healthy ear

Ototoxicity is damage to the ear caused by drugs or chemicals. Drugs that are thought to cause hearing loss include drugs for malaria (quinine and chloroquine) and salicylates like aspirin, but the hearing loss is believed to be temporary. Certain industrial chemicals, such as solvents, are also implicated in hearing damage.Suggestions to avoid drug-related hearing damage include:Discuss concerns about medications with your doctor.Take medications only as directed.See your doctor immediately if you experience unusual symptoms, such as tinnitus, while on a course of drugs.If your line of work involves chemicals, talk to your occupational health and safety officer about ways to reduce your exposure.

Hearing loss can be caused by viral diseases including mumps, measles, pertussis (whooping cough) and rubella (German measles). These types of infections are more common in childhood, although adults who havent been immunised and didnt have the diseases in childhood may catch them too.Bacterial diseases, such as meningitis and syphilis, can also target and harm the ears. A tumour which grows on the hearing nerve, called an

The middle and inner ears are protected by the temporal bones, located at the base and sides of the skull. Head injury that involves trauma to the temporal bones can cause hearing loss. Concussion may be enough to cause hearing damage, even if the skull bones arent broken.Otitic barotrauma refers to hearing damage caused by changes in air pressure on either side of the eardrum. This can be caused by descending or ascending through water too quickly for example, while scuba diving.

Personal, portable electronics have led to people playing more audio, at louder volumes, for extended periods of time. This is the biggest concern today, says Dr. Alexiades. People dont realize how loud their devices are, especially when they are turning up the volume to combat background noise. To avoid hearing damage, Dr. Alexiades recommends setting the volume while inside and leaving it there. Noise-cancelling earbuds or headphones that block out background noise can also help listeners avoid turning the volume up too high.

New York City is easily one of the noisiest places in the country, with crowd, traffic and subway noise exposing residents to decibel levels that can damage hearing over time. Research has shown that noise levels in the city often reach higher than 70 decibels, which is the sound of a normal conversation at 3-5 feet. A subway train at 200 feet is 95 decibels, and an emergency vehicle siren could be more than 110 decibels. When exposed to particularly loud noises like sirens, its a good idea to cover the closest exposed ear, but the temporary exposure probably wont damage your hearing, Dr. Alexiades says. On the other hand, if youre going someplace where you know youll be bombarded with loud noise for an extended period of time, such as a concert or a wedding reception, bring earplugs, he says.

Everyone loves Q-Tips and most people think theyre made for the ears, but theyre not, Dr. Alexiades says. Contrary to popular belief, the ear is self-cleaning and the presence of earwax is actually a good thing. Wax is normal. Its the sign of a healthy ear, Dr. Alexiades says. Even though people may think they are cleaning their ears with cotton swabs, they are likely pushing wax further in. Whats more dangerous is the swabs also scrape natural oils out of the ear canal and can scratch it, causing an outer ear infection. For these reasons, you should only use cotton swabs on the outside parts of the ear and never in the ear canal. If you feel like your ears need to be cleaned, your doctor can clean them in a safe way.

This tip is less common, but it could help you avoid discomfort and discourage you from scratching your ear canal. Watch out for shampoo that contains methylparabens, Dr. Alexiades says. Shampoos that have those tend to be very drying and irritating to the ear canal, and can cause itchiness. Avoid getting shampoo in your ear canal, or switch shampoos. If you follow this advice and your ears still itch, allergies could be the culprit, so check with your doctor.

As you age, you will need a baseline hearing test so that you can start to measure and deal with any hearing loss that may be happening. Its also good to have your ears physically examined to make sure theres no wax build-up. Not everyone needs cleanings. Some people need them every few months, while others may need them just once in a lifetime, Dr. Alexiades says. People with hairy or narrow ear canals can be predisposed to wax build up.