No Sweeter Words

Life has its ups, downs, stops and fast forwards. Through bitter sometimes, it offers sweet moments. While your eyes see the beautiful things life has to offer, your ears help you appreciate sweet words and tunes. You decide what you goes to your mind by filtering the noise and the echoes of this world.

I could go on and on about different perspectives life has to offer but today, let us learn about something we rarely hear being talked about, your ears. The ears, on each side of your head perceive sound and aid in balance. If you have ever visited a doctor and complained of feeling dizzy, your doctor will have an ear disease as a possible cause. Yes, that's how important your ears are.

Your ear produces wax, also known as cerumen which prevents your ear from drying out and traps dust, bacteria and other irritants. No matter how soothing removing the wax can be, it is very harmful. Whenever you put objects like pencils, pens and their tops in your ear you disrupt the process of wax production.

Once the production is compromised your ears dry out and the protective barrier is removed which could lead to impaction of the wax. Also as objects enter your ear, they can perforate your eardrum leading to serious complications like hearing loss, cholesteatoma, chronic otitis media etc.

As we enjoy good music there is the tendency to increase the volume to keep us in the groove but as you continually do this, you disrupt the hair cells in your ear which play a major role in hearing. Think of it like walking across one particular stretch of the lawn continuously. The grass will eventually stop growing and even if it doesn’t, it will not be aesthetically pleasing as the other areas of the lawn. No matter how pleasant putting objects in your ears feel, you may need to think about the possibility of wearing hearing aids to hear the cry of your child or the rustling wind.

Your ears could also get infected as you swim. How? As you swim some of the water can get trapped in the ear canal distorting the protective layer. As the barrier is broken down bacteria or other pathogens enter the ear and cause infection, called Swimmer's ear or Otitis externa. Use ear protection like ear plugs, bathing caps or dry your ears with a clean towel after swimming.

Resolve to taking good care of your ears as they are vital to maintain a healthy body and mind. Quit removing the wax, it is protective. In case you feel any discomfort, visit the doctor to have your ears checked and washed if necessary. Stay safe.

Ralph Eugene Buabeng

Medical Student