Texan ENT Specialists - August 2020

Texan ENT Specialists - August 2020

TexanENT.com

512.550.0321

AUGUST 2020

Satellite Offices:

601 A Leah Avenue San Marcos, TX 78666 Tuesday and Thursday afternoons

1009 W. San Antonio Street Lockhart, TX 78644 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month

‘EAR, NEWS, AND THROAT’

August means plenty of time spent inside next to the air conditioning. At least, that’s my plan for surviving the end of the Texas summer. I know many other people view August as that last chance for some big camping trips before the school year starts again. In fact, the first Saturday in August is Campfire Day. I’m all for sitting around a bonfire with friends and family, but personally, I could do without the actual camping. I like being outdoors, but I don’t enjoy sleeping there. When I go camping, it’s more like “glamping” with a cabin and plenty of amenities to survive the wilderness. One of the few times I’ve been “real” camping in my adult life was on a trip to Yosemite National Park with my sister and her soon-to-be ex. My sister had just moved out to San Francisco, and when I came to visit, I ended up being the third wheel on this camping trip. I did not enjoy sleeping on the ground, and I had even less fun when my tent was suddenly swarmed by bees at 5 a.m. I think they were attracted by the neon green color. Fortunately, none of the bees came into the tent. My sister broke up with her boyfriend not long after, and I’m pretty sure that trip was the nail in the coffin of their relationship, which just proves that camping is terrible. But if I’m being honest, that trip wasn’t all bad. I did have a lot of fun hiking to Nevada Fall in Yosemite. It was a pretty good 7-mile loop and reaching the falls was cool. I’ve always enjoyed hiking a lot more than camping. Growing up in Virginia near the Blue Ridge Mountains offered plenty of opportunities for hiking. About 30 minutes from my house were the Peaks of Otter, three mountain peaks that are the tallest in the range. One of the mountains, Sharp Top, had a very popular hiking trail with a great view at the top. Some of my earliest hiking memories are of making the trip up Sharp Top. The first time I took Renee back to Virginia to visit family, we did that hike together. FROM ANGEL’S LANDING TO KEPLER TRACK The Best Hiking in theWorld

I’ve been on some pretty great hikes in national parks across the country, like Angel’s Landing at Zion in Utah. But the best hiking trails I’ve ever been on were in New Zealand. They truly have world-class hiking out there. Since New Zealand is an island isolated in the middle of the ocean, all the plants you see there are different from anything else in the world. Plus, the variety in the landscape is just amazing. There are snow-covered mountains right next to the ocean and volcanic areas full of black sand and black rocks. The farther south you get in New Zealand, the better the scenery gets. There are a number of intense, multiday hikes called the Great Walks that people come to New Zealand specifically for. As I may have mentioned, I’m not one for spending the night outside in a tent, so I didn’t do these hikes completely, but I did enjoy day hikes on portions of these long trails. My favorite hike was the Kepler Track on the South Island. There was a lot of variety for one trail, from going up and over a hill to walking along a river. Every step was breathtaking.

When the weather isn’t so hot, Renee and I like to get out and do some hiking closer to home. If you’re like me and would rather go hiking than camping, I recommend waiting for a cooler day and hitting the Barton Creek Greenbelt in Austin. It’s not New Zealand, but it still has some pretty nice views. –Dr. Seth Evans

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Are you thinking about donating your kids’ old clothes or that slow cooker you haven’t used in months? Though donating your unwanted items is a great thing to do, amid the pandemic, many people have not considered the future of secondhand shopping and charity-based thrift stores like Goodwill. In 2018, Goodwill funded nearly $5.3 billion in charitable services, like educational assistance, job training, and work placements. But now, Goodwill and similar organizations are facing a unique problem: They’re receiving too many donations. To prevent your items from ending up in a landfill, consider the following before you donate. Under the circumstances, this situation is understandable. Thanks to nationwide stay-at-home orders, many took advantage of their newfound spare time to spring-clean and subsequently donate unwanted items to charity. However, with the confusion about how long the COVID-19 virus can live on clothing, secondhand shoppers have been staying home, worried about the health risks of buying used goods. Famously, thrift stores still keep unsold goods out of landfills. Up to 75% of Goodwill’s merchandise, for example, isn’t sold in their stores. Instead, it’s sent to discount outlets and then into global markets. However, Mexican traders, who account for 30% of business at thrift stores close to the U.S. southern border, and Kenya, the world’s largest buyer of unsold secondhand clothes, have stopped buying during the economic shutdown. Meanwhile, some good-intentioned Americans are leaving their goods outside thrift stores’ front doors, not realizing that without enough space to house the excess donations, many of these thrift stores will have to pay disposal fees, costing the business potential revenue and sending your items into local landfills. However, Goodwill still wants your donations! You just might have to hold on to your items for a little bit. Check to see if your local thrift stores are open for donations. Many recommend waiting until the influx slows down, but others have expanded their inventory storage and are ready to keep up. Just make sure to follow their guidelines on acceptable items because any broken or worn items only add to their costs. Happy donating!

HEAD BACK TO SCHOOL STRESS- FREE

TURNYOUR ENTRYWAY INTO A COMMAND CENTER

“Has anyone seen my backpack?” “Dad, did you sign my permission slip?” “Mom, I can’t find my shoes!”

This is the household anthem heard on school mornings across the United States — a chaotic rush of tracking down shoes, throwing together lunches, and racing to the bus stop. What if there was a stress-free way to make sure everyone in your family had everything they needed to walk out the door each morning? Believe it or not, it’s possible! And it all starts with turning your home’s entryway into an organized command center. Get hooked on coat racks. Building an entryway command center starts with coat racks. You should have enough hooks for every member of your family to hang their jackets, backpacks, and purses. It’s also good to have some extra hooks just in case. Get your family in the habit of hanging their belongings in the entryway rather than trailing them through the house. Create a clever shoe solution. Keeping your shoes by the door ensures that on busy mornings, the left shoe isn’t in the bedroom while the right shoe somehow ended up in the playroom. However, shoes can quickly pile up into a mess of their own. If there’s space in your entryway, cubbies or labeled storage bins are a great solution to make sure each kid has a designated spot for their shoes. If you don’t have storage space by the door, a wall-mounted coat rack is a great workaround. Install the rack close to the floor and have your kids hang their shoes on the hooks when they come in. To your battle stations, everyone! Make sure each member of your family has a designated spot to put their belongings in the command center, including you. Sure, you might not have homework to keep track of, but what about your keys? Your parent battle station can include a bowl for keys, a tray for new mail, and a calendar to help you monitor your weekly schedule at a glance. Organizing your entryway won’t magically make school mornings stress- free unless you consistently utilize the system. Kids will need to build the habits of leaving their shoes by the door and returning their backpacks to the hooks after they do their homework. So stick to the plan, be patient, and take it one day at a time.

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HOWTEXAN ENT CAN HELP YOU MITIGATE YOUR ALLERGIES Whatever the Cause

R oughly 1 in 6 Americans suffer from some form of allergies, whether they’re caused by pollen, pets, food, or something else. Some people even develop allergies later in their lives. However, if you start experiencing allergy symptoms, such as sneezing, itching, a runny nose, or skin inflammation, and you’re not sure what’s causing them, there are a few steps you can take to make sure they don’t ruin your day. Stay away from potential triggers. Always look for patterns when your symptoms begin. Do you get a runny nose when you spend time outside in the spring and summer months? You may have seasonal allergies. Combat these by avoiding going outside on windy days when allergens are more likely to be in the air, wearing a pollen mask when outdoors, or taking a shower after spending time outside. If household animals like dogs or cats are causing your allergy symptoms, it could be easier to avoid those animals altogether.

Depending on your symptoms, you might want an antihistamine, a decongestant, or both. Antihistamines help relieve sneezing, itching, and runny noses, while decongestants relieve nasal congestion. However, allergy medications only mitigate symptoms — they don’t get rid of allergies. Get an allergy test. Avoiding triggers and taking medication might help alleviate allergy symptoms in general. Getting an allergy test can help you find out exactly what you’re allergic to and how to best avoid those allergic reactions. Texan ENT is now offering allergy tests for pollen, pet dander and airborne allergens (like pollen and mold) to help our patients live freer than ever before.

Find the right allergy medication. Of course, you’re not always going to be able to avoid the things that trigger your allergies, so it might be best to try an over-the-counter allergy medication.

HAVE A LAUGH

Peach and Arugula Pasta Salad

INSPIRED BY AMBITIOUSKITCHEN.COM

Nothing says summer like a pasta salad filled with your favorite fresh fruits and vegetables, and this combination is the perfect way to cap off a warm summer day!

Ingredients

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1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved

• • •

Pepper, to taste 2 tbsp lemon juice 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese 2 large fresh peaches, diced or sliced

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8 oz penne or fusilli pasta 2 tbsp olive oil 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp sea salt

•

• •

• •

1 cup corn

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6 cups arugula, packed

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Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta for approximately 9 minutes or until al dente. Drain pasta and place in a separate bowl. 2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Drizzle the dressing over the pasta and toss with the feta cheese. 3. Add peaches, red onions, tomatoes, corn, and arugula to the pasta mixture. Lightly toss to mix well. Add more olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

1180 SETON PARKWAY, SUITE 330 KYLE, TX 78640

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Page 1 Camping or Hiking?

Page 2 Are Your Thrift Store Donations Being Thrown Away?

3 Organization Tools for Stress-Free Mornings

Page 3 How Texan ENT Can Help You Mitigate Your Allergies

Peach and Arugula Pasta Salad

Page 4 Word From the Westies: Taking Safe Dog Hikes

WORD FROMTHEWESTIES Hours: Monday–Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

How toTake Safe HikesWithYour Favorite Pups

Now, you’re both finally on the trail. What do you and your pup do now?

Hello, everybody!

Of course, we’ll be stopping every few minutes to sniff the wildlife, and we hope you remember that even dogs need shoes on rough or long trails. You can even make DIY dog booties! Speaking of long trails, it’s better to build up to longer hikes by taking a number of shorter hikes first. That way, pups can get used to the rules of the trail, like actually staying on the trail, for starters. Let your dogs know that you want them to yield to other hikers and riders, and make sure to communicate to everyone just how friendly your furry hiking buddies are. I’ve also heard that it’s not great to let us chase squirrels or play in water because wildlife needs to be protected too. That squirrel is tempting, though …

Did someone say outside?! No? Then we will! Izzy and Emma here, and today, we want to talk about the safest ways to hike with your pup. As much as we adore a chance to explore nature through our noses, we know that it’s a big, big world out there, and not all dogs are equally active. That’s why before you take your pup on a hike, you should first consider whether or not they are prepared. Young puppies or older dogs may not only struggle with stamina and strength, but their weakened immune systems could also make them more vulnerable to injuries or contracting diseases or infections in the outdoors. It’s also good to take careful note of dog breeds that don’t do well in the heat and aren’t known for endurance (e.g., short-muzzled dogs like pugs, boxers, and Boston terriers). Tough terrain can tire your canine friends more easily, too. Always pay close attention to the trail conditions and never overestimate a dog’s capabilities, even if they walk regularly. When in doubt? Ask a vet’s opinion!

Anyway, we hope you have a lovely hike with your best friends. We can’t wait to go on the next one with ours!

Izzy& Emma