Feb 17
Crucial Care
Crucial Care
EAR
 
  • Keep ears dry. Water and moisture in the ear canal can produce fungal infection. Keep a cotton ball in ear canal while bathing.
  • Avoid use of cotton buds as they can push wax deeper inside the canal making its removal difficult and can even puncture the eardrum!
  • Avoid inserting sharp objects in the ear canal to prevent infection, bleeding, pain and injury to the eardrum.
  • Ear pain can be due to ear, nose or throat problems as they are interconnected.
  • Do not blow your nose hard during a cold to prevent nasal infection being forced up into the ear.
  • Avoid air-travel if you have a cold because the pressure equalisation function of the Eustachian tubes connecting the nose to ear is impaired during a cold.
  • Every ear disorder has different medicines and eardrops.
  • After putting eardrops, it is advisable to lie on the same side for at least five minutes in order to make the drops effective.
  • Vertigo (dizziness) can be due to ear pathology. A thorough ENT examination with complete audiological evaluation should be done to rule out the cause.
  • Long-term cell phone use may result in inner ear damage.  Symptoms such as ear warmth, fullness behind the eardrum, vertigo, etc. could be early signs of such damage. Use speaker mode or headphone (not Bluetooth) to place more distance between your head and cell phone. Consider texting rather than talking when signal is weak.
  • Avoid exposure to loud sounds. People working in noisy industrial zones must use earplugs. Noise-induced hearing loss is preventable but incurable.
  • Patients with nerve deafness of more than 45dB hearing loss must use a hearing-aid to amplify hearing and prevent further deterioration.
 
NOSE
 
  • A deviated nasal septum is a common occurrence but requires treatment only if it produces symptoms.
 
  • A patient having recurrent attacks of sneezing is likely to be suffering from allergic rhinitis.
 
  • Adenoids (nasal tonsils) cause mouth breathing and nasal obstruction in children.
 
  • Avoid use of nasal drops on a regular basis to prevent rebound congestion and habit formation.
 
  • Nose and para-nasal sinuses are the common causes of headache.
 
  • Picking the nose may injure the skin of nasal mucosa and may cause bleeding or infection.
 
  • Hypertension is one of the common causes of bleeding from the nose in elderly persons.
 
  • Every nasal disorder has different medicine and nasal drops.
 
THROAT
 
  • Avoid bad oral habits like chewing tobacco, gutka, alcohol and smoking. These habits dramatically increase your chances of getting throat cancer.
 
  • Tonsillectomy is indeed the treatment of choice for throat infections due to recurrent tonsillitis.
 
  • Voice changes occur due to different throat disorders. But change in an elderly person’s voice should arouse the suspicion of a serious ailment.
 
  • Those with gastric problem often have throat complaints. They should avoid spicy and oily food, excess of tea / coffee and wait at least for two hours before going to bed after dinner.
 
  • All neck swellings should undergo complete investigation to pinpoint the exact cause.
 
  • Thyroid disorders are of many types, all displaying different symptoms. They should be investigated to discover the cause of the disorder.
 
  • Consult an ENT surgeon for complaints of ear pain, diminished hearing, ear discharge, ringing in the ear (tinnitus), dizziness (vertigo), repeated sneezing, running of nose, nasal obstruction, headache and/or bleeding from the nose, repeated throat infection, difficult in swallowing, change of voice and/or swelling in the neck.
 
  • All foreign bodies in the ear, nose and throat should be removed immediately in order to prevent further complications. ENT consultations are available at L&T’s Andheri and Thane health centres in Mumbai.

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