Sunday, August 3, 2014

Take good care of Your Ears

Take good care of Your Ears
When it comes to medical issues, most people are focused on eating nutritional food, getting the right type and amount of exercise, brushing their teeth regularly, and staying clean. While all of these are certainly important, other aspects of keeping your body healthy and functional will often get overlooked in our country. One very useful but sadly neglected set of organs is your ears - they may be low maintenance compared to some body systems, but they definitely need do need love and care.

Important
Health Tips
Hearing difficulties is a very common problem in the US, affecting up to 30 million adults (a precise estimate is difficult to obtain, as many cases go undiagnosed and untreated). To keep your ears functional for as long as possible, be sure to follow these healthcare tips:

Treat colds, earaches, and upper respiratory infections quickly. Bacteria can spread to the inner, causing a buildup of fluids or even structural harm that may temporarily or permanently disrupt the sound interpretation process. Small children are especially
liable to these conditions, so if you look after one, ensure that the person receives thorough care when sick.

When you are prescribed a new medication, always ask about the potential side effects. Certain types of drugs can cause symptoms such as ringing in the ears, disturbed balance, and impaired ability to hear certain frequencies. These symptoms will usually stop when the medicine is discontinued, but in case there is a risk for permanent damage, always report them to your doctor if you begin to experience them.

Have your hearing tested regularly, especially if you are over the age of 60. Unfortunately, many doctors skip this step when examining adults, so you may need to request it. If you do have an ear condition, the sooner it is diagnosed, the sooner your doctor can determine the underlying cause and most effective
style of treatment.

Clean your ears on a regular basis. Doctors recommended using a damp cloth or Q-tip to clean your outer ear. Nothing should be placed in your inner ear, as that can compact earwax and potentially spread bacteria.
In case you have a buildup of earwax, flush out your ear with warm water or ask your doctor for a professional cleaning.

Avoid
loud noises as much as you can. High amplitudes can harm the sensory cells in your ears, potentially creating permanent the loss of hearing. If you must attend a loud environment such as a concert or factory, use protection.

Hearing problems cannot always be avoided. However, by taking adequate care of yourself, you can reduce your chances of developing a severe condition.

Why Ear Look After Children is totally Necessary to Protect the Hearing of Children

Why Ear Look After Children is totally Necessary to Protect the Hearing of Children
Younger people have grown to be large numbers of subjected to dangerous sound levels within their day to day lives. It is not at all uncommon for children to have in their possessions mobile phones, personal music players or a personal computer within their bedrooms. All these items can and are used to listen to music or play on-line games. Although in principal there is nothing wrong with this option, there are many children nowadays complaining about damage to their hearing.

In addition to the above there are also music gigs wherein loud noises can cause concern. Children who also play a musical instrument need to be mindful of good hearing protection. For example a piano produces around 30 decibels of sound. Without causing any undue concern it is important to be aware that even 30 decibels of sound levels heard for a period of 8 hours or more can cause permanent damage to hearing.
The solution is off course to be mindful of sound levels and also to take adequate protection. This is actually not that difficult to accomplish. For example a cheap pair of earplugs is more than adequate for this reason. You can actually buy a pair of earplugs at your local supermarket and there are many places online offering a range of ear plugs as well as a wealth of information on good ear protection guidelines.

Whilst it is easy to preach to the children on looking after their hearing , ensuring that is actually carried out is another matter entirely.
For instance even adults find it hard to take adequate protection therefore children who, without trying to stereotype the younger generation may lack the maturity of the live experience of the need to also take this precaution.

A possible way to improve this matter would be to purchase earplugs specially designed for children. Firstly this is important as childrens ear canals are smaller than adults and secondly there are a range of earplugs for children that come in bright attractive colours that make them more appealing. In general you will also find it easier for children to wear silicone earplugs as the material is very soft and therefore comfortable to wear. The good news is these types of plugs are actually cheap
and simply available.

As permanent
trouble for hearing is actually not reversible it is highly advisable to take a preventative measure. To this degree there are many organisations that try to help educate people on good hearing protection, in additional to online health resources offering good advise on where to buy childrens earplugs and other protective equipment.

Ear Care Tips

Ear Care Tips
Hearing difficulties can be caused by a variety of reasons such as old age or other chronic medical conditions. And although problems in the ears are not actually life-threatening, you should still do your best to keep your ear drums in perfect condition since they are the ones that allow you to listen to your surroundings, enjoy music and sometimes prevent incoming danger.

When
cleaning the insides of your ears, don't use sharp objects such as toothpicks or matchsticks as they can cause injury to the walls of your ears and your ear drums as well. This may sound funny but some people do this. Use appropriate ear cleaning tools such as cotton buds to keep the ear safe.

Wear
ear protection when gonna noisy places such as rock concerts or parties. Loud music and sound can prove damaging to your eardrums and can leave you semi-deaf after. Earplugs help regulate the amount of sound that enters your ears so remember to bring them. The same goes when you're deep sea diving. Guard your ears from pressure by wearing earplugs.

A dangerous blow right to your ears or to any area near them can also be damaging.
Needn't be hit or at least minimize the impact by wearing a helmet especially if you're into extreme sports like cycling, skateboarding, hockey and even boxing. In short, always practice security measures when playing sports.

If you happen to have a sinus problem, treat it on its early stage to avoid having ear infections by taking antibiotics prescribed by your doctor. Most
hearing difficulties are simply caused by the buildup of mucus in the ear from the sinuses. Ear drops are usually given to patients with this condition.

Visit an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist once in a while and have your ears checked for
potential issues. Most of all, never ignore an ear condition regardless of how less serious it may seem to be. You don't have to lose your gift of hearing by doing so.

How to Clean Ear Wax

Ear wax plays an important role by trapping dirt and foreign microbes that could possibly cause injure in the ear. Ear wax also acts as lubricant in the ear canal and the eardrum. However, excessive ear wax that hardened in the ear canal can cause hearing loss. Ear wax may be cleaned on your own following the simple steps:
  1. To remove the accumulated wax, load up the dropper half full the with drops. You may use baby oil or mineral oil as an alternative to commercial ear drops.
  2. Lean your head towards the opposite shoulder of the affected ear. Make sure the affected ear is facing up, and to hold the ear dropper 3 inches from the ear. Place 3 - 4 drops into the ears, and let it set for 3 minutes while your head is kept tilted.
  3. Do the same procedure if the other ear is affected as well, by leaning your head towards the opposite shoulder of the other ears. Place 3 - 4 drops and keep your head steady for 3 minutes.
  4. Use the same dropper to rinse your ears. Fill it up with warm water. Rest your head on your shoulder, hold your upper ear up and pull back a little for an easy access into the ear canal. Insert the dropper and squeeze out gently small volumes of warm water.
  5. Do the same procedure for the other ear. Tilt your head on the opposite shoulder, hold your upper ear up and pull back. Squeeze out the water gently and allow it to work for a few minutes to soften the wax from the ear canal. After this, tilt your head on the opposite side to allow the water to drain from the ear.
  6. Use a cotton wash cloth or towel to dry them. Simply pat dry, and do not rub to prevent causing irritation or damage. You can now dispose the excess ear drops in the ear dropper, and make sure to wash all soiled materials with antibacterial soap and hot water. Make sure that the water isn't too hot.

If you're finding that these steps don't work, there are many other options that you can partake in. While earwax generally can't cause that many big problems, you can always consult with a local doctor to see what he/she believes. There are some great over the counter medications, as well as prescriptions that you may want to use.

Why Use Ear Drops to Remove Ear Wax

Ear wax is one of those things that comes out of our body when we least expect it or even want it. Many of us do what we can to make sure that it is safely and securely out of sight and that there is no buildup. What most of us do not realize is that this wax is actually important in keeping the inside of our eyes safe and clean from dust and bacteria.
Some people will use special candles or long tools that they shove in their ears to clean all the wax out every few months. This can actually be harmful to them and damage the inside of their ears including their ear drums. What some of us believe to be too much wax may be just enough for us.
One of the only times that you should clean it is when you are having trouble hearing and your doctor has given you the go ahead. If your doctor does not do it for you then you need to ask them what to use. There are very few products and tools that we should use on ourselves to clean it.
The most effective product that people use are drops. These are specially made with ingredients that will help to soften the wax and make it easier to remove. In most cases it will drain slowly out of the ear or you can use a special tool that comes with it to remove it. Make sure that you carefully follow any directions the product comes with.
Ear wax drops should be some of the first things that you do to clean your ears. Most of us will automatically pick up the q-tips when we think it is time for a cleaning - but we urge you to not use this. The fuzz from it can fall off and become trapped inside of your ear.