NEWS

Ear Nose and Throat Clinic Update

The Ear Nose and Throat Clinic at Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital opened in late 2005, marking the realization of a dream for Dr. Marc Raymond, Ear Nose Throat & Facial Plastic Surgeon.

Inside the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) clinic Dr. Raymond provides important specialized services for patients of the Middlesex Hospital Alliance (MHA). With the growing population in the region of the MHA, there was a great need for an ENT Specialist and Surgeon to help address an overwhelming volume of patients. The MHA listed the clinic as one of the top priorities and Dr. Raymond was drawn to Strathroy.

“The Hospital fully supported opening the clinic,” said Dr. Raymond, “the Foundation helped by funding equipment that I needed to examine patients and perform surgeries, I wouldn't be able to best serve the people I see every week without the donations that helped to fund the clinic.”

Together with the MHA and the Building Together Fundraising Campaign of the Foundation, Dr. Raymond was able to renovate an area of the Hospital where the Speech, Language, and Pathology Office used to be located. They expanded the space, creating two exam rooms to see patients in.

In the clinic today, Dr. Raymond sees mainly children with hearing problems and ear infections. He also sees a large number of adults who have concerns about skin cancer, hearing loss, sinusitis and other health problems related to the head, face and neck. On average he performs more than 32 surgeries a month in the Operating Room while also balancing time to see the continual rush of patients in the clinic.

Another important part of the ENT clinic is Audiologist Johann Pinto who visits from London one or two days a week in order to see patients with hearing concerns.

“Johann is outstanding and very friendly to work with and patients love him,” said Dr. Raymond, “especially during this time of year where a larger amount of people become ill during the winter season.”

Health Tips for Disease Prevention

Many patients are referred to visit the Ear Nose and Throat Clinic of SMGH as they become ill. Dr. Raymond recommends ensuring that everyone in your household regularly washes their hands to avoid having to make a trip to see the Doctor.

“Hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infections,” says Dr. Raymond.

You can unknowingly catch germs when you touch contaminated objects or surfaces and then touch your face (mouth, eyes, and nose). Acceptable hand washing techniques include using an adequate amount of soap, rubbing hands together to create friction for more than 20 seconds, and then rinsing under running water.

A second tip in order to help prevent illness that Dr. Raymond offers is that cotton swabs should never be used to clean inside ears.

“Lots of people use cotton swabs to clean inside their ears, but they don't realize what kind of harm they are doing,” says Dr. Raymond, “the old adage is true that nothing smaller than your baby finger should ever be put into your ear, don't ever use cotton swabs.”

Using cotton swabs to clean your ear may remove a little wax, but it's also likely to push a lot more wax deeper into the ear canal. This can overtime build up in your ear, causing pain and affecting hearing.

“Cotton swabs should never be used,” says Dr. Raymond.