Diwali is about light, sweets and family, but the days around it bring a sharp rise in ear, nose and throat complaints. Firecrackers produce sudden loud sound and a thick cloud of smoke, and both can affect your body more than most people expect. fig 1. Diwali Ear Safety Guide How crackers affect your ears A single loud blast can be enough to damage the delicate hair cells inside the inner ear. Sounds above about 85 decibels can harm hearing with repeated exposure, and many c

"Doctor, I have had a cold for three weeks." I hear this a lot, especially when the weather changes. And most of the time, it is not a cold at all. A cold, an allergy and a sinus infection can all give you a blocked nose, so people mix them up. The trouble is that each one needs a different approach.Taking the wrong medicine for weeks can leave you feeling worse. Fig 1. How to Tell What Is Really Blocking Your Nose Why this matters A cold is caused by a virus and mostly clear

Some festivals do more than light up homes. They light up courage. Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashami, is one such day, a celebration that reminds us that goodness may be tested, truth may take time, and courage may feel costly, but righteousness can still win. Happy Dussehra! May the victory of good over evil inspire every heart to choose hope over fear, action over doubt, and kindness over bitterness. May this festival bring joy, peace, prosperity, and the confidence to

Some festivals ask us to pause before we begin again. Ayudha Pooja is one of them. It is a day to honour the tools, skills, knowledge, and effort that help us move through life with purpose. On this auspicious occasion, homes, workplaces, vehicles, books, instruments, and everyday tools are cleaned, decorated, and offered with gratitude. The meaning is simple and beautiful: every honest effort deserves respect. Every skill can become sacred when used with care. Every new begi

Every year, a week or two after Diwali, my clinic fills up with the same complaints. A cough that refuses to leave. A throat that feels like sandpaper. A child who cannot hear properly after a night with the crackers. Most people tell me, "Doctor, it is just the smoke, it will go." Sometimes it does. Sometimes it does not, and that is exactly when it needs a proper look. fig 1. What I Tell My Patients Every Year What the smoke really does Cracker smoke, and the haze that hang

Peace can feel like a large national dream, but it often begins with one small choice: a calmer reply, a fairer decision, a helping hand, a refusal to spread anger. Gandhi Jayanti gives India that gentle reminder every year. It is not only a day to remember Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. It is also a day to ask what truth and non-violence can look like in ordinary life, at home, on the road, in schools, in workplaces, and in public spaces. Let us take one step toda

There's a particular kind of frustration in sneezing for the fifth time in an hour and having absolutely no cold to blame it on. No fever, no body ache, nothing that quite qualifies as "sick" just an itchy nose, watery eyes, and sneezing fits that seem to arrive out of nowhere every time the weather shifts. Dr. Sanjeev Mohanty hears a version of this complaint constantly around seasonal transitions when humidity rises, when dust levels shift, when temperatures swing between

Festival season has a sound of its own dhol beats, mic-heavy pandal announcements, processions passing right under your window, celebrations that go on well past what feels reasonable. It's part of what makes the season feel alive. But there's a quieter cost to all that sound that most families never think about until it's already done some damage: your hearing. Dr. Sanjeev Mohanty sees a small but real rise in hearing complaints every year right after major festival weeks —

Office all day, car on the way home, bedroom at night for a lot of people today, life happens almost entirely under air conditioning. It's comfortable, it's necessary in this heat, and most of us never think twice about it. But Dr. Sanjeev Mohanty has noticed something worth mentioning: a steady rise in patients from Chennai to the Gulf with a dry, scratchy throat, a persistently stuffy or irritated nose, and a voice that feels tired by the end of the day, with no cold or i

It happens the same way every year. The first proper rain arrives, the city cools down, everyone's relieved after the heat — and then, a few days in, your ears start feeling strangely full. Like you're underwater, or wearing invisible earplugs. You yawn, you try the old cotton-bud trick, you wiggle your jaw. Nothing quite fixes it. Dr. Sanjeev Mohanty sees a genuine spike in exactly this complaint every time the rains set in around Chennai. It's not your imagination, and it'

Some festivals do more than mark a date on the calendar. They arrive like a gentle hand on the shoulder, reminding us to breathe, begin again, and trust that the road ahead can be made clearer. Vinayagar Chaturthi is one such sacred occasion. Across India, homes and temples welcome Lord Vinayagar, also lovingly known as Vigneshwara, Ganapati, and Ganesha. Devotees seek his blessings before starting something new, facing a challenge, or praying for peace within the family. His

Some festivals arrive with music, colour, prayer, food, and family all woven into one beautiful day. Krishna Jayanthi, also celebrated as Janmashtami, is one of those occasions that fills homes with a special kind of warmth. May this Krishna Jayanthi bring joy, prosperity, and good health to you and your loved ones. From all of us at Dr. Mohanty's Speciality ENT Clinics, Happy Janmashtami! 🙏 As families across India celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna with devotion and happi

Somebody in every household has "that snore" the one that gets jokes at family functions, that's become the reason someone ends up on the sofa or in the next room, that's been normal for so many years nobody questions it anymore. It's practically a character trait at this point: "oh, he's always been a loud sleeper," said with a laugh, like it's charming. But here's the thing Dr. Sanjeev Mohanty wants families to sit with for a moment: loud, habitual snoring isn't always just

If you're a parent, you already know the sound that particular cry, at 2 a.m., sharper and more insistent than the usual fussing, where your child keeps tugging at their ear and nothing you do seems to soothe them. You pace the room, try feeding, try rocking, try everything, and somewhere in that exhausted haze you start wondering if this is something you should have caught earlier. fig 1. fig 1: Your Child's Ear Infection: What Every Parent Should Actually Know Take a breath

Faith-filled occasions often bring a simple reminder back into focus: peace begins in the heart, and kindness becomes meaningful when it reaches another person. Milad un Nabi, observed by many Muslims in honour of the birth and life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, is one such occasion of reflection, gratitude, and compassion. Milad-un-Nabi Mubarak! 🌙✨ May the blessings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ fill our hearts with peace, love, compassion, and kindness. Dr. Mohanty’s Speciality ENT C

Onam has a gentle way of bringing people back to what matters most: family, gratitude, good food, shared memories, and hope for better days ahead. It is more than a festival greeting. It is a warm wish that every home may be filled with joy, peace, good health, and togetherness. 🌼 Happy Onam! 🌼 May this Onam bring happiness, prosperity, good health, and togetherness to you and your family. Wishing you a joyful and blessed Onam! 🌸🌾 #happyonam #DrSanjeevMohanty A pookalam c

fig 1. The Cold vs. Sinusitis Checklist You wake up with a heavy head, a blocked nose, and that dull pressure sitting right behind your eyes like someone's pressing on them from the inside. You tell yourself it's just a cold — happens every season, drink some kashayam, push through work, it'll pass. Ten days later, you're still telling yourself the same thing, except now your face actually hurts and you've started breathing through your mouth full-time. This is one of the mos

India marks 80 years of independence, a milestone that reflects not only the nation's political freedom but also the progress made in the health and well-being of its people. This celebration goes beyond flags and fireworks; it honors the freedom to breathe, hear, and speak—basic human abilities that connect us to life and to each other. As we commemorate this historic moment, it is essential to recognize the role of health in sustaining the spirit of independence and pride.

It's late at night. The house has finally gone quiet, everyone's asleep, and you're lying in bed waiting for sleep to catch up with you too. That's usually when it shows up — a thin, high-pitched ringing, or maybe a buzz, a hiss, even a soft hum like a mosquito that never lands and never leaves. You check if a fan is on. You check if it's outside. It isn't. It's just... there. In your ear. And nobody else can hear it but you. fig 1. why is my ear ringing? If that sounds famil

Friendship Day is a special occasion to honor the bonds that connect us. True friends listen with care, sharing moments that shape our lives. But to fully enjoy these moments, healthy hearing plays a crucial role. When we hear clearly, we engage deeply, respond thoughtfully, and build stronger connections. This Friendship Day, let’s explore how nurturing healthy hearing can enrich friendships and how you can protect this vital sense alongside those who matter most. Hearing ai