ADVANCE/You Can Get 'Airplane Ears' in the Water, But You Don't Have to Swim to Get 'Swimmer's Ear'.(ADVANCE) PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 30, 1999-- You can experience "airplane ears" while in the water, but you don't have to swim to get "swimmer's ear." Airplane ears, a sharp, throbbing earache ear·ache n. Pain in the ear; otalgia. accompanied by partial hearing loss and a "full" feeling in the ears -- generally occurs with a plane's final descent, states Steven Lamm, M.D. in the current (September) issue of New Choices: Living Even Better After 50. "Scuba divers can develop similar symptoms when diving below a depth of 10 feet." The problem, notes Lamm, is the eustachian tube not opening properly to equalize built-up pressure on either side of the eardrum ear·drum n. The thin, semitransparent, oval-shaped membrane that separates the middle ear from the external ear. Also called drum, drumhead, drum membrane, myringa, myrinx, tympanic membrane, . "To releave the pressure, chew gum, yawn, or swallow several times. The goal is to let a droplet droplet very small drop of fluid. droplet nuclei the finite particles of matter which are transmitted from animal to animal. of air pass from the nostril nostril /nos·tril/ (nos´tril) either of the nares. nos·tril n. A naris. nostril either of the two apertures (nares) of the nose that lead into the nasal cavity. and throat into the middle ear, which may open the eustachian tube. You know your ears have unclogged when you feel them 'pop'." Swimmer's ear has nothing to do with pressure and can also affect anyone who lives in a humid environment or sweats profusely pro·fuse adj. 1. Plentiful; copious. 2. Giving or given freely and abundantly; extravagant: were profuse in their compliments. . "The water and excessive moisture strip away the ear canal's protective wax lining, creating a medium for bacterial growth," notes Lamm. The "overzealous use of cotton-tipped applicators to clean the ears is one of the leading causes of swimmer's ear. All it takes is a few twists of the applicator ap·pli·ca·tor n. An instrument for applying something, such as a medication. applicator, n a device for applying medication; usually a slender rod of glass or wood, used with a pledget of cotton on the end. to rub away the wax." Swimmer's ear starts out as a nagging itch, "triggered by the softening of the protective lining of your ear canal. In no time at all, it can quickly turn into an infection accompanied by extreme pain and temporary hearing loss." In addition to itching, an early hint of the condition is the secretion from the ear of a clear liquid. "The best way to deal with swimmer's ear and prevent it from becoming a chronic condition," Dr. Lamm states in New Choices, "is to use over-the-counter acetic acid-based eardrops ear·drops pl.n. Liquid medicine administered into the ear. eardrops, n.pl oil-, water-, or alchol-based treatment that is placed in the ear. Used to treat inflammation and infections of the ear canal. to kill the fungi or bacteria." The condition should clear up within a week, though you should continue to use the drops for over a month. (End of advance for release 6 p.m. Aug. 30.) |
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