Pandora’s box in the ear: ENT doctors told what “grandmother’s” recipes for the treatment of otitis lead to

The autumn cold season traditionally brings slush in the nose. And if a sore throat with otitis media is added to the common cold, then you definitely can’t do with proven grandmother’s recipes. Yes, and otolaryngologists say that attempts to cure sore ears with geranium leaves and garlic often end in failure. What ENT diseases require an immediate visit to the doctor, how to distinguish ordinary snoring from dangerous to health, and what to do so that the ears do not hurt on the plane, ENT doctors told MK.

According to the doctors, one of the most frequent complaints of patients at the reception is stuffy ears on the plane. How to get rid of unpleasant painful sensations? According to doctors, two tips can help. The first is the “chewing and swallowing” technique known to many. The second is a medical option. Ordinary vasoconstrictor drops in the nose will greatly alleviate the passenger’s condition. By the way, this life hack works most effectively with children. Ideally, if the procedure with instillation is carried out in the cabin of the aircraft 5 minutes before the start. But it will be much more interesting for kids to use a special device for inflating balloons with their nose. It is called othovent, or simply “nosed”.

But if we are not talking about a simple laying of the ears, but about hearing loss – and a sharp one, it is dangerous to delay a visit to the doctor.

According to doctors, hearing loss develops rapidly – within 72 hours, and irreversible changes in the ear occur within 2 weeks.

“Acute hearing loss most often affects people between the ages of 43 and 53,” she said. otorhinolaryngologist CDC on Presnya Elena Mironova. – That’s the statistic. There are many reasons for the development of the disease. But whatever they may be, it is impossible to delay a visit to the doctor. Alas, this condition will not go away on its own.

Sofya Melnik, head of the Otorhinolaryngology Department at the Open Clinic, added that both hormonal and systemic therapy are used in the treatment of hearing loss. But it is effective only when the diagnosis is made in a timely manner.

In general, doctors say that the human ear is a real “Pandora’s box”. Otolaryngologists regularly find unusual artifacts in the ears of patients. Fragments of headphones and silicone earplugs are far from the most interesting and sometimes frightening finds. Sometimes “excavations” in the ear bring amazing fruits in the form of garlic, geranium leaves and even chicken bones.

In addition, doctors warned against self-cleaning of the ears from sulfuric plugs. According to Elena Mironova, when clean people frantically clean their ears, they deprive their body of its natural defenses. Sulfur serves as a barrier to all kinds of microbes that can enter the body through the ears.

“It is best to clean the ears with cotton swabs with restraints, which are hygiene products for babies,” Sofya Melnik noted. “Then you have no risk of damaging your eardrum. And if you feel that a thick wax plug has formed in your ear that prevents you from hearing, it is better to see a doctor, rather than trying to get rid of it yourself. Only physicians have the tools to gently free the auricles from such accumulations.

You can not try to open a boil in the ear or nose on your own. As Sofya Melnik explained, such amateur performance can be very expensive for the patient. There is a high probability of complications, up to sepsis and infection in the brain. So to solve an unpleasant problem should only be in the doctor’s office.

– Small boils or in the stage of infiltration are treated on an outpatient basis. If he is large, complications and insufficient dynamics from treatment begin, then the patient is sent to the surgical department of the hospital,” Sofya Melnik said.

Finally, ENT doctors told how to distinguish dangerous from harmless snoring. It is impossible to do this on your own. Only polysomnography, a multi-parametric test that allows you to diagnose insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome and other sleep disorders, will help identify serious health problems.

“It happens that a person thinks that his snoring is connected with a deviated nasal septum, and does not even suspect that he stops breathing in his sleep,” says Sophia Melnik. “Meanwhile, stopping breathing is a rather dangerous condition. At least during the day after such an inadequate sleep, a person will have a reduced concentration of attention. But it is also a life-threatening condition associated with a violation of cardiac activity.

Do not forget about the health of the throat and ears in the season of autumn colds! At the first unpleasant symptoms, contact an ENT doctor and do not experiment with folk remedies. And if you still have questions for doctors, you can ask them in a letter to the email address: [email protected]