DEAF BY EAR BUD

If you have not yet heard that sticking a cotton ear bud down your ear canal is not good for you….. where have you been?

After I read a tweet on twitter where somebody said that they received this information from their doctor, but have been using them for a decade and nothing has gone wrong.  

….. YET!!!

It hit me, that seeing that I am in the Ear care industry, it would make more sense to me that sticking things down that small canal mm away from or actually poking at your ear drum would / will cause damage.

To defend my common sense theory and this being advise that all good doctors , Audiologist and Ear nose and Throat Specialist / Surgeons give, I googled the subject and merely typed in, ‘cotton buds cause ear damage’ that I planned on forwarding to the individual to persuade them to LISTEN …. No pun intended.

Matter of for meters appeared.

With all this information on the internet, I find it hard to understand that most people are either ignorant or just uninformed about ear care.

I learned (from spot reading) through all of these studies, journals, articles from doctors and many more that a cotton bud can cause a rupture in your eardrum (aka - Tympanic membrane perforation) .  It can either heal by its self or in more severe cases it can cause:

1)   Loss of hearing

-       cause by damage to the ear bones – permanent hearing loss

2)   Facial paralysis and vertigo

3)   Middle ear infection

-       The eardrum also acts as a barrier to keep outside material (such as bacteria) from entering the middle ear. When the eardrum is perforated, bacteria can easily travel to the middle ear -causing an infection.

And much more.

Like I always say, I would choose to be safe than sorry, rather use preventative ear care, than to have to wait for a cure, because … there is no cure for hearing loss.

Protect and look after your and your families ears. They are worth it.

Visit saveourear.co.za

Hearing Loss is a disease of civilization

Modern technology has created a high decibel environment from which it is not easy to escape!!

Car stereo, I pods, Cell phones even Traffic and noisy public spaces (sports events, Rock concerts , restaurants) Over the last few years with the rise of industrial society, noise levels have increased dramatically but our ears have not evolved to cope with these. Music for its own reasons has gotten louder, to the point of creating a public health hazard.

The length of exposure is a crucial factor in hearing loss. A constant 100 decibel level can cause damage after two hours!! During the 2010 soccer world cup

Many people suffered temporary or permanent hearing loss. The average sound exposure experienced by spectators was 100.5 decibels with peak exposure that exceeded 140 decibels by spectators blowing vuvuzelas.

Sound pressure levels of familiar everyday sounds:

Normal conversation – 60 db

Baby crying – 70  db

Noisy restaurant – 80 db

Approaching train (people on platform)- 100 db

Chainsaw – 100 db

Rock concert – 120 db

Pain threshold – 130 db

Jet engine/gunshot – 140 db

Rocket launch pad – 180 db

With all this information does it not make sense to protect your ears and those of your family??

Earplugs with a high decibel rating go a long way to protecting your ears and ensuring that they will be healthy for many years to come!!