Medical Care Review: Specials Magazine

Sound shapes much of daily life, even if we rarely think about it. Earbuds accompany us through commutes, workouts, workdays and moments of escape. We invest in concert tickets, noise canceling headphones and speakers that turn a living room into a venue. Sound entertains, shields, focuses and connects. Yet, most people rarely think about hearing until something changes. A ringing in the ears begins. Or a hiss, buzz or tone no one else can hear. It may appear only at night or intrude on daily life in classrooms, restaurants, meetings or music studios. It makes a musician stop playing, disorients a teacher in a noisy classroom or drives someone to sleep outside because natural sounds feel more tolerable than silence. The condition is tinnitus and far too often patients are told the same unhelpful thing – ‘You just have to learn to live with it.’ Dr. Melissa Wikoff, founder and director of audiology at Peachtree Hearing in Atlanta, has built her practice around a different message. “The number one thing we want our patients to walk out the door with is hope,” she says. “They need to know this is treatable. They don’t have to live with it.”

When nerve-related spinal pain interferes with movement and daily life, effective treatment depends on resolving the condition while minimizing unnecessary disruption to surrounding tissues. In the spine, where surrounding structures are closely integrated, even limited intervention can affect function and prolong recovery. At Desert Institute for Spine Care (DISC), care is defined by selecting the most tissue-sparing approach capable of resolving the problem in order to preserve function and maximize recovery. As a pioneer in endoscopic spine surgery, Dr. Anthony Yeung developed the Yeung Endoscopic Spine System (YESS), enabling direct visualization and targeted treatment of spinal pathology through minimal endoscopic access. The DISC spine surgeons apply these techniques with a focus on precision, nerve safety, and individualized patient care. “The goal is to offer the least invasive yet maximally effective treatment option to treat the problem,” says Dr. Christopher A. Yeung, president. DISC provides treatments tailored to the nature and severity of each case, ranging from non-operative care to minimally invasive procedures and, when necessary, more extensive intervention. When symptoms are driven by inflammation without significant structural compression, targeted injections or therapy may be sufficient. In cases involving neurological changes such as weakness or numbness, earlier surgical intervention may be recommended to prevent progression. When intervention is needed, the approach is guided by the type and location of pathology. For example, foraminal or lateral disc herniations are ideal for advanced endoscopic techniques which allow direct access to the affected nerve root without extensive disruption. The camera provides high-definition direct visualization at the site of pathology and can be moved around the area to look at the nerve and herniation from different angles and perspectives to provide the most precise, safe treatment. .