Newsletter Ear Wax Cleaning – When & How What many people don’t realize is that ear wax (cerumen) is important for ear health. The wax lubricates the delicate skin in your ear, keeping it moisturized. It can also stop debris like bugs or dirt from entering the ear. It’s normal for your body to produce it, and it actually helps protect your ears. If you didn’t have earwax, your ears would probably be itchy and dry. Most people don’t need to do anything to remove ear wax beyond their daily shower routine. However, some people may overproduce ear wax, which can plug the ear canal and cause earaches, infections, and other problems. An excess of earwax can result in some hearing loss, which typically resolves once the wax is removed. Ear wax removal should only be done by a licensed audiologist or a physician who has been trained to remove ear wax. If your problem isn’t serious, but you do feel like you have too much earwax buildup, it is safe to gently clean the outside of your ears with a washcloth. You also can try putting a few drops of baby oil, hydrogen peroxide, mineral oil, or glycerin in your ear to soften the wax, as long as your physician feels that it is safe for you to use these methods. Most over-the-counter wax removal kits are effective at softening wax so it can work its way out of the ear naturally. Audiologists caution people about unsafe ear wax removal practices. In particular, ear candling is not only ineffective at removing ear wax, but candle wax can also potentially deposit into the ear, cause an increased risk of burns to the ear, face, and scalp as well as an increased risk of puncturing the ear drum. Q-tips can push wax further into the ear canal, which can cause impaction, discomfort, or a rupture in the ear drum. If the wax gets pushed too far into the ear canal, it could require surgical intervention. If left untreated, long-term complications can even lead to infections or hearing loss.
If you have excessive earwax, make an appointment with an audiologist to have it properly removed. Audiologists at the Pennsylvania Ear Institute (PEI) can remove earwax safely through one of three methods: irrigation, suction, or instrumentation. The audiologist will assess the seriousness of the ear wax buildup before deciding what actions to take. Removing earwax generally doesn’t hurt. You won’t need anesthesia or pain medicine when PEI’s expert audiologists remove the earwax.
To schedule an appointment at the Pennsylvania Ear Institute call 215.780.3180 or visit SalusUhealth.com/PEI
Tinnitus: Basic Facts seniors, musicians, construction workers, military personnel, and people with common health problems, such as arthritis, hypertension, varicose veins, and arteriosclerosis. The worse your hearing is, the more likely you are to have tinnitus.
direct a person’s attention away from the tinnitus and to reduce stress.
Patients with hearing loss can also be treated with hearing aids to improve communication. Hearing aids are able to amplify the environment to help patients There are two main types of tinnitus minimize tinnitus awareness. If amplification alone is not - subjective and objective. successful, a tinnitus therapy • Subjective: This can be heard signal can also be enabled within only by the person. It is the the hearing aid to reduce tinnitus most common type of tinnitus. awareness and improve relaxation.
•
• Objective: This can be heard by somebody examining the person and is very uncommon. It can be caused by a variety of physical effects such as a spasm of the tiny muscles in the middle ear, abnormalities in the blood vessels or increased blood flow to the ear.
Do you hear a buzzing, hissing or ringing sound inside your ears when no external sound is present? Don’t think it’s just in your head because you’re not alone. Tinnitus or ringing in the ears can be mild or severe, depending on its frequency, Tinnitus can negatively affect a patient’s overall health and social duration and level of discomfort. well-being. Even moderate cases can interfere with the ability to The U.S. Centers for Disease work and socialize. People with Control and Prevention estimates tinnitus often experience: that nearly 15% of the general public, over 50 million Americans, • Distress experience some form of tinnitus. Approximately 20 million people • Depression struggle with chronic tinnitus, • Anxiety while two million have extreme and debilitating cases. • Sleep disturbances Risk factors include: • Irritability or frustration • Aging • Poor concentration • Noise exposure from work, While there is no cure, counseling headphones, concerts, and sound therapy are successful explosives strategies for dealing with tinnitus. Counseling methods are based on • Smoking cognitive behavioral therapy and • Gender, as men are affected work to understand the physical more than women process that causes tinnitus and manage the reaction to the sound. • Hearing loss Sound therapy uses noise, music, or other engaging sounds to help Tinnitus is more common in men,
The Pennsylvania Ear Institute (PEI) offers a variety of tinnitus evaluation and management services. Our tinnitus experts create customized treatment plans to fit a patient’s needs.
For more information, please call 215.780.3180.
H
The Eye Institute (Oak Lane) 1200 West Godfrey Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19141 Appointments: 215.276.6111 The Eye Institute (Chestnut Hill) Chestnut Hill Plaza 7630 Germantown Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19118 Appointments: 215.276.6111 The Eye Institute (Norristown) 1401 DeKalb Street Norristown, PA 19401 Appointments: 610.278.7787 SalusUhealth.com/TEI
Pennsylvania Ear Institute 8380 Old York Road, Suite 120 Elkins Park, PA 19027 Appointments: 215.780.3180 SalusUhealth.com/PEI
At Salus University’s health facilities The Eye Institute, Pennsylvania Ear Institute, Speech-Language Institute and Occupational Therapy Institute compassionate doctors, clinicians and support staff have dedicated their lives to improving the health and well-being of our community. They provide highly specialized vision, hearing and balance, speech-language pathology and occupational therapy services all in an effort to improve the quality of life for patients and clients. If you have a caregiver who has made a meaningful impact on your life, please consider sending them a note of gratitude and making a charitable gift to the clinic in his or her honor. Although the amount of your contribution remains confidential, your Healthcare Hero will be notified of your honorary gift and he or she will be given special recognition.
Your gift not only demonstrates deep gratitude for the care you received, but it will play a critical role in enhancing access to care, advancing innovation and improving the patient and client experience in our community.
To donate, visit salusuhealth.com/give.