In this informative podcast, Dr. Joana Vaz de Castro, a respected Otorhinolaryngology Specialist, provides a detailed overview of modern treatments for ear, nose, and larynx conditions, disorders, and diseases.

Joana Vaz de Castro has many years of education and experience in the medical field, specifically and currently focused on her work as an Otorhinolaryngology (ORL) Specialist, or as it is often called—an ear, nose and throat surgeon (ENT). Joana holds a Masters in Medicine from the prestigious Nova Medical School. After Nova, she continued her studies as an active participant in the well-respected Ph.D. Neuroscience Program at the University of Lisbon Medical School. With a particularly keen interest in the area of sleep, she pursued her certification in sleep medicine at the European Sleep Research Society in the Centre of Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology (CENC).

Joana Vaz de Castro discusses her interest in sleep-disordered breathing and conditions that affect sleep. She goes in depth about the affects of snoring and sleep apnea on the body, noting and outlining various obstructions to breathing. As she states, the goal is to work with patients to treat the whole of a problem not just one part. You have to look at all the issues which are impacting a patient in order to effectively treat disorders and conditions. ENT doctors are specialized physicians who can provide advanced surgical care for individuals who are suffering from conditions that pertain to the basic functioning of the ear, nose, and throat. An ENT doctor might be consulted for a wide variety of diseases and disorders from chronic allergies, to headaches, facial pain, sleep disorders or potentially many other types of sinus or ENT issues.

Continuing, Joana Vaz de Castro talks about the kinds of evaluations sleep medicine physicians should conduct with patients, as well as important issues doctors should discuss with their patients before and after surgery.

The Ph.D. explains how insomnia and sleep apnea often occur simultaneously, especially with females. Joana Vaz de Castro states that both should be addressed when seeking a comprehensive treatment plan for optimum health. Additionally, Joana talks about some of the kinds of breathing masks that patients can utilize and discusses some of the issues that users occasionally deal with. Wrapping up, the Ph.D. talks about mild sleep apnea and how it can advance as people age or gain weight.

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