Usually, cleaning the ears is unnecessary as the ears are usually "self-cleaning". While cotton swabs usually cause no problems, they can push the wax deeper into the ear eventually blocking the ear canal. Therefore, most of the time, the best care of the ear is no care at all. If used at all cotton swabs should not be inserted very far into the ear canal or just used outside the opening. Cleaning the nose with the cotton swab is OK to help remove dried, crusty mucus from the nostrils. It can be helpful to wet the cotton swab first to soften the debris.

In general, no. However, if the noise is loud enough to cause hearing loss in an adult, it is loud enough to cause hearing loss in the baby. Certainly, a baby should not be in very noisy environments. Examples would include a loud concert or near extremely loud power tools or motors. Anyone exposed to these types of sound can lose hearing and hearing protection is strongly advised. Strong smells would pose no problem.

Yes, when it gets loud enough. Some sporting venues, particularly in closed arenas can get extremely loud. When sound levels exceed 105dB, this can cause permanent damage if there is repeated and prolonged exposure. This is probably not a significant risk for one sporting event but could be an issue with regular attendance.

Historically, acupuncture points were believed to be holes that allow entry into channels. These holes provide us gateways to influence, redirect, increase, or decrease the body's vital substance, qi, thus correcting many of the imbalances.

No. Unfortunately, there is much misinformation available when it comes to "home remedies" and "natural" cures for many medical conditions including various sinus conditions. Most of the time, remedies are recommended even though there is no scientific evidence that they work. What this means, is that the people suggesting these treatments haven't done the necessary work to demonstrate to anyone, including themselves, that the treatment is safe or does anything at all. It really doesn't seem very ethical to recommend medical treatment without any reliable supporting evidence but this is unfortunately quite common.

As a general rule, it makes sense to start with your regular doctor. This can be more cost-effective and occasionally what may seem like an ENT problem may be something else more appropriate for a primary care setting. However, in some cases it may be very obvious that an ENT specialist is needed in which case self-referral would be completely the right choice.

This is a very complex question within the ENT medical community. Balloon sinuplasty is a minimally invasive technique to open obstructed sinuses. In some situations, this may indeed be the best option. However, chronic sinusitis, which is a condition causing long-term sinus problems such as nasal blockage or frequent sinus infection, may not always be best managed with balloon sinuplasty compared with more traditional sinus surgery. Balloon sinuplasty has been shown to be both safe and effective but more clinical studies are being done to directly compare balloon sinuplasty with traditional (endoscopic) sinus surgery in cases of severe sinus disease. Such studies will show exactly where balloon sinuplasty fits as a treatment choice for chronic severe sinus problems.

Most of the time, the ears are "self-cleaning" in that the wax and dead skin produced in the ear canal gradually works its way out on its own. Periodically, small amounts of wax just fall out. Therefore, most people really don't need to clean or do anything in particular with their ears. However, if a buildup of wax occurs and hearing becomes muffled, there are commercial products available at most drug stores to safely flush out the wax. Brand names include Debrox and Murine. Usually, an oily substance is dripped into the ear canal to soften the wax and then it is flushed out with water. Make sure the water is at about body temperature to avoid getting very dizzy while irrigating the ear. Instruments sold to manually remove the wax are not recommended as you cannot see in your ear and blindly inserting an instrument can cause harm. If flushing out the wax doesn't work or hearing remains diminished, it is best to schedule an appointment with an ENT physician who can evaluate the situation and remove the wax if necessary.

No, not at all. In fact "popping" the ears by blowing against a closed or partially closed nose is helpful in certain situations when barometric pressure (air pressure) is rising quickly. This typically occurs when descending in an airplane or driving down from a mountainous area. Popping alleviates the pressure in the ear and can actually prevent problems including fluid buildup in the middle ear (part of the ear behind the ear drum). A frequent need to "pop" the ears can signal that there is a problem in the ear and professional evaluation with an ENT specialist is a good idea. In addition to checking your hearing, a test called a tympanogram checks the movement of the ear drum and measures the pressure in the middle ear. This can help determine if the Eustachian tubes (which connect the middle ear to the throat) are working properly.

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