In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, our ears often bear the brunt of neglect and accidental harm. There are a few common but hazardous practices, including making use of cotton swabs and ear candling, that will put your hearing health in peril. What follows are a few strategies you can use to help safeguard the health of your hearing.
Ear candling is a no-no
Ear candling, an ancient practice supposed to draw out earwax and improve ear health, has gained popularity in spite of lacking scientific merit. The process involves inserting a hollow candle inside of the ear canal and lighting the opposite end, with the notion that a vacuum is created, pulling out impurities. However, numerous studies have debunked this practice, highlighting its ineffectiveness and potential risks.
You may be putting your hearing in jeopardy by employing a practice that won’t even remove any earwax. Burns to the delicate ear structures, perforated eardrums, and aggravation of existing problems can all be consequences of this practice. Moreover, the residue left behind after ear candling often is comprised of candle wax and debris rather than extracted earwax.
In light of these findings, medical experts always discourage the use of ear candling. Both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Academy of Otolaryngology (AAO) caution against this practice, emphasizing safer methods for ear hygiene.
Get rid of the cotton swabs
It’s true that lots of people turn to these apparently innocuous tools to clean earwax out of their ears. But there are more dangers than advantages to inserting a cotton swab into your ear canal. Instead of effectively removing earwax, swabs can unintentionally push wax deeper into the ear canal, resulting in impaction and potential injury.
The fragile nature of the eardrum makes it susceptible to damage from outside objects, including cotton swabs. Injuries, like perforations or abrasions can happen, leading to pain, infection, and hearing impairment. To avoid these complications, it is advisable to steer clear of inserting any objects into the ear canal and instead depend on the ear’s self-cleaning mechanisms or seek professional help if necessary.
Keep volumes to a minimum
In an increasingly noisy world, our ears are continuously bombarded by sounds of varying intensities. From busy city streets to leisure activities such as concerts and sporting events, exposure to loud noise is unavoidable. Over-exposure to loud noises like these can have detrimental effects on your hearing health resulting in tinnitus and noise-related hearing loss.
To mitigate the risk of hearing damage, it is essential to be conscious of noise levels and take proactive measures to protect your ears. This includes wearing ear protection, like earmuffs or earplugs, in noisy settings and restricting exposure to loud noises whenever you can.
Also, take regular breaks and moderate the volume when you’re utilizing personal listening devices such as headphones and earpods.
Listen to your ears: act quickly on symptoms
Perhaps the most critical aspect of preserving optimal hearing health is being attentive to the signals your ears provide and taking prompt action in response to any concerning symptoms. In spite of the availability of advanced treatments, such as hearing aids, holding off on intervention can exacerbate hearing loss and complicate management.
If you have symptoms like ringing in the ears, trouble understanding speech, or pain or pressure in your ears, it’s important that you recognize it. If any of these symptoms are experienced, seek assessment from a qualified hearing specialist or otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat specialist) immediately. Your hearing outcomes as well as your quality of life will be significantly increased by early detection and intervention.
In conclusion, the health and well-being of our ears are paramount in navigating the sensory landscape of our lives. We can maintain our healthy hearing by avoiding cotton swabs and ear candles, protecting our ears against loud noise, and recognizing early warning symptoms.
Call us today for an assessment if you are suffering from ear damage or hearing loss.