Man is subject to many different diseases. Some of them pass easier and faster, almost imperceptibly, with some it takes longer and more difficult to fight. Otitis media also belongs to a series of such unpleasant sores that cause significant discomfort to its owner. How to treat it, how to prevent the disease and is it possible to warm up the ear with otitis media?
What is otitis media
First of all, let's define the disease. Otitis media is an inflammation of the ear tissue. From the school course, we can recall that our ear consists of three parts. These parts are called the outer, middle and inner ear, respectively. Inflammation can affect any of these three parts - separately or, in especially critical cases, together. As a rule, only one ear is affected, however, if inflammation of the middle ear occurs, which is due to respiratory tract infections, present or just transferred, then the disease can affect both ears at once.
Signs of otitis media
There are not so many symptoms of ear inflammation, but they are all pronounced, so there can be no doubt about it. As soon as these signs appear, you must immediatelyrun to the hospital to avoid possible dire consequences. Otitis media is not an ailment where you can play for time, relying on chance - they say, and so it will pass. And to endure ear pain, in general, is unpleasant.
So, the first sign by which it is easy to recognize inflammation in the ear is an unexpected severe pain, similar to a shooting pain. In addition, otitis media is accompanied by an increase in temperature to fairly large rates. Usually - if, of course, the necessary treatment manipulations are performed in time - a few days after the pain begins and the temperature rises, pus breaks out of the ear. This is considered a favorable development of the disease - it means that everything is going right, as usual. All the accumulated pus will come out, and after a while the wound will heal, the disease will go away. In the same case, if the pus does not break free in any way, you need to help him: this is very dangerous, because he will still look for a way out and can find it inside his head, which is fraught with very terrible consequences.
Causes of disease
The causes of any otitis are varied. For the outside, this is damage, some kind of injury, and hypothermia on the street, and the removal of sulfur from the ear. However, otitis externa is less common. But otitis media is very common. As a rule, most people who catch ear inflammation suffer from this particular kind of it. Its causes are complications after the disease of the outer ear, as well as, as mentioned above, infections by typeinfluenza, pharyngitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, rhinitis and other ear-nose-throat diseases.
Internal otitis, or, in other words, labyrinthitis, is the most dangerous of these three. It can lead to complete hearing loss, and is also fraught with other complications, such as meningitis, encephalopathy, and even death. Caused by internal otitis can be complications of otitis media or simply untreated inflammation of the middle ear.
Treatments
There are several ways to treat otitis media. They directly depend on what kind of otitis media a person has and how serious it is. With a mild form, at the very beginning of the disease, you can simply do with ear drops (with external otitis media), when the situation is more complicated, antibiotics are prescribed. If everything is really bad, they even perform operations.
Another method, and quite effective, is warming up. However, many are concerned about the question of whether it is possible to warm up the ears with otitis media. You can, but you need to remember that it is strictly forbidden to do this if pus has already begun to come out of the ear. But if pus is not observed, but other signs of otitis media are present, warming up is quite capable of relieving inflammation and reducing pain, as well as helping pus to be released faster. How to warm up the ears and what are the advantages and disadvantages of this method, we will tell further.
Warming up: pros and cons
Physiotherapy is often used to treat inflammation of the ears. These include heating - this is the most effective ofmethods. What's good about warming up? The fact that when exposed to heat improves blood circulation - once, the tissue regenerates faster - two, the most positive result is observed when combining heat treatment and drug treatment - three.
However, warming up has not only positive aspects. This procedure requires great care and attention. If it is produced incorrectly, then it can only harm a person, and not alleviate his condition. Therefore, many do not risk warming up on their own, fearing to screw up.
How to warm up the ears
There are two options here: either do it on an outpatient basis in a clinic or hospital, or do it yourself at home. However, it must be remembered that there should not be any methods of self-treatment. If the doctor allowed to warm up the ears - then of course, if not - it's not worth the risk. Any action must first be agreed with a specialist.
How to warm up your ear at home
So, heating is allowed. How to do it? There are several ways to warm up the ears: using a blue lamp, alcohol, table s alt, and so on. Let's try to tell in more detail about some methods.
To warm the ears with alcohol, you need to make a special warming compress. If there is no alcohol at home, it’s not scary - vodka is also suitable. Also for the compress you will need: a bandage or gauze, oilcloth, cotton wool and any dense fabric.
If heating will be carried out with alcohol, then it must firstdilute with water in a ratio of one to one. A dense tissue must be taken of such a size that it carefully covers the place behind the patient's ear. It should be thoroughly soaked in a solution of alcohol or vodka. Then squeeze and put in the right place. An oilcloth is placed on top, it should be two centimeters larger than the fabric. The third layer is to put cotton wool, and you can press all this stuff to your head with a bandage or gauze. By the way, it is permissible to use a scarf or a bandana. It is necessary to warm the ear in this way for at least two hours. The ideal option is to make such a compress at night to immediately lie down and fall asleep. It is very important that the second layer, that is, oilcloth, fit as tightly as possible to the head - if it lags behind the head, chills may begin.
An easier way to warm up is the blue lamp. It is not difficult to warm up the ear with a lamp, it is enough to turn it on near the ear and hold it in this position for about five to ten minutes. It is important that it does not burn: if it becomes hot, you need to move it away, if you do not feel heat, on the contrary, bring it closer to you. This procedure must be done at least three to four times a day. It is important to remember: during the procedure, the eyes must be kept closed. In addition, there are some requirements for using the blue lamp. First, you can not carry out the procedure at temperatures above 38 degrees. Secondly, immediately after the procedure, you can not go outside and generally be exposed to any cold effect.
By the way, in addition to the blue lamp, there is also a red one. You can also warm her ear. From bluelamp, it differs only in that it has a deeper wavelength, that is, penetration into the tissue.
You can warm up your ear with boric acid using the appropriate drops. Before doing this, thoroughly rinse the ear with hydrogen peroxide.
And how else can you warm up your ear? You can use a bag of s alt, sand or a heating pad. It is also acceptable to use flax seeds, and folk methods include baked onions, butter, and even plain warm water.
How to warm your ears with s alt
First, you need to remember that heating with s alt is possible only in the absence of temperature. This method works best at the very beginning. At the same time, if a child’s ears hurt, it is important to pay special attention to his condition - in children, the disease progresses faster than in adults. By the way, if you have ever had a head injury, heating with s alt is strictly prohibited.
It is best to take sea or table s alt for heating, preferably large. In addition to s alt, you will also need cotton socks. Half a glass of s alt must be heated in a pan to about 80 degrees, then poured into one sock, and put on another on top. Apply this design to the affected ear. When the s alt begins to cool, cover with a thick cloth on top - so the heat lasts longer. It is necessary to warm the ear for twenty to thirty minutes twice a day.
Prevention of ear diseases
Everyone has long known: the best way to cure a disease is to prevent it, that is, to prevent it from developing. What is the prevention of eardiseases?
First of all, all respiratory tract infections must be treated immediately. Do not throw a runny nose, do not wave your hand at a cough, and so on. If you tighten it with a regular SARS, it can give a complication to the ears.
Also, as a preventive measure, it is recommended to maintain the temperature in the room no higher than 20-22 degrees, ventilate regularly, drink plenty of water. In case of a disease with a high temperature, take antibiotics and antipyretics in a timely manner so that the disease does not progress. If there is a runny nose and nasal congestion, it is necessary to use drugs that constrict blood vessels in order to reduce swelling of the mucous membrane. The humidity in the room should also be kept at 50%.
But the most important thing: at the slightest symptoms or even suspicion of inflammation, you should immediately consult a doctor. Only he can help in time and prescribe the right treatment.
Interesting facts about ears
- Ears grow all our lives.
- A person perceives his voice differently than those around him.
- You can lose your hearing at any age.
- Women hear better than men.
- Even excessive accumulation of earwax can lead to hearing loss, though partial.
- Human ears hear differently.
- Earlobes never age: it is the only organ that is not subject to this irreversible process.
So, now it is clear what otitis media is and how to warm up the ears. Let's hope thatthis information will remain useful only at the level of theory and will not be useful to anyone in practice. He alth to you!
