Although we know the importance of the five senses of the human body, the attention we pay to the care of each of them is not usually the same. While sight is a constant concern for everyone, smell, taste, as well as hearing are relegated to the background, even touch receives daily attention, the skin is more likely to receive treatments to keep it healthy.
Something that is surprising if we analyze that the ear is connected to the nose, and this in turn has an effect on how we perceive flavors, so if we deteriorate our ears it is very likely that we will have consequences on other organs and bodily functions.
How much do you know about the sense of hearing and its care? Here we give you a quick review of your physical constitution, as well as some tips that will help you maintain the health of the auditory system.
The first thing to know is that the ear is made up of 3 fundamental parts:
External ear This includes the pinna or auricle, the external auditory canal, which connects to the middle ear. The tympanic membrane, better known as the eardrum, this part separates the outer ear from the middle ear.
Middle ear or tympanic cavity. It is made up of three small connected bones that transmit sound waves to the inner ear: hammer, anvil, and stapes. It also includes the Eustachian tube, a tube that connects the middle ear to the back of the nose. The Eustachian tube helps balance pressure in the middle ear.
Inner ear. Here are the cochlea (which contains the nerves of hearing), the vestibule and the semicircular canals, which house receptors that regulate balance.
These 3 complex and delicate systems are in charge of detecting, transmitting and converting sounds into electrical impulses that the brain can interpret.
The great challenge today is to create awareness that hearing is as important as sight and that ears must be protected against the increasingly latent potential dangers of the use of mobile devices. These simple tips will help you keep your hearing in good condition.
1. Do not abuse the use of music players for more than one hour a day and keep a volume below 60% of maximum power. Studies reveal that even 8 minutes of listening to music with headphones at a very high volume can cause irreversible damage.
2. Be especially careful with your ears when colds or flu appear, do not downplay these diseases, since our throat is connected to the ear canals. Remember that infections are considered the second leading cause of hearing loss.
3. If you swim, use flexible, hypoallergenic plugs to protect the ear canal. In the same way, it is advisable to use them if you attend concerts or events where the decibels exceed the healthy limit.
4. A healthy diet also helps. Folic acid, vitamin B12, and Omega 3 fatty acids reduce the risk of aging hearing loss. Eating fish at least twice a week helps prevent this problem in a 42% in people over 50 years of age, while a high intake of folic acid helps to reduce this condition in a 20%.
5. Choose the best options to clean your ears. There are many drops that are effective in breaking down earwax and preventing plugs, although these can cause irritation if you have sensitive skin. In this case, you can try a natural option like drops of olive or almond oil. Use an eyedropper to apply a few drops of the oil to your ear and stay in that position for 5-10 minutes. Since the process is slow, you will need to repeat the procedure two or three times a day for 5 days to ensure effective cleaning. In cases where the problem with earwax is very drastic and persistent, it is necessary that you attend a specialist doctor to perform a microsuction.
Hearing loss, in the vast majority of cases, is a consequence of the natural evolution of the auditory system that is affected by age, but there are other risk factors such as prolonged exposure to loud noises, head trauma, side effects of some medications, hereditary cases and chronic degenerative diseases.
It is important to see a specialist if you have persistent discomfort, hearing exams are simple and painless, so do not hesitate to get a check-up.
Hearing exams begin with an otoscopy to check for earwax plugs, internal inflammation, suppuration, or perforations. Afterwards, a tonal audiometry is performed to determine the hearing threshold, then a bone conduction tonal audiometry is performed to measure the capacity of the inner ear. Finally, there is a verbal audiometry to evaluate the ability to distinguish between sounds of the same word, as well as a test of the threshold of discomfort.
Now that you have more information about the auditory sense, try to have its care on your priority list.
