Our ears are often what carry the load of unintentional harm from neglect in our busy daily lives. There are some common but dangerous practices, including using cotton swabs and ear candling, that will put your hearing health in peril. Below, we explore four important methods to safeguard your sense of hearing and keep your ears protected.
Bid farewell to ear candling
Ear candling, an ancient practice supposed to remove earwax and improve ear health, has gained popularity despite lacking scientific merit. The process involves inserting a hollow candle into the ear canal and lighting the opposite end, with the belief that a vacuum is created, pulling out impurities. However, numerous studies have debunked this practice, showcasing its ineffectiveness and potential risks.
You might be putting your hearing in peril by using a practice that won’t even eliminate any earwax. Burns to the delicate ear structures, perforated eardrums, and exacerbation of existing problems can all be consequences of this practice. Normally, if you notice any wax after ear candling, it will be from the candle itself rather than your ears.
In light of these findings, medical professionals 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 alternatives for ear hygiene.
No more cotton swabs
It’s true that many people turn to these apparently harmless tools to clean earwax out of their ears. However, contrary to public opinion, inserting cotton swabs into the ear canal poses more dangers than benefits. Rather than effectively eliminating earwax, swabs can accidentally jam wax deeper into the ear canal, leading to impaction and potential injury.
The eardrum is delicate and objects such as cotton swabs can cause significant damage. Pain, infection, and hearing impairment can all be the outcomes of perforations or abrasions of the eardrum. It would be better to obtain professional assistance if necessary or otherwise rely on your ear’s self-cleaning ability rather than putting any object in the ear.
Keep volumes to a minimum
In an increasingly noisy world, our ears are continuously bombarded by sounds of differing volumes. Exposure to loud noise is inevitable, from going to sporting events and concerts to walking down busy city streets to mowing your lawn. Over-exposure to loud sounds like these can have detrimental effects on your hearing health resulting in tinnitus and noise-related hearing loss.
It’s crucial to utilize hearing protection and, if you can, avoid excessively loud settings in order to avoid damage. This includes using hearing protection, like earmuffs or earplugs, in loud settings and restricting exposure to loud noises whenever you can.
Also, take frequent breaks and moderate the volume when you’re using personal listening devices like headphones and earpods.
Listen to your ears: act promptly on symptoms
Taking fast action when your ears begin to tell you that you’re starting to experience some level of hearing loss is critical to protect your ears from harm. In spite of the availability of advanced treatments, such as hearing aids, holding off on intervention can worsen hearing loss and complicate treatment.
It’s essential to recognize common signs of hearing loss, such as trouble understanding speech, ringing or buzzing in the ears (tinnitus), or a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears. Make an appointment with us as soon as possible if you experience any of these symptoms. Your hearing results as well as your quality of life will be significantly increased by early detection and intervention.
Your ability to successfully navigate the landscape of your life depends on you keeping your hearing as healthy as you can. We can preserve our healthy hearing by avoiding cotton swabs and ear candles, safeguarding 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.