Open House on April 16 for "Snore No More" Doctor
Dr. Rick Weisenburger Joins Murphy Medical Center Medical

Peachtree ENT and Facial Plastics staff includes: Medical assistant Tenia Judge, office manager Mary DiPardo, Dr. Rick Weisneburger, registered nurse Rebecca Weisenburger and receptionist Alina Thompson.

Dr. Richard Weisenburger has a pin that he sometimes wears on his lab coat label that reads "Snore No More". For over a decade, he has treated patients who have snoring problems with some pretty amazing results.

"Snoring affects about half of men and 25 percent of women," said Dr. Weisenburger, "typically worsening with age or weight gain." Most snoring patients come to see him at the request of their sleep partners who cannot get a good night's sleep because of loud thunderous snoring.

Weisenburger, an Ear Nose and Throat and Facial Plastics Surgeon, was one of the first ENT surgeons in Florida to use a new treatment for snoring. In the past, the only treatments offered were aggressive, irreversible and painful. Often the only way to eliminate snoring was to cut out the uvula.

"Those days are over for people with soft-palate problems," Weisenburger says. The new treatment can actually be squeezed in during a patient's lunch hour right in the surgeon's office. The doctor numbs the back of the mouth and inserts three synthetic pillars into the soft palate using a tiny hooklike needle. The outcome is less vibration of the soft palate and less snoring.

The pillar procedure is also used for a debilitating sleep disorder called sleep apnea, which happens when the soft palate collapses and blocks the airway. Sleep apnea can cause serious health problems besides sleeplessness including temporary cognitive impairment, erectile dysfunction and serious heart problems. It is becoming more common, in part because of America's obesity epidemic. Extra pounds can lead to excess fat in the neck which can cause the airway to close during sleep.

Dr. Weisenburger and his staff at Peachtree ENT and Facial Plastics are available for consultation regarding many procedures in addition to snoring and sleep apnea including tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies. These procedures are performed by radiofrequency coblation technique resulting in less pain and quicker recoveries. Due to his passion for good cosmetic results, all skin cancers are treated with this in mind.

As for elective facial plastics, all conventional procedures are offered. However, Dr. Weisenburger enjoys performing many less invasive procedures, frequently costing less and offering a quicker recovery and with less down time. Peachtree ENT and Facial Plastics also provides complete inhalant allergy testing and treatments.

Living in Florida with an active practice for 20 years, Dr. Weisenburger and his wife Rebecca bought property in Murphy for their future retirement. But after spending several weeks in the area, they decided that they might want to live in the beautiful mountains before retirement. Dr. Weisenburger called Murphy Medical Center and asked the physician recruiter if the hospital needed a full-time ENT physician.

Mike Stevenson, administrator, is delighted to welcome Dr. Weisenburger to the medical staff and his wife, Rebecca, a registered nurse, to the area.

"We are fortunate to acquire an ENT and Facial Plastics surgeon of Dr. Weisenburger's caliber. He is an excellent asset to our growing medical staff and we look forward to working with him as he serves our community."

Please stop by and meet Dr. Weisenburger, his wife Rebecca and the staff at an open house on Wednesday, April 16, from 12:00 - 2:00. His office is at 145 Medical Park Lane, Suite J, adjacent to Murphy Medical Center. The office number is 828-837-3223. The public is invited to attend.