Dear Doctors: My wife has been diagnosed with something called Eagle syndrome. Not a lot of medical providers in our area treat this type of illness. Any information you can give about it, including what treatments are available and which specialists we should see, would be helpful.

Dear Reader: Eagle syndrome is somewhat rare, so it's not surprising that finding information, treatment and support have been a challenge. The condition occurs in about 1 in 62,000 people, and it is seen three times more often in women as in men.

Someone living with Eagle syndrome experiences sharp and sudden nerve pain in the neck, throat, tongue, mouth and face. Additional symptoms can include difficulty swallowing, changes to speech, headache, tinnitus, the sensation of something stuck in the throat and pain when turning the head or when chewing.

To understand Eagle syndrome, we should begin with anatomy. There's a needlelike spur of bone in the lower part of the skull known as the styloid process. It is located near that hollow you can feel behind the earlobe, where the lower jaw abuts the throat. A ligament connects the styloid process to a small U-shaped bone in the jaw, known as the hyoid bone. Together, these three structures form a mechanism that facilitates movement of the tongue, voice box and throat, and plays an important role in swallowing and speech.

Eagle syndrome can occur when the styloid process is too long, or if the ligament connecting it to the hyoid bone becomes calcified. Hormonal changes in women, neck injury and the effects of throat surgery, such as tonsillectomy, have also been proposed as causes. Because this region of the body contains important arteries, another form of Eagle syndrome can result in the localized compression of certain blood vessels.

The primary treatment for the condition is surgery. It has been shown to have very good results. Known as a styloidectomy, or a styloid reduction, it involves reducing the size of the bone. There are several variations of this procedure, including an endoscopic procedure and one that can be done under local anesthesia. The entry point for the surgery can be through the mouth or the neck. While surgery via an incision in the neck is considered to offer the best access to the structures involved, it can leave a scar.

Before choosing surgery, some patients opt to manage the symptoms of the condition. This includes the use of pain medications, steroid injections and alternative medicines. Someone who chooses to manage the condition can work with their primary medical care provider, who can prescribe the appropriate medications, provide guidance about how to use them and monitor their efficacy and safety over time.

When surgery becomes the preferred route, it is important to find a qualified surgeon. In your case, you have indicated that this means going outside of your immediate community. Begin with an appointment with an otolaryngologist. They can confirm your wife's diagnosis, help her explore her options and recommend a surgeon with appropriate experience.

(Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)

Dear Doctors: My husband and I were clearing weeds when I felt a sharp jab on my leg. I thought the weed whacker had kicked up a rock, but it was a bite from a fire ant. The pain was severe, as was the reaction. I got a huge lump, blisters and bright red skin. What can you do for fire ant bites?

Dear Reader: Fire ants are native to South America. More than a century ago, the first of the two species now found in the United States arrived aboard a cargo ship in Mobile, Alabama. Black fire ants arrived in 1918, while red fire ants, also shipboard stowaways, were first observed in the late 1930s. At this time, fire ants inhabit the southeastern and southwestern states, much of California and some of lower Oregon. They spread into new areas by expanding their colonies and are introduced in transported agricultural products.

Both species are extremely aggressive when disturbed. Touch or kick a nest, and the ants respond with a rapid vertical climb, during which they sting their target, often multiple times. They fasten themselves to the skin by clamping down with their powerful jaws, then inject a painful venom into the flesh with the stinger located on their hind end.

The venom can elicit a strong and prolonged immune response. In cases of an allergy, as with a bee sting, the effects of the bite can become life-threatening. However, this is rare.

The symptoms you described are typical of a fire ant bite. The initial stinging pain of the bite is followed by a painful burning sensation from the venom in the sting, which gives the ants their name. The area around the bite quickly becomes inflamed and dotted with itchy red bumps. Within a day, the bumps develop into fluid-filled blisters.

Because a single fire ant can bite and sting multiple times, people are advised to immediately and briskly rub them off of the skin. At the same time, step away from the area where you have received the bite, as additional ants may have been disturbed and can also respond with an attack. Wash the area to get ahead of possible infection.

Over-the-counter antihistamines can help blunt the initial effects of the bite. Hydrocortisone cream and ice packs can also ease pain and swelling. In most cases, swelling is localized to the bite and resolves in a few days. If symptoms don't respond to over-the-counter medications, your doctor may advise prescription-strength versions.

The pustules that form around a fire ant bite last a week or more. Infection is possible, so it is important to care for them as you would any wound. This includes keeping the area protected, clean and free from dirt.

When any kind of insect bite causes a severe allergic reaction, it's vital to seek immediate attention. Symptoms include noisy or labored breathing, excessive sweating, nausea, hives or welts, dizziness, unusual weakness, swelling of the face or eyes, slurred speech or chest pain.

(Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)

Dear Doctors: If a flight I'm on has turbulence or if it descends too fast and the pressure drops, I get very nauseated. Why does that happen? I've tried motion sickness medication, but it makes me feel like I am in a tunnel. Even the nondrowsy kind knocks me out to where I can’t function. What else can I do?

Dear Reader: As many travelers reading your question know, you have been experiencing motion sickness. Nausea is one of several unpleasant symptoms associated with the condition. Additional effects can include feeling dizzy or lightheaded, sweating, headache and vomiting. These symptoms can arise when someone is a passenger in a moving vehicle, such as a car, bus, train, boat, amusement park ride or aircraft. It's possible, but less common, for the person who is operating the vehicle to also experience motion sickness. For some people, vertiginous visuals in a film can bring on the symptoms.

Motion sickness occurs when the information that your eyes are relaying to the brain differs from what it is learning from the inner ear, the muscles and the joints. Each plays a role in the complexities of spatial awareness, which allows us to remain upright, to move deliberately and to both maintain and regain balance. In the face of conflicting input from multiple sources, the brain struggles to put together a logical narrative. And for some people, the result of this prolonged disconnect is the misery of motion sickness.

While motion sickness medication can be effective, it can have side effects. These include the sedative effect that you have experienced. It also can cause dry mouth, constipation, dizziness, blurred vision and nausea.

For people who can't tolerate medications that contain a drug called dimenhydrinate (check the ingredient labels), which is an antihistamine, those containing another drug, meclizine, can be a better option. It, too, is an antihistamine, but it causes less drowsiness.

If over-the-counter medications aren’t working, ask your doctor if a prescription medication might be right for you. They may also recommend vitamin B6, which can be helpful for nausea.

Many people turn to natural remedies to manage motion sickness. Research shows that ginger and chamomile, as a tea or other beverage or in a hard candy, can help fend off nausea. Some people swear by anti-nausea wristbands, which trigger an acupuncture pressure point and are widely available over the counter.

Behavioral changes are also important. A window seat allows you a view of the horizon. By looking at a fixed point, you give your brain a frame of reference from which to unscramble the mixed signals it is getting. Turbulence can feel more pronounced at the back of the plane, so opt for a forward seat close to or over the wing near the plane’s center of gravity. Use the vent above your seat to circulate the air around you. And be kind to your stomach. Avoid large meals and fatty foods, and stay hydrated.

(Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)