Dr. Brian Affleck
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery
Nampa, ID
32 years experience male
Locations
Saltzer Medical Group
Nampa, ID
My office hours
Thursday: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Show morePhone
Practice website
Insurances accepted
Aetna Life Insurance Company
Aetna
Blue Cross of Idaho
CHAMPUS
Humana Insurance Company
Medicaid
Medicare
Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oregon
Oregon Health Plan
SelectHealth
Tricare
ODS Health Plans
About
Bio
I was interested in medicine since I was very young. In fact, by the time I was in the first grade, I knew I not only wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to pursue my specialty of otolaryngology or ear, nose and throat. Much of my interest was sparked by the fact that my father practiced as an ENT specialist for over 40 years. After my father completed his residency, we moved to Southeast Idaho. I went to high school at Bonneville High, graduating at the top of my high school class. I then attended Brigham Young University, completing a Bachelor's Degree in microbiology as a Cum Laude honor graduate. I also completed Aerospace Studies and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force Reserve and was the #1 non-technical graduate in my class. I then attended the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and completed an MD in 1991. I was honored by being inducted in the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. My first year after medical school, I did one year of General Surgery training at David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base. I then served six years as a Flight Surgeon in the Air Force. I entered my otolaryngology training at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium, completing this training in 2002. I completed by board certification in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in 2003. I served in various leadership capacities while in the Air Force all the while practicing otolaryngology. I served as an Element Leader, Flight Commander, Deputy Squadron Commander and Squadron Commander. My last Air Force responsibility was Chief of the Medical Staff, SGH or Chief Medical Officer for both Osan Air Base in Korea and Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. I helped lead Elmendorf Hospital to be the #1 hospital in the entire Air Force, two years in a row. This was an astonishing feat. In 2011, I retired from the AF. I practiced in La Grande, Oregon for two years and in 2013, I moved to Idaho.
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery
Sleep Medicine
Doctor Q&A
623 Answers
32 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A male asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Sleep Deprivation: Bottom line...You need to sleep and it should be on a regular schedule. You really need to get on a regular sleep schedule that corresponds to the li... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Sinus infection: If you truly have a sinus infection with yellow or green mucous that has been coming out of your nose or down the back of your throat, you likely need... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 18-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Tonsillitis: Could be tonsillitis or tonsillopharyngitis. Could be sinusitis if the yellow mucous is coming from your nose or sinuses. If symptoms have been goin... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old male asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Allergy tests: The tests you had done were food allergens. Although it is encouraging that they are negative, there are other things you could be allergic to, such ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old male asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Sinus issues: Your symptoms could be a lot of things ranging from a deviated nasal septum to nasal polyps to chronic sinusitis. Even poorly controlled allergies co... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Unclear: Your question is a little confusing to me. Unless you have a special kind of mandibular distraction surgery, you really can't make the mandible wider... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Claritin (loratadine): Claritin (loratadine) is an anti-histamine and is generally used to treat allergies and not colds. Sometimes, though, an anti-histamine can have a dr... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 26-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Peritonsillar absces: If the inflammation and swelling seems to be one sided and it hurts to open your mouth and swallow, you might very well have a peri-tonsillar abscess.... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 29-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Throat pain: Throat pain is not a common symptom of hypothyroidism. In fact, this would be quite unexpected. The throat pain is not likely coming from the thyroi... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 29-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Strep: Sore throat doesn't always mean strep, but it certainly can be. Usually, there are other symptoms like difficulty swallowing, bad breath, fever and ev... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Too many to count: Your question covers a host of potential problems. In fact, there are so many that there isn't room to list them all. The problems can range from in... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 27-year-old male asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Hard Tongue: Anything on the tongue that is hard should really be evaluated. Best to be done by an ENT specialist who can perform the appropriate tests or even do... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 34-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Hoarseness: Hoarseness that comes and goes typically would be something seen with vocal nodules, laryngeal reflux, acute or chronic laryngitis or trauma, among ot... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 20-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Burping: Pepsi is a carbonated drink and that means that you are going to experience carbon dioxide gas coming out of solution as you drink. This will cause b... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Labyrinthitis: Symptoms from labyrinthitis should only last one to two weeks and usually show slow improvement after a few days. If your symptoms persist, it may be ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Flush eyes: The irritation is likely from your bleach cleaning party as this will cause a light chlorine mist, which will cause irritation to skin, mucous membran... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 33-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Pop ears: The underlying problem is the Eustachian tube, which connects the nose with the ear. You can try using Afrin nasal spray and try to clear your ears by... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 30-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Contact dentist: You really need to contact the dentist who did the procedure so they can write a prescription for something stronger.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 77-year-old male asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Get Checked: Congratulations on your healthy longevity! Although it is only intermittent, you should have your eyes checked. Start with an optometrist. They can d... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 58-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Sinus surgery: It looks like some of your terminology is a little off, but partial ethmoidectomies means that the ethmoid sinuses have been partially opened surgical... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 24-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Sinusitis: The blood is most likely a result of the sinus infection. As the infection is treated with antibiotics and improves the blood should resolve. If it do... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 20-year-old male asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
The short answer to your question is yes! The best way to look at this is to work with your pharmacist who can look at all of the vitamins, herbal su... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Reviewed Apr 12, 2021
A 37-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Bed rest: Often, it's because they are at risk of losing the baby. A common reason is because of an incompetent cervix, where the cervix prematurely opens and ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old male asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
TMJ: Tmj is most commonly a condition of overuse of the jaw muscles. Soften diet and stop chewing gum.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Ear pain: Ear pain can be challenging, particularly when your ear looks normal. I see this quite frequently and usually the pain is coming from a nearby struct... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Nose bleeds: Nosebleeds from whatever cause can be managed conservatively at home. The biggest problem when you are taking Accutane is that you have to be even mo... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Swollen Tonsils: From the sounds of your description, it sounds like this is an acute problem. Swollen tonsils are often from acute infection, which could be bacteria... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Swollen tonsils: Swollen and painful tonsils should really be evaluated. You could very well have an infection that requires treatment with antibiotics or some other ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Throat Trauma: The power of a nerf gun isn't likely strong enough to cause significant damage to the cartilage structure of the larynx or voice box. You might bruis... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Ear infection: It is somewhat unusual to have an ear infection as an adult. There are several different types of ear infections, though, and this would need to be d... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Headache and dizzy: It could mean a lot of things...You could have an upper respiratory infection, a sinus infection, a cold. You could have a migraine headache or even ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Tonsillectomy: You have very large open wounds in your mouth after tonsillectomy. It is very common to have a burning sensation. Usually, the throat pain that you ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 50-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Uvula: Great question! It has long been thought that the uvula is "vestigial," meaning that it really has no specific purpose. Having removed the uvula hund... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Tongue discoloration: On the surface of the tongue are multiple papillae, which come in different sizes and shapes. These can easily be discolored by things we eat, drink ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 65-year-old male asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Follow up: Go back to the eye doctor who requested those tests. He should get the results of these tests and can determine the next step in evaluation and treat... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 18-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Get Checked: Hi CourtneyS,
You've been having problems with your ears for quite sometime. It isn't likely that the perforations have healed over that timeframe an... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A male asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Banana allergy: Plantains are in the banana family. Although they are considered "starchier" and less sweet. As they are in the banana family, you would be consider... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 23-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Reflux: Reflux symptoms to the throat can take quite a while to get better. In fact, I counsel patients that it could take months. Doesn't usually mean you ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Parathyroid: Parathyroid cancer is very rare. Elevated parathyroid hormone causes high calcium and is usually due to a parathyroid adenoma, which is benign. Shoul... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 49-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Nerve damage?: I'm very concerned about your statement that there is no nerve damage. One of the major risks of thyroid surgery is injury to the recurrent laryngeal ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 26-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
See Ear Doctor: An ear infection lasting that long should be evaluated by an ear specialist first, because you need a good exam of the ear with a microscope. This is ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 28-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Fertility workup: It is hard to say without a full workup, but this may or may not be related to your thyroid cancer. If you have been trying for 8 years to get pregna... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Sinus congestion: There are a lot of ways to improve breathing through your nose and sinuses. The first thing I have patients do is use saline. It's natural and is qu... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Total thyroidectomy: After having your entire thyroid out, there will be some post-operative activity restrictions in terms of activity. Usually, within a couple of weeks... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old male asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
TMJ: Although perfect teeth are very nice to have and for other people to look at, they don't guarantee that you won't have TMJ problems. The development ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 58-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Nasal Vestibulitis: When the tip of the nose is painful, red and swollen, it is often due to infection of the tip of nose where the small hairs on the inside of the nose ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Nasal blockage: Nasal plugging or blockage is most commonly associated with things like deviated nasal septum, allergies, enlarged turbinates and the like. When only... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Peds Sinusitis: Sounds like a pretty unhappy child, sorry about that. Lots of meds, too. We usually try to manage pediatric sinusitis with medications, like antibio... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old female asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
Parotid Cyst: Most of the time a parotid cyst is benign. It is currently estimated that 80% of masses, tumors or cysts that occur in the parotid are benign, while ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:

Dr. Brian Affleckanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 32 years experience
LPR: Laryngopharyngeal reflux (lpr) causes burning of the throat. You start with dietary change. Reduce or eliminate foods that are spicy, greasy, carbon... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
7
Recommendations
419
Thank you notes
Mar 22, 2015
Great doctor. Consistently gives thoughtful, insightful and expert advice.
Jul 13, 2013
a great doc. helpful answers. thank you!
Apr 28, 2013
Great responses.
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! My ent said since I've had these holes for so long that good chance that they come back even if did surgery and prob not cure pulsatile tinn
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer or tip was very helpful! Thank you so much. I am going to try and drink a bottle if water now. I hope it helps thank you again doctor this really helped.
HealthTap member
Thanks for your quick reply! Thanks alot I was so upset I really appreciate ... But is it because of her throat that she take out her tongue out again and again...
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, MD
Graduated 1991MD
Residency
Brooke Army Medical Center
Awards
Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
Top Doctor, First Place, Idaho - Summer
2013
Most Influential, Third Place, Boise Region, ID - Summer
2013
Affiliations
Boy Scouts of America
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
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