can be done in our office without a second trip to an imaging center
• Images can be used for image-guided sinus surgery

We are pleased to offer this new technology to our patients, please do not hesitate to ask your provider for more information.

 

Josh Meier, M.D. F.A.R.S.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a condition that a large segment of the population suffers from, with a significant decrement in quality of life. Symptoms of CRS include nasal drainage, congestion, facial pain or pressure, and smell loss. Frequently nasal allergies can contribute to symptoms. In Reno, the bulk of allergy symptoms occur in the fall, when the sagebrush and rabbit brush bloom.

The first line of treatment for CRS is a saline rinse (Neilmed sinus rinse) and an over the counter topical steroid spray (Flonase, Nasocort). For most CRS patients, this will lead to a significant increase in quality of life.   For patients that do not improve, then a consultation with an otolaryngologist can be helpful, and other treatment options can be discussed.

An option for patients that continue to have symptoms, despite appropriate medical therapy, is endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). New technology and techniques have resulted in much less discomfort and recovery after ESS. Because of my focus on mucosal preservation, there is less bleeding; as a result I do not use nasal packing or splints for patients that undergo nasal surgery.

If you have any questions about your nose or sinus health, please do not hesitate to call and schedule an appointment.

Josh Meier, M.D. F.A.R.S.

Please check back soon for updates.