How to care for your ears

Your ears are important because they are the organs for hearing. But did you know that they are also important for you to maintain your balance, as well as serve the function of pressure equalization?

Most times, however, we take our ears for granted in ways which we are not aware of. I will now be giving you advice on the 4 ways of caring for your ears.

1.  AVOID PUTTING OBJECTS INTO YOUR EARS

You have heard it before since you were a kid: Never put anything smaller than your elbow into your ear.

The earwax is the ear’s self cleaning mechanism. It is produced in your ear canal and it naturally moves a few millimeters every few day. So there is no “need” to clean your ears everyday. In fact, when you use q-tips or bobbie pins, you are only pushing the ear wax in, and you may injure your ear canal or puncture your eardrum.

2.   2. BE CONSCIOUS OF NOISE DAMAGE

Have you ever gone into a noisy situation like a rock concert or a club and when you went out, you felt ringing in your ears or went a bit deaf? That means, it was TOO LOUD and you’ve exposed your ears to acoustic trauma.

The same goes for other activities such as mowing the lawn or using power tools. Make sure you use protective ear equipment when doing these things around the house.

When you are using your ipod or mp3 player and other people can hear what you are listening to, then it is too loud. Do not increase the volume of your music player when listening on your earphones in a loud environment. You are unknowingly setting the volume too loud. (Try checking the volume again when listening in a quiet room, and you will know what I mean)

Most people do not think of hearing loss when they are young. But remember, HEARING LOSS IS CUMULATIVE and you will feel it when you get older

3. USE PRESSURE EQUALIZATION TECHNIQUES 
   

Your ear is connected to the back of the nose or nasopharynx via the Eustachian tube. The middle ear is the space behind the eardrum which serves the function of pressure equalization. This is more evident when flying in a plane or scuba diving.

Pressure equalization techniques such as swallowing while you pinch your ears or chewing gum may lessen the increased ear pressure when the plane ascends or descends.

When you fly with a cold, it may be advisable to take decongestants before a flight to avoid nasal discharge from flowing back into the middle ear space and causing middle ear effusion.

4. CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR WHEN YOU FEEL PAIN OR PUS COMING FROM YOUR EAR

Home-made ear concoctions and self-medication are not advised as this can actually worsen your ear problem. In short, it can do more harm than good.

It is best to consult a Philippines ear nose and throat doctor whenever you have ear infections or ear problems.

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