6 | LIVING WELL A-Z | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2011

Living Well a-z invites readers tosubmit questions to a panel of health-care experts. The short questions andanswers will offer readers a little moreinformation about hot topics in medi-cine and refer you to other resourceswhere you can learn more. Responseswill also arm you with information soyou know what to ask your own health-care providers.

EXPERT ADVICE

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diet can also have an effect. Limiting salt and takingdiuretics helps some people control the dizziness, andsome sufferers claim that caffeine, chocolate and alco-hol make their symptomsworse.If someone has the symptoms ofMeniere’s disease,

they should see a physicianwho specializes in the earfor an evaluation.

ROBERT BABER IS A BOARD-CERTIFIED HEARING INSTRUMENT SPECIALISTAND OWNER OF MIRACLE-EAR CENTERS’21 VALLEY LOCATIONS

QUESTION:What is Valley Fever?

ANSWER: Valley Fever is the nickname for coc-cidioidomycosis, the infection caused by the fungusCoccidioides. This fungus lives in the desert soil in thesouthwestern United States. It is also seen in northernMexico and parts of Central and South America. Peopleacquire Valley Fever by breathing the fungal spores fromthe air; there is no person-to-person spread.Over half the people infectedwith Valley Fever don’t

have any symptoms at all. Themajority of peoplewithsymptoms have one ormore of the following: fever,night sweats, headache,muscle and joint aching,fatigue, rash, cough (often dry,without being able tocough up sputum), shortness of breath, or chest pain.For personswith severe or prolonged infection,

fluconazole and itraconazole are themost commonlyprescribedmedications, but others can be usedwhenan infection is difficult to treat. Since the body can oftenconquer the infectionwithout treatment,many peopledo not need to be treated. However, for thosewho dorequire treatment, the treatment sometimes needs tocontinue forweeks,months or even longer.In 2009, 8,078Maricopa County residents had

coccidioidomycosis,which is the highest rate not justin Arizona, but in the entire United States. Pinal andPima countieswere second- and third-highest.

JANIS E. BLAIR,M.D. IS AN INFECTIOUS DISEASES SPECIALIST ATMAYOCLINIC IN ARIZONA. SHE IS A MEMBER OF THE INFECTIOUS DISEASESSOCIETY OF AMERICA, THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS ANDTHE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.

BY ALISON STANTON

Tinnitus,or ringing in the ears, isa condition that affects approxi-mately50million adults.Of this

number, about12million suffer from con-stant ringing andbuzzing severe enoughtonegatively impact theirdaily lives.

Robert Baber, a board-certified hear-ing instrument specialist and owner ofMiracle-Ear Centers’21Valley locations,said that themost common causes oftinnitus are noise exposure or headinjury. “It can also be a side effect ofmedications,”he explained. “Becausetinnitus can be a symptom of amoreserious disorder, it is important to haveit evaluated by your physician.”

EdwardMaznio, President of PurToneHearing Centers LLC, said that formostpeoplewho strugglewith tinnitus,noise exposure during their lifetimeis themain culprit.He adds that theringing often coincideswith hearingloss in the high frequency ranges.

Varied effectsBaber said that tinnitus often directlyaffects a person’s thoughts, emotions,hearing and sleep.

“Some people with tinnitus are an-noyed, bothered, depressed, anxiousor angry about it,”he said. Becausetinnitus is so pervasive, he notes thatpeople can become completely fo-cused on it, andmany sufferers reportthat it interferes with them gettingto sleep.

Several therapiesBaber andMaznio both said there isno cure for tinnitus. However, there areseveral therapies that can be tried tohelp reduce the ringing sounds thatare a hallmark of tinnitus.

“Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) isa longer-term therapy for reducing thepatient’s anxiety and awareness of thedisturbances in their head,”Maznio said.“Another option is to use a hearing de-vice or ambient-sound-maker that emitsmasking sounds. Formany individuals, ahearing aid that is capable of amplifyingambient noise in the high frequencies,which are sounds their brain is currentlymissing, is also helpful.”

The bottom line isthere is help for tinnitus“I suggest if a person is suffering fromtinnitus that they checkwith a physi-cianwho specializes in the ear,” saidBaber. “Middle-ear tinnitus can betreated.”

If you would like your questionto be considered for theMay 4 issue of Living Well a-z,please write to editor:

Paula Hubbs CohenPaula.Cohen@cox.netor, c/o The Arizona Republic200 E. Van Buren St., CA22Phoenix, AZ 85004

Tinnitus:Causes, symptomsand therapiesHelp is available for ringing in the ears

can be treatedwith orthotics that have a very deep heel cup.Achilles tendinitis, caused by wearing shoes that are too

short or by not stretching properly before a vigorouswork-out, can also be treatedwith arch supports. An arthritic footrespondswell to shoes that have been modifiedwith extracushioning. “Wewant to create little ‘nests’ for the bones ofthe foot so there’s less pressure on the joints,”Orischak said.

Bunions, hammertoes and cold feetSeveral additional foot problems arewell-known topodiatrists, including bunions, hammertoes and cold feet.“A bunion is a structural deviation of bone or tissue aroundthe great toe joint near the base of the big toe, and is often

treatedwith surgery. But first, a patient can try wearing asandal, orthotics or awider, deeper shoe to see if that helpswith bunion pain,”Losi explained. “Hammertoes are causedbymuscle imbalance and occurwhen the toes start to curlup and act like little hammers.”This condition may alsorequire surgery for correction.

“Cold feet can be caused by diabetes or poor circulation,”said Orischak. “A normal foot temperature is 86 degrees; acold footwill present at about 73 degrees.”The treatment isa biochemically treated sock that canwarm the foot an ad-ditional 13 degrees. According to Orischak, if the patient hasa doctor’s prescription for this product, there is no sales tax.

Both Losi and Orischak say patientswithmost foot prob-lems shouldn’twait to see a professional. “Get evaluated assoon as you can, before the problem getsworse,”Losi said.

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Robert Baber,owner ofMiracle-EarCenters' 21Valleylocations

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