Do wrinkles on the ears indicate heart problems? Do you become more deaf the more you pick your ears? Ten things you should pay attention to when protecting your ears scientifically

If eyes are windows to the soul, then ears are windows for us to perceive the beautiful sounds of the world. In daily life, we often hear rumors such as "picking ears can cause deafness and may also cause cancer", "pressing the ears can cure all diseases", "creases on the earlobes indicate myocardial ischemia or coronary heart disease", "dropping anti-inflammatory water for ear pain", and "inserting onions in the ears can cure deafness". So, are these long-standing rumors true? March 3 is National Ear Care Day. Let's learn about the nine rumors about ears and the ten key points of scientific ear care.

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01

Rumor: Putting onions in the ears can cure deafness?

The truth: There is no scientific basis, so don’t let rumors hurt yourself.

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Our ear canal is very narrow. If we don’t know the structure of the ear canal and blindly insert onions into the ear to treat deafness, it can easily cause abnormal reactions in the ear canal skin, causing damage to the ear canal skin, and may even damage the eardrum, causing ear infection, causing otitis externa and otitis media, and further aggravating the deafness.

Also, do not blindly spray powder or apply ointment into the ear canal after hearing loss, as the doctor cannot see the condition inside the ear canal, which may delay the disease and affect treatment. If hearing loss occurs, you should go to the ENT department for a hearing test as soon as possible to find the cause and prescribe the right medicine.

02

Rumor: A crease on the earlobe may indicate myocardial ischemia or coronary heart disease?

The truth: It doesn’t matter.

If you experience symptoms such as dull pain in the precordial area, contraction-like pain, chest tightness, palpitations, irregular pulse, etc., it is best to go to the hospital for electrocardiogram, cardiac ultrasound and other related examinations in time. The skin of the elderly is loose and the earlobes are prone to creases, which does not mean that they all have myocardial ischemia or coronary heart disease.

03

Rumor: There is a small hole in front of the ear, is it the "wealth hole"?

The truth: This is a preauricular fistula and has nothing to do with "wealthy life".

The "wealth hole" in front of the ear is medically called a preauricular fistula. Preauricular fistula is very common and is a congenital malformation. To put it simply, the part of the ear that should be closed during development in the mother's belly did not close well, leaving a small hole. People with preauricular fistulas should keep their faces and hair clean. When washing your face, remember to wash the front and back of your ears with clean water. If there is water around the ears, wipe it dry in time. If there is redness, swelling and inflammation at the fistula opening or around the fistula, see a doctor immediately, detect and treat it early, and have surgery as soon as possible if it meets the surgical indications, otherwise it will cause repeated fistula infections and even other complications.

04

Rumor: The more you clean your ears, the more deaf you become, and it may even cause cancer?

The truth: This statement is not without reason, but it is too exaggerated.

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Long-term forceful ear cleaning may cause damage to the external auditory canal and eardrum, leading to deafness. Gentle ear cleaning is unlikely to cause deafness as long as it does not cause damage to the external auditory canal and eardrum. Earwax is a natural secretion that protects the external auditory canal, and there is no need to frequently clean the ears. There are a few things to note when cleaning your ears daily: first, do not dig too deep, second, be gentle, and third, use clean tools. Many "ear cleaning" services on the market are irregular, and the tools are not clean, leading to cross infection. If the earwax is too large, be sure to seek medical attention in time. It is safer to remove it under an endoscope, and you must not handle it yourself.

05

Rumor: Tinnitus is caused by internal heat, and it will be fine once the internal heat goes away. Don’t worry about it.

The truth: Tinnitus caused by internal heat will gradually improve as the internal heat symptoms disappear. You can take some Chinese medicine preparations to dispel internal heat, which has a good effect. If the internal heat symptoms are relieved but the tinnitus symptoms still persist, the patient needs to go to the ENT department of the hospital immediately.

Because a tumor in the brain, otitis media, or high blood pressure can cause tinnitus. Secondly, tinnitus caused by getting angry is believed to be caused by excessive liver fire in traditional Chinese medicine. Excessive liver fire can be divided into real fire and false fire. The pathology and treatment methods of the two symptoms are different. Therefore, patients need to go to a regular hospital for diagnosis by professional doctors, first diagnose the cause, and then prescribe treatment based on syndrome differentiation. Do not delay the condition.

06

Rumor: Pressing the ears can cure all diseases?

The truth: Our traditional Chinese medicine has the saying of curing diseases by pressing acupuncture points, which is very magical. But it is definitely impossible to "cure all diseases".

Traditional Chinese medicine has an obvious auxiliary therapeutic effect on some chronic diseases, but for some acute diseases, it is still necessary to use a variety of Western medicine therapies. Although there are many acupuncture points in the ear, it is difficult for ordinary people to accurately locate these acupuncture points. Auricular acupuncture therapy seems simple, but in fact, it requires a high level of theoretical knowledge and technical skills from the operator. If you want to get truly effective auricular acupuncture treatment, you still have to go to a regular acupuncture department. Although auricular acupuncture therapy has a certain effect, it cannot be said to be a "cure for all diseases."

07

Rumor: Is ear size related to life expectancy?

The truth: There is no connection between the two.

The size of our ears is determined from birth and has nothing to do with the size of the ears. In fact, the length of life is related to physical health. Therefore, if you want to live a long life, you must maintain physical and mental health and combine work and rest. Do more exercise to keep fit.

08

Rumor: A ruptured eardrum will definitely lead to deafness?

The truth: A ruptured eardrum can cause hearing loss. The degree of hearing loss depends on the location and size of the perforation. It will not cause complete deafness. Hearing can generally return to normal with timely treatment.

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After an eardrum perforation is injured, oral anti-inflammatory drugs are generally required, and colds and water in the ears should be avoided. After one to two months of healing, hearing can return to normal. A large perforation requires eardrum repair surgery. Suppurative otitis media not only damages the eardrum, but also affects the activity of the ossicles. The hearing loss is more severe than that of simple traumatic eardrum perforation. If the treatment is timely, hearing may also be restored.

09

Rumor: Ear pain can be cured by just dropping some anti-inflammatory water?

The truth: There are many reasons for ear pain. Most of them are due to inflammation of the external auditory canal. If ear eczema or fungus occurs, the ears will also itch. Other reasons such as excessive earwax, otitis media, and even tumors can cause ear pain. These obviously cannot be cured by anti-inflammatory treatment.

In life, if there is pain in the ear, you can first try to actively reduce inflammation. You can use levofloxacin hydrochloride ear drops for reduction of inflammation, and you can also take oral antibiotics for treatment. Normally, the condition will improve significantly after taking the medicine for about 3 days. If there is no improvement, you must go to the hospital for a detailed examination, including endoscopy or CT examination if necessary, to clarify the ear canal condition. During this period, we must pay attention to keeping the external auditory canal clean and dry for easy observation to avoid aggravating the infection.

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To protect your ears scientifically, you need to develop these good habits:

1. Use drugs with caution. Some drugs can cause irreversible effects on the auditory nerve in the ear, especially some antibiotics, such as streptomycin, gentamicin, and kanamycin.

2. Avoid prolonged exposure to high-decibel noise and wear earplugs if necessary.

3. Don’t clean your ears frequently, especially with sharp instruments.

4. Do not hold both nostrils at the same time to blow your nose, otherwise it may cause otitis media.

5. Massage your ears frequently to promote blood circulation.

6. Be careful not to let water enter your ears. After taking a bath, you can use toilet paper or something similar to absorb the water in your ears.

7. Avoid blows to the head that may affect the ears.

8. Wear headphones less often and lower the volume appropriately, especially for in-ear headphones. Avoid wearing headphones while sleeping.

9. Avoid random ear picking.

10. Eat a light diet, get enough rest, and avoid staying up late.

Author: Han Jinbo, Physician at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University

Review | Wang Jianting, Chief Physician, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University

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