wednesday, december 16, 2020 | AlbertLeaTribune.com | Page B5
PICTURE OF HEALTH Hyperbaric oxygen therapy restores hearing for resident “It came out of nowhere,” said Marge LaFrance, a 77-year-old Albert Lea resident. “One day, I could hear normally and then the next day, the hearing in my left ear was greatly diminished.” LaFrance didn’t have any health conditions that would have suggested hearing loss as a possibility. In December 2018, the mother of three grown boys noticed a crackling sound in her left ear overnight. In the morning, she realized that her husband’s voice sounded muffled. “It was very strange,” she said. “It wasn’t a softening of the sounds but a distortion of the sound. That part was the most frustrating. I kept thinking, ‘How can I go on with this distortion?’” She visited her primary care provider and an ear, nose and throat physician, and received prescriptions for antibiotics and a steroid. Over the next two months, the hearing in her left ear slowly returned to normal. But the mystery of her hearing loss persisted. On July 3, 2019, she woke to a reduced hearing level again, but this time, it was in her right ear. “I thought, ‘Here I go again,’” she said. That’s when her daughter-in-law, Elizabeth LaFrance, a nurse at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea, suggested her mother-in-law be seen by a Mayo Clinic ear, nose and throat provider, also known as an othorhinolaryngologist. Dr. Eric Moore, a Mayo Clinic ENT physician who sees patients at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea, performed several tests to try to determine the source of her hearing loss and prescribed a steroid for her because it worked well on the hearing loss in her left ear. But it didn’t work this time. “Two days later, I went totally deaf in my right ear,” she said. An audiologist confirmed the complete loss of hearing in her right ear, and that is when Dr. Kathryn Van Abel, a Mayo Clinic ENT
LaFrance was receiving treatment. “Lisa is very kind and ready to answer any questions,” LaFrance said. “You go there 20 weekdays in a row, it’s like a second home and they become a second family.”
Steady hearing improvement
Dr. Michael Ulrich is a hyperbaric medicine and wound care provider at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. Provided physician, recommended hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat her hearing loss. “During hyperbaric oxygen therapy, you breathe 100% oxygen at twice atmospheric pressure,” said Michael Ulrich, a hyperbaric medicine and wound care provider at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. “Under these conditions, your lungs can gather more oxygen than would be possible breathing pure oxygen at normal air pressure. Your blood carries this oxygen throughout your body. This helps fight bacteria and stimulate the release of substances called growth factors and stem cells, which promote healing. New blood vessels can grow, and healing is stimulated.” According to Ulrich, other conditions treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy include serious infections, bubbles of air in your blood vessels and wounds that won’t heal as a result of diabetes or radiation injury. It is a well-established treatment for decompression sickness — a hazard of scuba diving. “Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is most often used in wound care,” he said. “But there had been success at Mayo Clinic in Rochester treating cases of sudden deafness. Ms. LaFrance and her doctors decided to use the noninvasive treatment as part of her overall care plan.”
At home in a tube
A Mayo Clinic patient may receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy in one of two settings: • A unit designed for one person
In an individual, or monoplace, unit, you lie down on a table that slides into a clear plastic chamber. • A room designed to accommodate several people In a multiperson hyperbaric oxygen room, which usually looks like a large hospital room, you may sit or lie down. You may receive oxygen through a mask over your face or a lightweight, clear hood is placed over your head. Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea is equipped with two monoplace units. Over the course of 20 treatments, LaFrance reclined in a personal chamber, breathing pure oxygen for 90 minutes a day. With a pillow positioned under her legs, she said she was comfortable. Patients can read, sleep or watch TV during treatment. She said she watched a lot of HGTV. Before each treatment, one of the wound care practitioners examined her, recording her vital signs, examining each ear canal and ear drum, and confirming that she wasn’t wearing anything with metal. The high concentration of oxygen has the potential to be flammable. “I couldn’t even wear hair spray,” she said with a laugh. “No lotion, no belt, no rings. They were very thorough about making sure I was safe.” Over time, the hyperbaric oxygen treatment room became as familiar as her living room. Lisa Hunter, the hyperbaric safety coordinator in Albert Lea, or another staff member would stay in the room and operate the chamber control while
During the nearly monthlong regimen of oxygen therapy, LaFrance noticed her hearing returning. “From total deafness to 92% hearing in my right ear,” she said. “I feel like I can hear just as well as I could before.” As her individualized treatment progressed, LaFrance remembers thinking, “This is getting better.” “Ms. LaFrance had encouraging progress during the hyperbaric oxygen therapy,” Ulrich said. “The therapy can significantly improve patients’ results and the quality of their lives. Our team is proud to offer this lifesaving treatment option to patients.”
Understanding the hearing loss
LaFrance’s care team is still working to understand what caused her sudden hearing loss. “They did a MRI and ruled out a tumor, Meniere’s disease or a side effect of any medication,” LaFrance said. Swimmer’s ear, also known as otitis externa, wasn’t the cause, and there aren’t any physiological causes doctors can pinpoint as the source of her temporary deafness. But what LaFrance does know is where she can go if her hearing loss returns. “What I’ve learned is how important it is to go in right away,” she said. “If you let those little nerve ends die out, if you don’t do something, they’ll be gone forever.” She is appreciative of the role her daughter-inlaw played and said having support helped her seek an early diagnosis. “It was nice to have someone say, ‘Go in right away.’ I’m very grateful things turned out the way they did,” she said.
Common COVID-19 vaccine myths debunked A vaccine to prevent COVID-19 is perhaps the best hope for ending the pandemic, according to a press release from Mayo Clinic Health System. A number of biopharmaceutical companies have applied for U.S. Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization for a new COVID-19 vaccine and a limited number of vaccines will be available before the end of the year. It is likely that you have heard claims about the COVID-19 vaccine on social media or from people in your life, the release stated. The quick development and approval of a vaccine may increase your hesitancy about its safety or effectiveness. Mayo Clinic Health System would like to help set the record straight on circulating myths about the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the release.
Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine is not safe because it was rapidly developed and tested.
Fact: Many pharmaceutical companies invested significant resources into quickly developing a vaccine for COVID-19 because of the world-wide impact of the pandemic. The emergency situation warranted an emergency response but that does not mean that companies bypassed safety protocols or perform adequate testing. Mayo Clinic will recommend the use of those vaccines that we are confident are safe. While there are many COVID-19 vaccine
candidates in development, early interim data are encouraging for the Pfizer vaccine which likely is to be the first authorized for emergency use by the FDA in the late December/early January timeframe. This vaccine was created using a novel technology based on the molecular structure of the virus. The novel methodology to develop a COVID-19 vaccine allows it to be free from materials of animal origin and synthesized by an efficient, cell-free process without preservatives. This vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNTecH has been studied in approximately 43,000 people. To receive emergency use authorization, the biopharmaceutical manufacturer must have followed at least half of the study participants for at least two months after completing the vaccination series, and the vaccine must be proven safe and effective in that population. In addition to the safety review by the FDA, the Advisory Committee on Immunization has convened a panel of vaccine safety experts to independently evaluate the safety data from the clinical trial. Mayo Clinic vaccine experts also will review the available data. The safety of COVID-19 vaccine will continue to be closely monitored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA.
Myth: I already had COVID-19 and recovered, so I don’t need
to get a COVID-19 vaccine when it’s available.
Fact: There is not enough information currently available to say if or for how long after infection someone is protected from getting COVID-19 again. This is called natural immunity. Early evidence suggests natural immunity from COVID19 may not last very long, but more studies are needed to better understand this. Mayo Clinic recommends getting the COVID-19 vaccine, even if you’ve had COVID-19 previously. However, those that had COVID-19 should delay vaccination until about 90 days from diagnosis. People should not get vaccinated if in quarantine after exposure or if they have COVID-19 symptoms.
Myth: There are severe side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Fact: There are shortterm mild or moderate vaccine reactions that resolve without complication or injury. The early phase studies of the Pfizer vaccine show that it is safe. About 15% of people developed short lived symptoms at the site of the injection. 50% developed systemic reactions primarily headache, chills, fatigue or muscle pain or fever lasting for a day or two. Keep in mind that these side effects are indicators that your immune system is responding to the vaccine and are common when receiving vaccines.
Myth: I won’t need to wear a mask after
I get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Fact: It may take time for everyone who wants a COVID-19 vaccination to get one. Also, while the vaccine may prevent you from getting sick, it is unknown at this time if you can still carry and transmit the virus to others. Until more is understood about how well the vaccine works, continuing with precautions such as mask-wearing and physical distancing will be important.
Myth: More people will die as a result of a negative side effect to the COVID-19 vaccine than would actually die from the virus.
Fact: Circulating on social media is the claim that COVID-19’s mortality rate is 1%-2% and that people should not be vaccinated against a virus with a high survival rate. However, a 1% mortality rate is 10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu. In addition, the mortality rate can vary widely and is influenced by age, sex and underlying health condition. While some people that receive the vaccine may develop symptoms as their immune system responds, remember that this is common when receiving any vaccine and not considered serious or life-threatening. You cannot get COVID-19 infection from the COVID-19 vaccines; they are inactivated vaccines and not live vaccines. It’s important to recognize that getting the vaccine is not just about survival from COVID-19.
There are several ways people can practice self-care and nurture mental health this season. Provided
Boost your spirits throughout the upcoming holidays Stress and anxiety are all too familiar to many Americans, this year especially, and the added pressure of the holiday season may provide a new set of challenges. Practicing self-care and nurturing your mental health can help you navigate these potentially isolating times, especially if you’re tackling this season single. With so many other demands in life, taking care of yourself, including your emotional and mental well-being, may not always be at the top of your list. However, putting more emphasis on yourself and your needs can be achieved in small, measurable ways and may not only help boost your spirits but can affect your approach to dating, too. “We believe happy and healthy relationships start with happy and healthy individuals,” said Stefan Harvalias, head of global marketing for Plenty of Fish, one of the largest global online dating companies. Harvalias points out there are a number of ways you can alleviate stress and anxiety. While there’s no one magic formula that fits all, many people find coping easier with activities like these. • Listen to music. Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of music in managing mental health. Slow, mellow music can help the mind shift into a lower gear and has even been shown to influence the body’s physical state such as reducing blood pressure, pulse and heart rates. For someone with anxiety, music can be a welcome distraction from the troublesome thoughts occupying the mind. For others, music is simply a way to escape from reality and focus on something enjoyable. • Talk with friends and family. Although COVID-19 may be creating physical distance, there’s one way it can bring people together: by acknowledging your shared stress to one another. While the impacts of the pandemic vary greatly, everyone has been navigating uncertainty and change that comes with such a widespread event. A weekly check-in call or video chat with friends and family members can help you feel less alone with your feelings and experiences. Topics like mental health and mindfulness have risen to the surface of everyday discussions, removing a lot
of the stigma they once had. • Seek out tools to help you unwind. If you’ve never given much thought to managing your mental health, you may not know where to begin practicing better self-care, and that’s OK. That’s where you can benefit from resources like those available through Plenty of Fish. Knowing the toll the pandemic is taking on singles, the dating app partnered with Shine, a leading self-care app, to create two free dating-related meditations developed to help singles better manage anxiety and improve mental health and wellness. • Navigating dating, work and your personal life can feel like an intense juggling act. To help find balance and feel less pressure, consider listening to the “Balance Dating While Busy” guided meditation and reflect on your energy and priorities so you can make space for dating in your life. Although dating may look and feel different right now, it’s still doable. Shift your mindset and reflect on ways to adapt with an option like the “Navigate Dating During COVID” guided meditation. • Recognize the role of physical wellness. The mind and body are intrinsically connected, and how you take care of your body can have an impact on your mental state. This includes eating well to ensure you’re getting proper nutrition, which can positively impact your mood. Additionally, exercise releases feel-good hormones, so a quick walk around the block or a 10-minute exercise video can benefit you both physically and mentally. • Give yourself permission to disconnect. When life feels uncertain, being closely tied to an information source like your smartphone can give you a sense of security, but it can also add to your everyday stress. If you’re working from home, you may find you never fully shift out of work mode. However, it’s easy to become addicted to refreshing your newsfeed, allowing your devices to cut into time you could spend more productively. Limit your screen time to force yourself to focus on the present and activities that bring you pleasure while allowing your brain to rest, like spending time with loved ones or enjoying a good book or movie.
George R. Lundstrom DDS 209 N. 9th Avenue Albert Lea, MN 56007
507-377-1659 “Excellence Is Our Chosen Path”