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How Much Do You Know About Ear Infections?

LilSugar — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:30:01 PST

In a surprising announcement last week, the Centers for Disease Control announced that ear infection diagnoses had plummeted by almost 30 percent over the past 15 years. Doctors aren't quite sure why the nasty earaches are on the decline, but some are crediting a drop in the number of US smokers, an increase in the number of breastfed children, and an increase in vaccinations for the good news. Coincidentally, on the same day the report was released, my son was diagnosed with a double ear infection, reminding me that that we can't quite count them out yet. Take our quiz and see just how much you know about ear infections.

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Can My Earbuds Give Me an Ear Infection?

FitSugar — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:00:15 PST

When the weather isn't good for exercising outdoors I run on a treadmill, sometimes for well over an hour. No matter how many fans are blowing and how many windows are open at the gym, I seem to sweat 10 times more when I'm running indoors than when I'm running outside. I always cue up an inspiring playlist on my iPod - especially for long indoor runs - but lately I've been having a problem with sweat getting into my ears during the runs and wondered if sweat in my ears (ew!) might cause an ear infection.

Since using in-ear headphones does increase bacterial growth in your ears, the headphones I use for running are no exception. Plus, there's the chance of developing swimmer's ear, which occurs when water - or anything else, cotton swabs included - gets into your inner ear and breaks down the skin, allowing bacteria inside.

Luckily I'm not sweating profusely enough to warrant shaking out any excess sweat that gets into my ear canal after a long run - how funny would that look? But to minimize ear infection risk, it's important to keep your earbuds clean, especially after a long sweaty workout or after storing them in a stuffy gym bag.

What Do You Know About Ear Tubes?

LilSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:00:36 PST

Most mamas gets an earful about ear infections from her tot's pediatrician. Some kids are more prone to the common ailment, and doctors often suggest ear tube surgery as a treatment to the problem. No parent wants to put their child under the knife, but the procedure is not as scary as it sounds. Take the quiz to see how much you know about ear tubes in children.

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Keep Your Earbuds to Yourself!

FitSugar — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:00:00 PST

While we know that listening to loud music can cause hearing loss, now we have a new thing to worry about when it comes to using earbuds. A study published in the Online Journal of Health and Allied Sciences has found that frequent use of earphones greatly increases the bacterial growth in the ear. If you share earbuds with a friend, say on the bus or while watching a movie on a laptop, bacteria can transfer from your friend's earbud to your ear. If that happens, it can lead to a painful ear infection. So the bottom line is to use your own earbuds, or thoroughly clean the set you're going to share.

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Into Swimming? Avoid Swimmer's Ear

FitSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:00:00 PDT

If Michael Phelps and Dara Torres have inspired you to hit the pool, let me warn you about an unwanted side effect of spending lots of time in the water - swimmer's ear. When your ear is exposed to excess moisture, (whether you're swimming or bathing), water can stay trapped in your ear canal. Then the skin inside your ear can become soggy and begin to break down. When this happens, water dilutes the acidity of the ear canal allowing bacteria or fungi to penetrate the skin, causing a painful swimmer's ear infection. Actually, you don't even have to be near water in order to contract swimmer's ear since anything that causes a break in the skin of your ear canal can lead to this infection. That's why cleaning your ear with a cotton swab (or sticking anything else in your ear for that matter) is not recommended. Once there's damage to the skin, you're at risk for an infection.

To find out how you can prevent swimmer's ear

Swimmer's ear can cause pain, tenderness, ringing, and itchiness in your ear, so you want to avoid it at all costs. As soon as you're finished with a swim or shower, shake your head to one side and then the other to get excess water out of your ear. Over the counter drops that contain a dilute solution of acetic acid or alcohol can also help dry up your ear canal. Wearing ear plugs while swimming is also a good way to prevent water from entering your ear in the first place. Of course, whether you swim or not, you also want to stop cleaning your ear with cotton swabs.

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DrSugar Answers: Deadly Pools?

FitSugar — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:00:00 PDT

DrSugar is in the house and answering your questions.

DrSugar,
I have a friend who was banned from swimming as a child. She grew up with a pool in her backyard and developed a serious ear infection that landed her in the hospital. Her doctor told her that if she ever swam again she could die. Is this lifelong ban from swimming warranted? Is there such an ear infection that could kill you? I cannot imagine not swimming.
Missing Mermaid

To see DrSugar's answer, just

When you dive into the matter, swimming pools can be a mine field of dangers for adults and children alike, ranging from sunburns to dreaded cramps if you swim less than 30 minutes after eating, from skin infections or ear infections. The list of hazards also includes drowning and thermal shock. But swimming is a common form of recreation and with it come some side effects.

Outer ear infections, called otitis externa, are relatively common among aquatic athletes and those who spend a lot of time in the water. The infection is caused by bacteria or fungi, and symptoms include ear pain, a feeling of fullness in the ear and itching. It is generally a mild condition easily treatable with antibiotic ear drops. Common risk factors for developing an outer ear infection include swimming and diving in polluted or infected waters, such as a lake populated with waterfowl, hot and humid weather, eczema of the ears, and any trauma to the ear canal such as aggressive cleaning with cotton swabs.

While outer ear infections are usually relatively benign, there is a very small risk of developing a more serious condition known as malignant or necrotizing otitis externa. Essentially a more severe infection, it can spread to the skull or even the brain. This infection is more common in untreated outer ear infections and people with severe immunosuppresion such as diabetes. Having an outer ear infection also puts you at higher risk for developing another outer ear infection again in the future. To answer your question, it’s unclear why the doctor in this situation banned the girl from swimming forever, but she should definitely consult with an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist before jumping into the pool with you.

If you have a question for DrSugar, send me a private message here and I will forward it to the good doctor.

DrSugar's posts are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. Click here for more details.

When an Earache Needs Medical Attention

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:30:00 PST

Last month we went over the signs and symptoms of realizing when a stomachache may require a visit to the doctor, recently I was confronted with a similar issue - an earache. I used to think that ear infections were just a problem for babies and small children, but adults can suffer from them, too. While earaches can be a symptom of a cold, that ache can turn into an infection. Since ear infections require antibiotics (earaches generally subsides when the cold goes away), your ears might need some medical attention.

Here are symptoms to look for when an earache has evolved into an ear infection, meaning time to visit your doctor.

Loss of appetite. This may be apparent in young children, especially during bottle feedings. Pressure changes in the middle ear as the child swallows, causing more pain.
Irritability.
Poor sleep. Pain may be more persistent when lying down as fluid is shifting.
Fever. Ear infections can cause temperatures up to 104°F.
Vertigo. You may have a sense of spinning.
Drainage from the ear. Yellow, brown, or white fluid that isn't earwax may seep from the ear, indicating the eardrum has ruptured.
Difficulty hearing. Fluid build-up in the middle ear prevents the eardrum from functioning properly. The sound is then unable to be transmitted to the bones of the middle ear and from there to the brain.

Source

Prevent Swimmer's Ear

FitSugar — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:15:00 PDT

Your ears are pretty remarkable. Their unique design helps to tip water out of your ear canal, so you can usually bathe, shower, swim, and even walk in the rain with no problems. The ear canal is also acidic which prevents against bacterial and fungal infections.

However, if your ear is exposed to excess moisture (like if you're swimming a lot), the water can stay trapped in your ear canal. This skin can then get soggy and break down, diluting the acidity and allowing bacteria or fungi to penetrate through the skin, causing an infection called swimmer's ear.

The weird thing is that you don't have to swim to get swimmer's ear. Anything that causes a break in the skin of your ear canal will cause this infection - that's why cleaning your ear with a cotton swab is NOT recommended - if you damage the skin, you could risk getting swimmer's ear.

What are the symptoms? PAIN! The ear may also feel itchy or full. The outer ear may turn red or get swollen, and the lymph nodes around the ear may become enlarged and tender. There may be discharge - clear at first, but then turn cloudy, yellowish, and pus-like. Hearing, understandably, is affected as well.

Fun stuff, huh? So what do you do if you have swimmer's ear? To find out,

If your infection is severe, your doctor will prescribe drops that contain antibiotics for 7-10 days to fight the infection, and steroids to reduce swelling. Oral meds like ibuprofen or aspirin may also be suggested to help reduce the pain.

Fit's Tips: To prevent this painful infection during the summer, as soon as you're done swimming, shake your head to one side and then the other to get excess water out of your ear. OTC drops that contain a dilute solution of acetic acid or alcohol can also help dry up your ear canal. If you or your child is prone to swimmer's ear, wearing ear plugs may also be a good option.

Source

Is it an Ear Infection? Find Out With EarCheck

FitSugar — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 11:00:00 PDT

If you have young kids, you already know ear infections are a part of childhood. Children are susceptible to them because when they're sick, kids have a hard time getting the mucus out of their body. They're just beginning to learn the vital skill of blowing their nose. The mucus ends up draining into their ears, causing severely painful infections.

You can make many a trip to your pediatrician to have your kid's ears examined. Wouldn't it be great if you could check your children's ears at home without a doctor?

The EarCheck Middle Ear Monitor might be just the gadget you need. For $49.95, you can check your own child's ear to see if they have an infection. Just like the one at the doctor's office, this one uses sound waves to detect if there is fluid in the middle ear.

Checking your child's ear is quick and painless - if you can get them to hold still (I always find that element a problem). The EarCheck Monitor has an easy to read display and with the information you can decide if a doctor's visit is necessary.

Now that the weather is warming up, we'll be heading swimming. This monitor can also check for Swimmer's Ear. So it could be handy to have one on hand so you can spend more time enjoying the weather outside, and less time sitting in a doctor's office.

6 Surprising Health Mistakes Even Smart Women Make

Prevention — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 04:05:18 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

When was the last time you got 8 hours of sleep or lifted weights at the gym? You're not alone if you can't remember: Even some of the most savvy women didn't get the memo about these health-wrecking habits. Find out if you're among them.
From the Editors of Prevention

You're supposed to watch saturated fat and eat lots of vegetables — that's why you usually pick up a salad for lunch and dinner (even when the kids get burgers). But you're not obsessed with the scale like some women you know. You brush your teeth twice a day, and you last flossed, oh, maybe two weeks ago. You exercise but avoid lifting so you don't bulk up. The tummy pains you got last week? Must have been gas — nothing serious. And hey, you'd like to get 8 hours of sleep, but the days are short, and it's hard to get everything done. Sound familiar? These so-called "good" habits may actually be derailing your health. Here, experts share the surprising things you're doing wrong — and how to recover.

1. You Always Order a Salad
Don't assume that bowl of lettuce is always the healthiest menu pick.

Truth is, a lot of take-out and restaurant salads are basically a burger in a bowl, says Brie Turner-McGrievy, RD, clinical research coordinator for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) in Washington, DC. That's because add-ons like fried chicken, croutons, and full-fat dressing pack major calories, fat, sodium, and other unhealthy nutrients. One example: McDonald's Bacon Ranch Salad with Crispy Chicken and Newman's Own Ranch Dressing has 540 calories and 35 grams of fat; a Big Mac has 540 calories and 29 grams.

The fix: Don't scratch take-out salad off your menu; just use a few common sense rules before you order. Avoid high-fat add-ons such as sour cream, extra cheese, croutons, bacon bits, and creamy dressings like Caesar and ranch. Opt for salads that aren't just a fiber-free mound of iceberg lettuce dotted with a few carrot and red cabbage shavings. And plan ahead: Most fast-food chains supply nutritional info online so you can scout out the best options before you leave.

Avoid These Surprisingly Unhealthy Salads

2. You Rock Out While You Work Out
Do your ears ring after a long iPod-powered workout?

Check the volume on your iPod or MP3 player, advises Andrew Cheng, MD, an otolaryngologist at New York Medical College. The normal range of an MP3 player is 60 to 120 decibels; persistent exposures above 85 may cause hearing loss. If you're concerned, ask a friend to stand next to you while you listen: If she can hear your music, it's too loud.

Learn the fix and four more other common mistakes, when you read more.