EAR HEALTH
It's very easy to take the ear for granted but they are complex and deserve care and attention. Our hearing can become impaired as we get older. What causes hearing loss is as a result of deterioration of vibration of sensitive cells in the inner ear which is caused by an age-related disease known as Presbycusis. This tends to reduce the ability to hear high-frequency sounds such as 'sh', 's', 'th' and to hear female voices. Another cause of age-related hearing loss is known as Otosclerosis where tiny bones in the middle ear fail to pass on sound waves to the inner ear.
EAR FACTS
The ear can distinguish over 400,000 different sounds. Sounds to concentrate on one voice within a crowd can selectively be tuned out by the brain. Sounds above a maximum volume frequency can cause pain due to vibration damage.
STAYING BALANCED
Our sense of balance, which is found within the inner ear is controlled by the vestibular system. We start to lose cells in the vestibular system from around the age of 55 which can make us feel dizzy and even dehydration can make dizziness worsen. BPPV which means Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is a type of condition in which moving your head in a certain way triggers a short period of vertigo with a spinning sensation. This is caused by calcium crystals becoming dislodged within the inner ear. What can help to reposition this debris is known as postural maneuvers. Labyrinthitis which means infection of the inner ear can cause severe dizziness with vomiting or nausea, tinnitus and hearing impairment. It usually improves with anti-nausea tablets, rest or injections.
ITCHY EARS
This can be caused by infections (especially fungal), a buildup of wax or skin conditions such as eczema. If the problem persist after taking drugs, consult your audiologist.
HOW TO TREAT WAX
The modified sweat glands in the outer part of the ear canal produces ear wax. The sticky secretion has an unpleasant taste and odour to help prevent creepy-crawlies from entering a warm, attractive burrow. Wax also traps debris and dust. A single gene detect whether we produce wax that is sticky and wet, or crumbly and dry. We tend to make more wax as we get older which can harden and dry in the ear canal. This wax plug can cause partial deafness and a feeling of fullness in the ear particularly in winter. Wax can harden in cold weather which can affect your hearing and potentially lead to infections such as ear ache, tinnitus (which means a ringing, humming or buzzing sound) and irritation.
You should never attempt to try to remove excess ear wax with a cotton bud because it can push the wax further down, which may damage the eardrum and can even dislocate the tiny bones in the middle ear to impair your hearing. Get your ear checked by an audiologist. They can remove it safely by micro-suction or syringing. You can soften earwax by adding oily drops twice a day which helps it to drain away but this can take a couple of weeks. If you have a perforated eardrum, never use drops. Keep your ears dry if you're prone to wax build-up because wax absorbs water and swells to make symptoms worse. When showering or swimming, use ear plugs designed to keep water out.
EASING EARACHE
You must have experienced ear ache and know how miserable it made you felt. It's usually due to inflammation, infection or increase pressure in the middle ear in children. Symptoms start with fever, severe pain in one ear, difficulty hearing and sometimes vomiting. If secretions buildup in the middle ear, pain worsens. It might sound scary but it usually resolves with treatment as the eardrum heals. Many causes of ear ache although viral, get better on their own and antibiotics are prescribed if a bacterial infection is suspected. Children and infants with recurrent infection in the middle ear may develop glue ear due to a buildup of thick secretions. This condition interferes with hearing and needs careful assessment.
To help treat ear ache, rest the ear against a warm or hot water bottle or place a hot chamomile tea bag on the ear to ease pain.. Paracetamol can reduce fever and pain but do not exceed the required dosage. Steam inhalations containing decongestant oils or menthol can help. Seek medical advice if there is discharge, earache is distressing or fever. If you think the hearing of your child is affected, also seek advice from your audiologist.
EAR HEALTH It's very easy to take the ear for granted but they are complex and deserve care and attention. Our hearing can become impaired as we get older. What causes hearing loss is as a result of deterioration of vibration of sensitive cells in the inner ear which is caused by an age-related disease known as Presbycusis. This tends to reduce the ability to hear high-frequency sounds such as 'sh', 's', 'th' and to hear female voices. Another cause of age-related hearing loss is known as Otosclerosis where tiny bones in the middle ear fail to pass on sound waves to the inner ear.
EAR FACTS The ear can distinguish over 400,000 different sounds. Sounds to concentrate on one voice within a crowd can selectively be tuned out by the brain. Sounds above a maximum volume frequency can cause pain due to vibration damage.
STAYING BALANCED Our sense of balance, which is found within the inner ear is controlled by the vestibular system. We start to lose cells in the vestibular system from around the age of 55 which can make us feel dizzy and even dehydration can make dizziness worsen. BPPV which means Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is a type of condition in which moving your head in a certain way triggers a short period of vertigo with a spinning sensation. This is caused by calcium crystals becoming dislodged within the inner ear. What can help to reposition this debris is known as postural maneuvers. Labyrinthitis which means infection of the inner ear can cause severe dizziness with vomiting or nausea, tinnitus and hearing impairment. It usually improves with anti-nausea tablets, rest or injections.
ITCHY EARS This can be caused by infections (especially fungal), a buildup of wax or skin conditions such as eczema. If the problem persist after taking drugs, consult your audiologist.
HOW TO TREAT WAX The modified sweat glands in the outer part of the ear canal produces ear wax. The sticky secretion has an unpleasant taste and odour to help prevent creepy-crawlies from entering a warm, attractive burrow. Wax also traps debris and dust. A single gene detect whether we produce wax that is sticky and wet, or crumbly and dry. We tend to make more wax as we get older which can harden and dry in the ear canal. This wax plug can cause partial deafness and a feeling of fullness in the ear particularly in winter. Wax can harden in cold weather which can affect your hearing and potentially lead to infections such as ear ache, tinnitus (which means a ringing, humming or buzzing sound) and irritation.
You should never attempt to try to remove excess ear wax with a cotton bud because it can push the wax further down, which may damage the eardrum and can even dislocate the tiny bones in the middle ear to impair your hearing. Get your ear checked by an audiologist. They can remove it safely by micro-suction or syringing. You can soften earwax by adding oily drops twice a day which helps it to drain away but this can take a couple of weeks. If you have a perforated eardrum, never use drops. Keep your ears dry if you're prone to wax build-up because wax absorbs water and swells to make symptoms worse. When showering or swimming, use ear plugs designed to keep water out.
EASING EARACHE You must have experienced ear ache and know how miserable it made you felt. It's usually due to inflammation, infection or increase pressure in the middle ear in children. Symptoms start with fever, severe pain in one ear, difficulty hearing and sometimes vomiting. If secretions buildup in the middle ear, pain worsens. It might sound scary but it usually resolves with treatment as the eardrum heals. Many causes of ear ache although viral, get better on their own and antibiotics are prescribed if a bacterial infection is suspected. Children and infants with recurrent infection in the middle ear may develop glue ear due to a buildup of thick secretions. This condition interferes with hearing and needs careful assessment.
To help treat ear ache, rest the ear against a warm or hot water bottle or place a hot chamomile tea bag on the ear to ease pain.. Paracetamol can reduce fever and pain but do not exceed the required dosage. Steam inhalations containing decongestant oils or menthol can help. Seek medical advice if there is discharge, earache is distressing or fever. If you think the hearing of your child is affected, also seek advice from your audiologist.