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Get your ears cleaned the proper way by the experts

Push a cloth right through and pull backwards and forwards forcefully, assuming of course you can see Australia though your ears!Poke anything to hand into your ears like hairclips, tools, pen, finger or finger nail. This can cause nasty damage and an infection can easily occur.Using cotton buds will result in the wax being pushed deeper into the ear canal. Often break-off and remain lodged in the ear.Water syringing can cause irritation and pain. In addition, wax can be forced onto the ear drum...

Sucking Ears

(AN INTERVIEW WITH ROGER SMITH FROM THE HB CHAMBER BUSINESS NETWORK) “This is my wife Anne” Nick says when I meet him “and she sucks ears for a living.” “That is without doubt the most interesting way anyone has introduced their partner to me!” I respond. “So come on Anne,” I say, “what’s he on about?” “We are Ear Suction Hawke’s Bay” she tells me “and we are all about ear and hearing health”. “The human ear is programmed to produce wax to protect the ear canal ...

Colds and Flu and how they affect your ears

Autumn is here and winter is just around the corner. Like it or not, that means colds, flu and sometimes bronchitis. Colds and flu are not much fun, but believe it or not, they are part of the body's natural healing process. Fever is the body's defence mechanism to try to kill viruses with heat, which means blood circulates quicker helping with the healing. So, having a fever may mean a cold doesn’t last as long, and thus can actually be beneficial! Having had a flu jab is poor comfort if you�...

Six ways to make sure your ears stay healthy

Your hearing is precious and to make sure you don’t end up with hearing loss, or damaged or diseased ears there are number of things you can do to keep your ears healthy. 1.  Use eardrops to dissolve impacted wax Wax build-up often leads to mild hearing loss, as not surprisingly, sounds cannot travel through the ear canal because it becomes blocked. You can soften your impacted wax with ear drops, use a natural oil like almond or olive and apply like this: Lie on your side and use a dropp...

The wrong way to remove ear wax

It would be so much easier if we could just lift the top of the head and use a bottle brush! Unfortunately with ears it’s not that easy - one needs a microscope and light and a good level of experience to know what you are looking at and how to approach the job. Even Anne, our ear nurse practitioner, without thinking, scratched her ear some years back, which resulted in full-on outer ear infection - nasty, painful and unnecessary! These are all the wrong ways to clear your ears: Keys, pens, sc...

Everything you wanted to know about ear wax

Ear wax, known as cerumen, is produced inside your ears in glands at the base of the tympanic membrane (ear drum) to keep them clean and free of germs. It usually passes out of the ears harmlessly aided by chewing and jaw movement, but sometimes too much can build up and block the ears. It protects the skin of the human ear canal, assists in cleaning and lubrication, and also provides some protection from bacteria, fungi, insects and water. So, in fact, ear wax is a good thing. The amount of ea...

Swimmers Ear

Swimmer's ear (Otitis Media) is inflammation of the ear canal which often results in ear pain, discharge, swelling of the ear canal and occasionally decreased hearing. Otitis externa may be acute lasting less than six weeks) or chronic (lasting more than three months). If you experience these symptoms we advise you to see your GP as soon as possible. Micro suction of the ear canal will allow the canal to dry and heal once wet debris has been removed. Occasionally more than one micro suction app...

Hugo our listening dog and dog ears

Listening ears: Hugo, our listening dog, is not a Hearing Dog for someone with hearing impairment, but if he was, his ears would probably be very useful. With a dog’s hearing being far superior to human hearing, dogs can really make a difference to the life of a deaf or hearing-impaired person. It is thought that dogs hear about four times better than we do. The world is a noisy place for dogs, who can hear things like the bodily vibrations of termites in the walls. Take a look at the NZ...

Exostosis

Surfer's ear is the common name for exostosis or abnormal bone growth within the ear canal. Irritation from cold wind and water exposure causes the bone surrounding the ear canal to develop lumps of new bony growth which constrict the ear canal. Where the ear canal is actually blocked by this condition, water and wax can become trapped and give rise to infection. Most avid surfers have at least some mild bone growths (called exostoses). The condition is progressive, making it important to take ...

Ears and flying

Pressure and pain in your ears during a flight can be extremely annoying and even painful. And almost as unpleasant, for some, is having to wait another 12 hours, or longer, before being able to hear normally again. The pain is due to a change in the air pressure when the aircraft climbs and descends. This occurs in the middle ear involving the Eustachian tube. However, any change in pressure causes the ear to produce more wax as a means of natural defence. Many clients tell stories of stress an...