Holistic approach to better breathing when surgery fails

"We're seeing results and improvement that don't require either a medical or surgical intervention," says Dr. Lawrence Gordon, shown explaining a sinus procedure to nurse Tara Sobel. "We are drawing the connection more and more," he adds, that the foods people eat can create unhealthy bodies. By helping people change diets and eating habits, they've seen improvement. PHOTOS BY DAWN J. BENKO/FOR THE TIMES HERALD-RECORD

There’s a new approach to better breathing, and it’s something a lot of Hudson Valley residents can embrace. It doesn’t rely on medicine or surgery.

The New York Center for Sinus Relief in Goshen, officially opened June 1, was created specifically for people for whom surgery and other treatments have not worked. But it may also be a medical office of first resort for people seeking a holistic interpretation of a condition that affects their lives.

When sinus surgery fails, it may be that the underlying conditions causing an individual’s problems have not been recognized, said Dr. Lawrence Gordon, an ear, nose and throat specialist in practice for more than 20 years. “The upshot is that unless you address the underlying issues,” said Gordon, “you’re going to have recurrent problems.”

That’s why he developed the new Sinus Center, where one key is promoting a healthy lifestyle as a means to conquering chronic sinusitis. For people who are still suffering, despite treatments, Gordon said: “There may be hope even when they thought that they’d been treated maximally by seeing another specialist.”

The Center is staffed by Gordon, a board-certified otolaryngologist; and nutritionist and board-certified Physician’s Assistant, Kaitlyn Barbalich, who specializes in otolaryngology and allergy. Their customized treatment includes blood testing for medical conditions like autoimmune and immune deficiencies, which may lead to sinus problems, and they consider environmental factors that may trigger chronic sinusitis. They seek to ameliorate those conditions, rather than assume surgery is the answer. They also look to factors that can be managed differently, such as lack of proper sleep.

On top of that, and equally essential, their approach includes a thorough look at a patient’s eating habits. They offer counseling – “dietary solutions” – that can make a positive impact on a patient’s health.

“We’re seeing results and improvement that don’t require either a medical or surgical intervention,” said Gordon. “We are drawing the connection more and more,” he said, that the foods people eat can create unhealthy bodies. By helping people change diets and eating habits, they’ve seen improvement.

Speaking about how the “Western diet” heavy in processed foods and sugars has been found to compromise a person’s overall health, Gordon said new thinking has shown that by changing the diet, a person can change many health factors, including sinusitis.

There are often a complex set of conditions that create chronic sinusitis, Gordon said, among them a genetic predisposition and the fact that a person’s make up changes over time. “It’s never just one thing.”

The good news is that “sometimes it’s a very simple series of steps or habits that people can engage in” to rectify their problems. But “when it’s an anatomic issue that sets them up for repeat infections” or another reason that demands a procedure, Gordon offers a minimally invasive approach “which spares the natural tissue of your sinuses.” Gordon also offers an in-office balloon sinuplasty that “has revolutionized what can be done to provide relief to my patients.”
Source : recordonline

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