Leadership Team

  • Why adults (still) get ear infections

    Ear infections are often considered a childhood disease. It almost seems a rite of passage for children to experience repeat ear infections. Then, around the beginning of their teenage years, it often stops entirely. By the time a person hits adulthood, it is quite common to be decades of years removed from the last time he or she experienced an ear infection. It almost seems as though it is impossible for adults to get an ear infection, right? Unfortunately, although not as common in adults as it is in children, it is still possible for adults to suffer an ear infection. In fact, around 20% of ear infections occur in adults. This begs the question, why can adults still get them?

    How Adults Get an Ear Infection
    Adult ear infections are just like the ear infections a person would have gotten when he or she was a child. Most middle ear infections are caused by either bacteria or viruses. A common cold, the flu, or allergy symptoms that cause congestion and swelling of the nasal passages, throat, and eustachian tubes can sometimes lead to an infection. Anything that makes the nose stuffy has a tendency to cause swelling and blockage of the eustachian tubes. Swelling from colds or allergies can keep the eustachian tubes from opening and this leads to pressure changes and the accumulation of fluid in the middle ear. This pressure and fluid will cause pain and sometimes persistent fluid can lead to an infection.

    Adult Ear Infection Risk Factors
    Typically, for an adult ear infection, people with a weakened immune system or inflammation in the structures of the ear are more at risk. Adults with diabetes and/or chronic skin conditions (like eczema or psoriasis) also may be more prone to adult ear infections than most.

    When to See a Healthcare Provider
    One of the hardest questions to answer when it comes to ear infections is if/when to see a doctor. Often, the symptoms of ear infections can go away on their own without the need for antibiotics or a doctor visit. A good warning to remember is if the symptoms of an ear infection have not improved or completely gone away within three days, if there are new symptoms (e.g. fever, loss of balance, etc.), or if there is discharge coming from the ear, then a trip to the doctor’s office should take place. After a doctor has made his or her diagnosis, then treatment can begin, whether with antibiotics or simple pain management.

    Ear Infection Prevention
    With all infections, there are ways of preventing adult ear infections from happening. Quitting smoking is a massively important step in preventing adult ear infections. Smoking damages the lungs and the respiratory system. It damages the delicate tissues and affects the immune system’s ability to combat respiratory infections, as well as causing inflammation. By cutting out this harmful habit, a person’s body is better equipped to fight infection and prevent an adult ear infection from happening in the first place. In addition to quitting smoking, some basic hygiene tips can also help. Properly cleaning the outer ear after swimming or bathing helps avoid water sitting in the ear, which can lead to outer ear infections. When drying or cleaning the ear, try to avoid using cotton swabs, as use increases your risk of accidentally damaging your eardrum. Finally, regularly washing hands and avoiding allergy triggers as much as possible are good hygiene tips for the ear. Lastly, eating a well-balanced diet is helpful to your whole body, even your ears.

    Ear infections are no fun when you’re a kid, and they are no better as an adult. While not as common as childhood ear infections, adult ear infections have a lot of the same symptoms with the potential for more serious consequences if it is allowed to go unchecked for too long. Basic ear hygiene and healthy lifestyle choices are good ways to avoid the infections but may not always be perfect. It’s always good practice to pay attention to your body and not ignore new aches and pains. Just because you are an adult, does not mean you cannot get an ear infection.

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  • Antibiotic Stewardship Programs

    What the heck is an Antibiotic/Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) and what does it have to do with my child’s earache?

    Two great questions!  Let us tackle the ASP question first. In general, this term refers to programs put in place by your healthcare provider, in conjunction with guidelines developed by local hospitals or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),  to ensure that antibiotics are prescribed appropriately. Antibiotics play an important role in fighting infection, but when prescribed inappropriately, such as for viral infections or a non-bacteria related middle ear problem, the correct course of treatment is delayed, and the potential for unrelated bacteria to develop resistance to the prescribed antibiotic(s) can become a problem.  

    OK, nice to know, but how does this relate to the very real problem of your child’s earache?  The key here is for the healthcare provider to determine if the problem is bacterial in nature or not. Ear pain (otalgia) or redness of the eardrum are some of the signs of Acute Otitis Media (AOM), but as we’ve learned from previous blog posts, other conditions, such as the common cold or pharyngitis can also cause these symptoms. The American Academy of Pediatrics AOM guidelines state that fluid must be present in the middle ear to definitively diagnose AOM. This buildup of fluid and pressure in the middle ear is the direct result of a bacterial infection that would, in most cases, be treated with antibiotics. However, determining if there is fluid in the middle ear is difficult today because the tools currently available are unable to actually image the contents of the middle ear. Given that, the misdiagnosis rate for middle ear related problems is quite high and may result in overuse of antibiotics.

    Devices like the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope will allow your healthcare provider to determine the absence or presence of fluid in the middle ear even when there’s occluding ear wax, allowing them to achieve more than a 90% accuracy rate assessing MEE*.

    *Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020 Mar;162(3):367-374

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  • What a Middle Ear Infection Looks Like Using the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope

    Despite its small size, the ear is a very complicated organ. The three main parts of the ear are known as the inner, middle, and outer ear. At PhotoniCare, we focus our efforts on the middle ear. The middle ear is the area located directly behind the eardrum. 

    The Middle Ear
    Most middle ear infections are caused by either bacteria or viruses. A common cold, the flu, or allergy symptoms that cause congestion and swelling of the nasal passages, throat, and eustachian tubes can sometimes lead to an infection. Anything that makes the nose stuffy has a tendency to cause swelling and blockage of the eustachian tubes. Swelling from colds or allergies can keep the eustachian tubes from opening and this leads to pressure changes and the accumulation of fluid in the middle ear. This pressure and fluid will cause pain and sometimes persistent fluid can lead to an infection.

    Viewing the Surface of the Eardrum
    Traditionally, when a healthcare provider checks you or your child for an ear infection, they use an instrument called an otoscope. An otoscope is basically a pen light attached to a magnifying glass, and this simple device has been used in medicine for the past 150 years. The otoscope comes with several pointed tips called specula. A speculum is chosen based on the size of the patient’s ear opening. To use the otoscope, a healthcare provider gently inserts the appropriately sized speculum into the ear canal to look at the surface of the eardrum. 

    Traditional otoscopy offers a high-level of variability and subjective observation based on the clinician experience and patient cooperation. Additionally, there may be wax blocking his/her view, or the patient may be uncooperative (think tired and sick child), which prevents proper positioning of the otoscope. These real-life impediments are what makes diagnosing AOM so difficult. Improvements in technology, like the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope, aim to bring clarity to this very subjective process of assessing middle ear health.

    A New View of the Middle Ear
    In the search for a solution, there has never been a method to non-invasively ascertain the contents of the middle ear, a key determinant when considering an infection diagnosis such as Acute Otitis Media (AOM) – until now!

    The OtoSight Middle Ear Scope uses a novel application of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to directly visualize fluid in the middle ear, a key determinant when following AAP Guidelines for diagnosing middle ear infections such as AOM. The technology in the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope is 90.6% accurate when assessing MEE*. This is a significant increase over the 50% accuracy with standard otoscopy published in 2001**.

    How to Interpret an middle ear scan

    Unlike other technologies, OtoSight can accurately determine middle ear effusion, even in the presence of cerumen. In this video, we’ll share with you how to understand and interpret at OtoSight Exam.

    Click here to learn how to interpret an middle ear scan

    When to Visit Your Healthcare Provider
    Ear pain and concerns about hearing are one of the most common reasons parents take their children to the doctor. If you suspect that your child has an ear infection, then PhotoniCare recommends that you contact your healthcare provider. A healthcare provider will examine your child’s ear for an infection or if there is another issue causing your child’s symptoms and pain. If the healthcare provider does suspect an ear infection, antibiotics may or may not  be recommended. Generally speaking, an ear infection has the potential to resolve itself without antibiotic treatment. In the case of a severe middle ear infection with infected fluid in the middle ear, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the healthcare provider prescribe antibiotics. However, the guidelines recommend the “watchful waiting” approach for non-severe middle ear infections in children over the age of two. The overall goal is to reduce over-prescription of antibiotics. 

    *Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020 Mar;162(3):367-374
    **Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2001;155(10):1137-1142.

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  • 5 ways to protect your ears and hearing

    Ready to hear something painfully obvious? Your hearing is vitally important. As simple of an idea as that seems, many people do not know how to properly protect the health of their ears. Once a person’s hearing is damaged, there is no way to repair it and the condition may worsen over time. While there are plenty of ways to fend off hearing loss, we want to highlight five ways to protect ear health.

    Turn the Volume Down

    The World Health Organization conducted a study and the findings are staggering. They found that 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults face hearing loss dangers from unsafe use of audio devices. This tip is incredibly important for parents of young children. A good practice to follow is listening to their music at 60% volume for no longer than an hour. This will help protect their ears from suffering damage from music that is too loud. Also, if you are looking into buying your child or children an audio device, try going for the over-the-ear headphones. Earbuds are fitted directly next to the eardrum and can have the most negative impact on hearing.

    Don’t be Afraid of Using Earplugs

    Everyone has been in the following situation: you’re out with your friends at the club or at a concert and the music is bumping and there’s a lot of loud conversations happening all around you, so much so that you feel that you need to yell at the person next to you just so he or she can hear what you’re trying to say. This is a prime situation where earplugs could and should be utilized. Nearly 15% of Americans have experienced some type of loud work or leisure environment that has caused noise-induced hearing loss. Earplugs are affordable and easy to find, leaving you no excuse not to go get some and start protecting your hearing.

    Avoid Cotton Swabs

    How many of you have ever used a cotton swab to clean out your ear, specifically when removing excess wax buildup? Using a cotton swab to clean your ears is a common practice, however, it may not be the best practice. What people don’t often know is a person’s ears are self-cleaning and ear wax acts as a barrier for dust and other harmful particles to enter the ear canal. Whenever you insert anything into your ears, you run the risk of damaging sensitive structures, like the eardrum. It may be wise to  seek professional help for cleaning if you feel that there is an excessive amount of wax that needs cleared.

    Keep your Ears Dry

    While this tip is important for everyone, this is specifically catered to those taking care of their children. When water gets trapped in the ear, it sometimes leads to an infection in the outer ear. This is called otitis externa, or more commonly known as swimmer’s ear. During the summer months specifically, your children are going to want to be in the pool. It is imperative to make sure they are properly drying their ears after each dip in the pool to avoid early hearing loss issues. Watch and make sure that their ears are gently towel-dried. If they still feel some water inside the ear canal, have them tilt their head and give a light pull on the ear lobe.

    RELAX

    Here’s a surprising fact: Stress and anxiety are both linked to temporary and permanent tinnitus – the phantom ringing noise in your ears. When a person is feeling particularly stressed, the body can go into the fight or flight mode and your body becomes filled with adrenaline. This puts immense pressure on your nerves and spikes your blood flow and body temperature. This pressure and stress can then travel its way through the body and up into the inner ear, causing the tinnitus symptoms. While we know it’s impossible to simply cut stress out of your life, try to make a conscious effort to regularly put yourself in less stressful situations and environments to provide some balance. This is not only good for your ears and hearing, but also your overall health.

    Protecting your ear health is imperative for your hearing. Many times, people don’t even know they are putting stress on their hearing until it’s too late. Following these five steps can certainly put you on the right track to having healthy ears and maintaining your hearing, but that doesn’t mean you can just stop there. Make sure to regularly visit your primary care doctor for check-ups to always keep up-to-date on your ear health. Don’t wait to act until it’s too late. Be proactive and take control of your ear health.

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  • Meet OtoSight Middle Ear Scope

    Eight out of 10 children will have a middle ear infection, and as a parent or caregiver, you know how ear infections can not only be tough for you to manage, but painful and uncomfortable for your child. 

    PhotoniCare’s missions is to make a real impact on the health of children. We started with middle ear infections because of our personal experience with this disease, as both parents and patients.

    Why OtoSight Middle Ear Scope?

    Ear infections are the leading cause of surgery and hearing loss in children, and responsible for $10 billion in related healthcare costs and 30 million office visits each year in the United States alone. What is interesting to note is that the tool most used in the diagnosis of middle ear infections hasn’t changed in over 100 years!  Yes, you read that correctly — the technology in otoscope that is used to visualize the surface of the eardrum, has fundamentally remained unchanged for 100+ years. Although now a bit sleeker and more lightweight, the design and the technology has not changed appreciably, while the need to diagnose acute otitis media (AOM) more accurately has increased dramatically in the age of antibiotic resistance and super-bugs. With a published misdiagnosis rate approaching 50% among primary care healthcare providers*, there is a real need for the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope.

    AN ADVANCED OCT IMAGER IN MINIATURE

    Our easy-to-use OtoSight Middle Ear Scope is designed to look, and handle, just like the familiar otoscope. However, unlike the otoscope, the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope uses an advanced light-based technology called optical coherence tomography (OCT) to see through the eardrum. Now, healthcare providers can view a high-resolution depth image on-screen to learn what’s going on in the middle ear. OtoSight is capable of helping clinicians make better decisions leading to improved outcomes and quicker time to restored ear health.

    OBJECTIVE TREATMENT DECISIONS

    Ear infections are the leading cause of antibiotic over-prescription and antibiotic resistance development. middle ear scan provide objective data for healthcare providers to increase confidence in their treatment plan. The

    The OtoSight Middle Ear Scope has the potential to fundamentally transform the management of middle ear infections. Our long-awaited, non-invasive solution adds objective data to the diagnostic equation, giving hope to improved quality of care for children worldwide. 

    *Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2001;155(10):1137-1142.

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  • How Do Antibiotics Work?

    Your local pharmacist just filled the prescription for antibiotics to treat your child’s Acute Otitis Media (AOM) infection…ever wonder how those antibiotics work?

    First, a little background. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections. Some antibiotics are highly specialized and are only effective against certain bacteria. Others, known as broad-spectrum antibiotics, attack a wide range of bacteria. Unfortunately, they may also attack some of the native, good bacteria too – so as we learned in a previous post, it’s imperative to be a good Antibiotic Steward.

    How Antibiotics Target Bacteria

    There are two main ways in which antibiotics target bacteria. They either prevent the reproduction of bacteria (bacteriostatic), or they kill the bacteria (bactericidal), for example, by stopping the bacteria from building their cell walls.

    3 Common Bacterial Pathogens in AOM

    The most common bacterial pathogens in AOM infections are Streptococcus pneumoniae, Hemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis. These three organisms are responsible for more than 95% of all bacterial AOM cases. Each one of these bacteria have a cell wall and are commonly treated with Amoxicillin.

    Amoxicillin is a penicillin-type antibiotic in the beta-lactam class, and it works by preventing the formation of the bacterial cell wall. However, to kill Strep. pneumoniae, a high dose of amoxicillin is required and even at a high dose, both H. influenzae, and M.catarrhalis are often resistant due to production of an enzyme called beta lactamase that inactivates amoxicillin.  Therefore, healthcare providers may prescribe amoxicillin combined with a second ingredient to neutralize the beta lactamase enzyme, such as amoxicillin/clavulanate (Augmentin), or a cephalosporin-type antibiotic, such as Cefdinir.

    So now you know how the antibiotics chosen to fight the infection in your child’s middle ear work – by preventing the formation of the bacterial cell wall (amoxicillin) and by neutralizing bacteria resistance mechanisms (augmentin and cefdinir)! Good to know the next time you’re discussing AOM treatment plans with your child’s healthcare provider.

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  • History of the Otoscope

    When you go to the doctor, how often do you think about the tools used by your healthcare provider? Typically, when a person is looking around the doctor’s office, he or she spends most of his or her time hoping that none of those tools will be used. But, how often does one think of the history of these items? Many medical tools have a rich history and one of those tools, the otoscope, happens to be incredibly important to ear health. 

    What is an otoscope?

    Before going into the history, first we should learn a bit more about how the Otoscope is used. An Otoscope, or an ear speculum, is a device that assists doctors in examining the nasal and aural (ear) passages of the patient. Everyone that has ever been in a doctor’s office has seen one of these hanging on the wall, or even in the doctor’s pocket. It consists of a long handle, and on the head is a magnifier that the doctor peers through, and a light to better see the area he or she is inspecting. The end of the Otoscope is used to examine the patient without damaging the ear or nasal canal. Whenever a patient comes into an office complaining of blockage or pain within the ear or nose, the Otoscope is the first thing the doctor reaches for. While most patients are pretty familiar with what the Otoscope does, few likely know the history of the tool. 

    History of the otoscope

    The beginning of the Otoscope’s history can be traced all the way back to France in 1363. At that time, French physician and surgeon Guy de Chauliac envisioned a tool that could help diagnose patients complaining of ear or nose pain. The actual device was not created until a German surgeon and a medical device salesman – Wilhelm Fabry and J.J. Perret – created the first prototypes in the 1600s and 1700s, respectively. The first Otoscope was shaped more like a pair of tongs than the device you are accustomed to seeing today. 

    In the middle of the 19th century, in Germany, the modern Otoscope really began to take shape. Wilhelm Kramer, a German Otologist, developed a steel ear speculum with a funnel on the end. Kramer’s speculum, as it became to be known, was the primary device used by physicians until 1881, when A. Hartmann created a design that mostly resembles today’s look. 

    What is interesting to note is that while most medical devices have evolved over last 100+ years, the Otoscope has pretty much remained the same over that same period. Although now  a bit sleeker and more lightweight, the design, as well as the technology, have not changed appreciably, while the need to diagnose acute otitis media (AOM) more accurately has increased dramatically in the age of microbial resistance. 

    Taking the guesswork out of ear health

    Being that it is essentially a penlight and magnifying glass, the otoscope can only see the surface of the eardrum, not what’s going on behind it, in the middle ear, where the diseases such as AOM reside. That’s where the OtoSight™ Middle Ear Scope comes in!

    OtoSight helps to determine the presence or absence of fluid in the middle ear, characterize the type of fluid, visualize the fluid’s density, and can do all of this even in the presence of significant wax.

    • Middle ear scan provides an objective assessment of middle ear health.
    • OtoSight™ results are not minimally affected by user or patient variability.
    • OtoSight™ Middle Ear Scope technology is 90.6% accurate when assessing middle ear effusion (fluid).

    If you’re looking for answers, you’re looking for OtoSight™. Find an OtoSight™ Middle Ear Scope near you by clicking here.

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  • 2 Types of Ear Infections

    Everyone remembers having ear infections. As a child, it was probably one of the more frustrating things to endure. Your ear hurt and your hearing was muffled. Thankfully, as we grow older, ear infections become less common (although they do happen) but they are frequently present during childhood. 

    Something most people don’t know is that there are actually two different types of ear infections. Most just assume that there is just one type and it’s the painful kind you remember; however, there is Acute Otitis Media and Otitis Media with Effusion. Don’t know how each one affects you? You’re not alone, and we’re here to help.

    Acute Otitis Media
    Acute Otitis Media (or AOM) is an ear infection where the middle ear (area behind the eardrum) becomes inflamed and infected. The eustachian tube that runs from the middle of the ear to the back of the throat becomes swollen, trapping infected fluid in the middle ear. This occurs due to a variety of reasons including the flu and common cold. Because the eustachian tube is much shorter and more horizontal in children, it can become blocked much easier than in adults, and is more susceptible to middle ear infection. Since this happens to young children, sometimes it can be tough for them to explain exactly how they are feeling, so parents have to be extra vigilant when it comes to looking for symptoms. Some things parents can look for are the following:

    • Fussiness and intense crying in infants
    • Tugging on ear and grimacing
    • Complaining about a sharp pain in the ear

    When one of these symptoms is present, it may be time to get the child to their healthcare provider. When a provider checks you or your child for an ear infection, they will typically use an instrument called an otoscope. An otoscope is basically a pen light attached to a magnifying glass, and this simple device has been used in medicine for the past 150 years. The otoscope comes with several cone-like tips called specula. The healthcare provider will gently insert the speculum into the ear canal to try to get a view of the surface of the eardrum. While the otoscope view of the eardrum may provide some relevant information, such as an inflamed and/or bulging eardrum, it cannot view the middle ear where the infection actually resides. 

    Future technologies, such as the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope, will allow clinicians to view the middle ear by seeing through the eardrum. If the healthcare provider does suspect an ear infection, antibiotics may or may not  be recommended. Generally speaking, an ear infection has the potential to resolve itself without antibiotic treatment. In the case of a severe middle ear infection with infected fluid in the middle ear, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the healthcare provider prescribe antibiotics. And in cases where multiple ear infections have occurred, called Recurrent AOM (RAOM), a referral to an ear specialist (otolaryngologist) may be necessary, to evaluate whether surgical intervention may be warranted. However, the guidelines recommend a “watchful waiting” approach for non-severe middle ear infections in children over the age of two. The overall goal is to reduce over-prescription of antibiotics.

    Otitis Media with Effusion
    Otitis Media with Effusion (OME) occurs when the eustachian tube clogs and fluid cannot drain from your ears to the back of your throat. It is incredibly common and, according to the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality, around 90% of children will have OME by the time they turn ten. Just like with AOM, children are much more likely to get OME because of their shorter and more horizontal eustachian tubes. Also, children contract more colds and other viral upper respiratory illnesses with more regularity than adults. While OME is not actually an ear infection, they are closely related. By developing OME, the middle ear fluid  serves as a breeding ground for bacteria to grow, which may lead to AOM.

    One of the major symptoms of OME is hearing problems. You may notice your child turning the television up louder, having to ask you to repeat yourself more or saying things sound muffled. He or she may also be continuously tugging at the ear. If you have a suspicion that your child has OME, you can take him or her to the doctor where further testing can be done. Similar to AOM diagnosis, a doctor can use an otoscope or conduct a tympanometry test to see if the child does in fact have OME. However, current tools used to diagnose fluid in the middle ear can be difficult to use reliably in squirming or crying children, and rely heavily on user expertise to interpret a simple image or measurement of the eardrum, especially in primary care settings where otoscopic accuracy has been reported to be as low as 50%.  If your child is diagnosed with OME, it can usually be cleared up by just giving it time.

    A complication that can arise when fluid stays in the ear for an extended period of time (3 months or more) or comes back time and again is Chronic OME (COME). When a person develops COME, he or she can find it harder to fight off future ear infections and his or her hearing may be permanently affected. If it happens in children it may have an impact on speech development. Referral to an otolarygologist for suspected COME may require surgical intervention to drain the fluid and air out the middle ear. 

    Again, OME is incredibly common and may not have any long-term effect on a child’s health as long as it does not become a chronic issue. Washing hands regularly, avoiding allergens, utilizing air filters and avoiding cigarette smoke and air pollution are just a few ways to avoid contracting OME.

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  • Why are my ears ringing?

    It’s the middle of the night, all is silent in the house except for what’s going on in your ear(s). It’s constant. It’s irritating. It’s that ringing that no matter what you try to do is always there when everything is so quiet, leaving you with so many questions. Why is it there? What could you have done to prevent it? Is there any way to cure it?

    Although our technology is focused on imaging the middle ear, we often meet patients that struggle with issues affecting the inner ear. One such issue is when a patient is experiencing the ringing in his or her ears. In this blog post, we discuss what causes the annoying, and sometimes painful, reasons why you might have ringing in your ears.

    What is ringing in the ear?

    The sensation of hearing ringing, buzzing, hissing, whistling or any other sounds is called Tinnitus. Interesting to note, the word Tinnitus is pronounced two different ways. One pronunciation tends to sound like “TIN-ni-tus”. While the general American pronunciation often sounds like “ti-night-tus” or “tin-NYE-tus.” 

    Tinnitus can be intermittently heard or a continuous noise and varies in volume. While the noise is constantly occurring, many times a person who has Tinnitus will be more aware of it when the background noise is lower, hence why most people are bothered by it when trying to fall asleep. Tinnitus is incredibly common and has affected around 50 million adults in the US. For most individuals, Tinnitus is simply an annoying sound heard in the quiet, and causes little to no ear pain; however, there are severe cases that can cause individuals to experience difficulty sleeping or even concentrating and, in the more extreme cases, cause psychological distress. So, now that you have some background into what Tinnitus is, let’s look into some of the causes of that ringing in your ears.

    What Causes Tinnitus

    The most common cause of Tinnitus is prolonged exposure to loud noises. When a person is exposed to loud noises over a long period of time (think construction workers, pilots, musicians etc.), it causes permanent damage to the sound-sensitive cells within the cochlea. Along with prolonged exposure, a single exposure to an extremely loud and jarring noise can also cause Tinnitus. 

    While noise plays a key role, other factors can also cause Tinnitus, including the following:

    • Blockages due to wax buildup or ear infections
    • A potential side effect of multiple drugs including aspirin, sedatives and others
    • The natural aging process, which causes the cochlea to deteriorate
    • High blood pressure and/or cardiovascular disease
    • Neck or jaw problems
    • Injuries to the head or neck

    Tinnitus symptoms can often worsen from use of alcohol, smoking cigarettes, eating certain foods, and even experiencing stress and fatigue. 

    Tinnitus Treatment

    Now that you know what it is and what causes it, let’s talk about some ways to treat Tinnitus. The first step in treatment – and most important – is figuring out what is causing the ringing sound. If you find that the cause of your Tinnitus is an underlying health or medical condition, your first step should be to address that condition. If, instead of an underlying health issue, the problem is simply excessive earwax, you will need your healthcare provider to clean out your ears. Once that is completed, the noise may go away completely, or at least be considerably toned down.

    There are certain medications that can also treat Tinnitus. Anti-anxiety drugs – Valium or antidepressants like Elavil – have been known to help reduce the effects of Tinnitus. Also, the use of steroids placed in the middle ear can also help reduce the effects of Tinnitus.

    For most people, Tinnitus is caused by noise exposure, so a natural remedy is to use masking devices. The use of hearing aids or Tinnitus Maskers – devices that play a sound more soothing and pleasant than the internal ringing – help deaden the noise made by Tinnitus and can help the affected person cope easier.

    Tinnitus is a common condition that most people live with every day. You can try to avoid this condition by avoiding loud noise exposure altogether; however, your ear health may not be horribly altered by Tinnitus. By making changes to your daily life, you can learn to live and cope with Tinnitus without experiencing any detrimental side effects or further ear pain. Some of these changes may be minor, like adding soothing sounds to silence to avoid hearing the ringing, while other changes may be more drastic, like quitting smoking or drinking alcohol; however, when it comes to maintaining ear health, any measure is worth it.

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  • What Are Ear Tubes?

    As a parent, you always want to have the answers. You have a tiny human being that has to depend on you for all of his or her needs. You helped create this smiling bundle of joy and you want to put him or her on the best possible track for success; however, some things happen that are outside of your control and expertise. One of those things that commonly affect infants and small children is an ear infection. 

    Eight out of 10 children will have a middle ear infection, but what if your child seems to have them more than what you think is normal? What if your child seems to have difficulty hearing and complains about “water in the ear” when there doesn’t seem to be a reason for it? When this happens, it may be time to seek help by calling your primary care doctor or ENT specialist for the best next steps for your child’s ear health.

    WHAT ARE EAR TUBES? 

    Ear tubes go by many names – myringotomy tubes, tympanostomy tubes, ventilation tubes – but they’re all the same thing. They are small, hollow tubes made of plastic or metal that are surgically inserted into an incision in your child’s eardrum. This procedure creates an opening that allows air ventilation of the middle ear, drains any fluid present, and stops the buildup of fluid behind the eardrum. By doing this, the risk of ear infections is mitigated and, as long as the tube stays in place without clogging, the child should not experience any further ear infection-related issues. But even knowing what ear tubes accomplish can still leave some unanswered questions, such as; “How do I even know if my child needs them or not?”

    WHEN A CHILD MAY NEED EAR TUBES

    Ear tubes are most commonly used in children because their eustachian tubes – the natural ventilation structure of the middle ear – are narrower and more horizontal than in a grown adult. When children develop an upper respiratory infection, the resulting mucus can more easily block the eustachian tubes, which causes an accumulation of fluid in the middle ear. When this problem persists for more than three or four months following an ear infection, it may be time for tubes to be placed in your child’s ears. 

    Other symptoms that may precede the need for ear tubes are the following:

    • Repeated ear infections that do not improve with medications over several months
    •  Fluid in the ears and more than 3 months hearing loss
    • Speech and language development delays

    RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH EAR TUBES

    Before making the commitment to getting this surgery for your child, do not be afraid to ask about the risks and benefits of the procedure. 

    While all types of surgeries in which general anesthesia is used carry a risk, the procedure for placing ear tubes in the eardrum is a relatively quick, safe and effective procedure. However, outcomes may vary. Just because a child receives tubes does not mean he or she can never contract an infection again. There is also the potential risk of scarring or weakening of the eardrum or the tubes staying in too long or falling out early; however, the benefits of receiving tubes generally outweigh the risks.

    By receiving the ear tube placement procedure, the child’s risk of future ear infections are lowered and hearing can be restored if one of the symptoms prior to the surgery was hearing loss. Also, speech development can continue on as normal and even the child’s sleep, behavior and communication may be improved if previous ear infections affected one or all of those areas. Finally, the ear tubes will allow time for the child to mature and will help his or her eustachian tube to work more efficiently as it becomes wider and longer.

    Finally, after surgery has been completed and the tubes are safely inside your child’s ear, the next step is simply to care for your little one. Antibiotic ear drops and/or pain killers may be prescribed, and your healthcare provider will provide any special post-surgery care instructions. If you notice any drainage, ear pain, or fever after the procedure, you should call your child’s healthcare provider. If all things go according to plan, the tubes should fall out on their own after approximately six to nine months.

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