Ear, Nose and Throat Health

Hearing loss is not always inevitable for everyone. There are many factors that contribute to hearing loss and aging. The most common is noise exposure over many years. Noise exposure can be as slight as workin... continue reading  about  Is hearing loss inevitable as we age? Is there anything we can do to prevent it?

One of two problems is going on here. Either you have ear wax blocking your ear canal (a condition called cerumen impaction), or your allergies won't permit your ears to "pop", meaning that your eustachian tube... continue reading  about  I have spring allergies and this year I have a plugged left ear, which I'm attributing to this. I've been using the over-the-counter ear wax remedies which have been working somewhat, usually for a day or two, and then my ear becomes plugged again.

If you feel a sore throat starting, this is usually a sign of a viral infection. To minimize symptoms, cool liquids/ice chips are quite helpful, although some people prefer warmer liquids. Gargling with salt wa... continue reading  about  I feel a sore throat coming on. What can I do keep the condition from worsening?

Swimmer's ear is a term commonly used to describe an infection of the ear canal. People who repeatedly wet the ear canal (swimming, surfing, scuba diving) can develop persistent dampness that allows either bact... continue reading  about  What is "swimmer's ear" and what is the best way to deal with it?

A couple of possible answers come to mind. First, there is a large source of blood flow in your head close to the bottom of your ear canal. The carotid artery is large and can sometimes produce a pounding or he... continue reading  about  What would cause a muffled thumping sound in my left ear (almost like hearing a heart beat)? This sound is not in the right ear, only the left. It doesn't happen all the time and there is no hearing loss.

Noises in the ear, whether it be thumping, ringing, buzzing, roaring or any other unusual sound not explained by outside sounds, are called tinnitus. Tinnitus can be constant, intermittent, high or low pitched,... continue reading  about  I have a thumping sound in my left ear. The sound is rapid and irregular, and not synced with my pulse. It started four days ago at night. Today for first time I noticed sounds like tapping gently on a speaker cone. It doesn't seem to affect hearing.

Hearing loss is often the main culprit with concerns about communication difficulties. Communication is the ability to hear, listen and respond to others appropriately. In order to hear, the auditory system (ou... continue reading  about  It's hard for me to follow a conversation when two or more people talk at once. I'm a 48-year-old woman who has had no hearing problems in the past. Should I be concerned?

Meniere's disease or syndrome is named after a French physician who first described the disorder in 1861. It is not a disease in that it cannot spread to another person. It is a syndrome of three symptoms chara... continue reading  about  I have been diagnosed with Meniere's Disease. I have always had ringing in my left ear. Recently I have noted a thumping sound in my left ear. Is this another symptom of Meniere's Disease?

Ear wax build-up is something we see daily in our clinic. It can range from very small amounts of wax that is not blocking the ear canal to large hard “plugs” of wax that can completely occlude the ... continue reading  about  How do I get a buildup of wax out of my ears? My friend suggested an over-the-counter product (Deprox). Are there any home remedies that I can use, and what do you think of ear candles?