PROTECT YOUR EARS
Prolonged exposure to noises at or above 85 decibels can case permanent hearing loss, but how do you know loud is too loud? If you have to raise your voice to be heard, the environment is probably too noisy, audiologists advise. Even daily exposure to persistent traffic sounds, blaring TV’s or attending loud cultural sporting events can lead to permanent damage over time. To reduce your risk, avoid noisy settings, wear earplugs, or take periodic 15-minute “quiet breaks.” If you notice that your ears are buzzing or sounds seem muffled, it’s probably time to go to a quieter spot.
Got An Ear Full? Here’s Some Advice
For starters, throw out the ear buds, bobby pins, et al. Earwax, a bodily emanation that many of us would rather do without, is actually pretty useful stuff in small amounts. It’s a natural cleanser as it moves from inside the ear canal outward, gathering dead skin cells, hair , and dirt along the way. Tests have show that it has antibacterial and antifungal properties. If your ears don’t have the right kind, you may be more likely to get ear infections. Researchers have found that the earwax of people with diabetes ids less acidic than that of people without the disease, a difference that may help explain why some people with the disease are prone to ear infections. But for many people, earwax is manifestly too much of a good thing. An ear canal plugged up with earwax can cause earaches, infections, and other problems. If it gets lodged in a certain way, earwax can cause a cough by stimulating the branch of the vagus nerve that supplies the outer ear. And, not surprisingly, an excess of earwax can result in some loss of hearing. Hearing aids which block the normal migration of earwax out of the ear, may also stimulate glands in the ear canal to produce more secretions. By some counts, between 60% and 70% of the hearing aids sent in for repair are damaged by earwax. It gets into vents and receivers, and the acidity degrades components. New guidelines from the American Academy of Otolaryngology Hade and Neck Surgery stress a let it be attitude toward earwax and warn against removal unless the earwax is causing a problem. Of course, sometimes it’s difficult to tell if the wax is the source of a problem without removing it and seeing whether the problem goes away.
WHAT’S THAT STUFF? The medical tern for earwax is cerumen, which comes from cera, Latin for wax. It starts as a mixture of fatty secretions from the sebaceous glands and sweat glands in the walls of the outer ear canal (see illustration). Jaw movement from chewing or talking helps propel those secretions through the canal to the ear opening, where they dry up and harmlessly flake off. Earwax that picks up a lot of debris or sits in the ear canal for a long time can get hard and dry, so it’s more likely to cause a blockage. Conditions that produce a lot of dry, flaking skin, like eczema, can also consistency, so they don’t travel as easily through the ear canal. Some people are simply born producing dry earwax that may be more likely to clump. Dry earwax is more common in East Asians, and two years ago, Japanese researchers found a dry earwax gene. You can get medical help to get rid of a blockage; earwax removal is a common otolaryngologic procedure. D. I. DE-WAXING The thing that many people do but shouldn’t is try to remove the wax with a cotton swab, bobby pins, pencils, and twisted tissues and the corners of napkins which tends to push the earwax back into the ear. When there’s a buildup right up against the eardrum, it’s often the result of failed removal attempts. Instead, soak a cotton balll and drip a few drops of plain water, a simple saline solution, or hydrogen peroxide into the ear with your head tilted so the opening of the ear is pointing up. Keep it in that position for a minute to allow gravity to pull the fluid down through the wax. Then tilt the head the other way and let the fluid and wax drain out. You can also use a bulb syringe to swish out eh ear. Over the counter eardrops that break up earwax include water based ones which contain ingredients such as acetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, or sodium bicarbonate. Oil based products lubricate and soften the earwax. Both are equally effective. Sometimes the eardrops will work on their own. Other times, a few squirts of water with a bulb syringe are needed. No one with a damaged eardrum should use a bulb syringe. If water gets into the middle ear, a serious infection is possible. A doctor tackles an earwax blockage in pretty much the same way as a do it yourselfer, but with more expertise better tools and with a better view.
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