If you tend to take your
ears for granted, you are not alone. Few people ponder their importance on a daily basis. Yet, if you stop to imagine a world without music, birdsong, a child’s laughter or the sound of rain on the rooftops, you realize the value of your sense of hearing. And the more you understand the workings of this crucial sense, the more likely you are to marvel at its clever functionality.
When sound waves reach the ear canal, the tympanic membrane?more commonly known as the eardrum?vibrates. The vibration travels in a chain reaction from the eardrum to a chain of three ossicles, or fine bones. When it hits the last fine bone, called the stapes, it strikes the membrane window of the fluid-filled cochlea. This movement triggers a response from the auditory nerve, and voilà, you are listening to your favorite Puccini opera or Dylan song.
Your ears provide you with the incredible benefit of hearing, asking little in return. However, they
do require some degree of care, especially for long-term well-being. The measures you take to protect your ears go a long way to ensuring you can potentially avoid or postpone hearing aids or ear-related medical procedures over time.
Ear Health: Sound Advice for Overall Wellness
What’s the deal with ear wax?
Happily, our ears are basically self-cleaning mechanisms, thanks to ear wax, which is produced by secretions from sebaceous glands in the outer portion of the ear, combined with discarded skin and hair cells. Given its antibacterial qualities, earwax helps to ward off fungal infections and bacteria. It also serves to trap dirt, tiny organisms, particulate matter, dust, hair and other materials from traveling deeply into the ear canal and causing damage to the eardrum. Finally, earwax ensures our inner ears are properly lubricated, which supports your capacity to maintain physical balance.
Given all this, it is best to refrain from removing wax from your ears. In fact, inserting cotton swabs tends to force the wax further in, potentially causing ear-clogging build-up which, in some cases, must be medically removed by a physician with warm water and gentle suction. Another reason to avoid this practice is that too little protective wax may lead to problems like itchy ears and pave the way for irritation and infection.
Again, ear wax is beneficial, and it is best to leave it alone for optimal ear homeostasis, a term referring to the processes that maintain the chemical equilibrium of the inner ear's fluids and tissues, support normal hearing and vestibular function, and protect the sensory hair cells from damage.
If your ear canal feels clogged, simply wipe it with a moist, warm cloth. If the problem persists, you might ask your doctor or audiologist about options to clear it, such as a natural product that softens the wax, allowing it to exit on its own gradually. One safe, physician recommended solution is the
NeilMed Squip Kyrosol - Ear Wax Removal Kit. This natural earwax removal aid?developed to dissolve and flush out hard, dry or impacted wax buildup?uses a glycerin-based formula to help soften and flush out excess earwax organically as well as preventing recurrence of earwax blockage.
Daily ear care & signs you need more support
When it comes to daily ear care, you are safe to simply wash your outer ear area with mild soap and water and dry it with a soft towel. If you are a bath person, it is best to avoid submerging your ears in bath water, which could irritate the ear canal. Again, your ears are essentially self-regulating, although there
are certain reasons to seek medical attention, such as:
- Heavy earwax build-up
- Loss of hearing
- Itching or pain in your ears
- Fluid drainage from the ear, which could indicate infection
- Pain or discomfort in your teeth, jaws or neck
- Unusual bumps or scaly spots on the outside of your ear
- Injuries to your head or ears
How to protect your hearing
Comprehensive ear care also includes
protecting your sense of hearing long-term. It is worth being proactive on this front, given that noise-induced hearing loss affects around 15 percent of Americans, usually due to loud work or leisure situations. Any environment that requires you to shout to be heard by others nearby produces unsafe sound levels. This is why musicians, construction workers and others who work in noisy surroundings run a greater risk of developing hearing loss at an early age.
The best way to save your hearing is to avoid loud sounds, such as blasting music, whether that is from home speakers, ear buds or live concerts. Other damaging noise may come from industrial equipment, machinery, etc. Use protective ear plugs as much as possible to optimize the longevity of your auditory system.
If you want to be proactive in protecting your long-term hearing, there are some safe, effective options. For example,
NaturesPlus AgeLoss Hearing Support promotes healthy auditory and immune function with ingredients like green tea, probiotics, zinc and turmeric, as well as pine bark and rosemary extract, which have been shown to nutritionally support auditory health. This ear health solution also includes a vibrant complex of antioxidant-packed botanicals including grape seed, wild bilberry and blueberry, plus key anti-aging compounds trans-resveratrol and quercetin.
Tinnitus, ear pressure & other issues that may arise
How about ringing in the ears? Referred to as
tinnitus, this is when you experience ringing or other noises in one or both ears, a problem that affects up to 20 percent of adults. Tinnitus may be caused by an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, an ear injury, or a problem with the circulatory system. In some cases, tinnitus improves with treatment of the root cause, so you would be well-advised to consult with a health practitioner if this is an issue for you. There are also natural solutions that may help, such as
Natural Care RingStop, which offers homeopathic support for relief when it comes to singing or buzzing in the ears, as well as sensitivity to noise.
How about natural ways to relieve ear pressure, or what is more specifically referred to as negative middle ear pressure? One safe, effective remedy to consider is the
NeilMed Eustachi Ear Pressure Relief Device, which can help clear your ears in any setting, including airplanes. The regulated air moves through the nose to help open the Eustachian tubes as you swallow. It can help when yawning, chewing, blowing, or pinching your nose does not offer relief.
As you can see, proper ear hygiene is not difficult. In fact, less is more when it comes to daily care. Protecting your hearing long-term may be more challenging if you often find yourself in noisy situations, either for business or recreation. In these cases, ear plugs or noise-cancelling headphones help immeasurably. So, you now have a better sense of what to do, as well as what to avoid when it comes to your auditory health. Is that not music to your ears? Happy hearing!
