NOISES IN THE EARS

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 286, 3 December 1938, Page 6 (Supplement)

NOISES IN THE EARS

"Doctor's Orders"

IT is not always easy to cure cases of noises in the ears, but nevertheless something may be done to get rid of the annoyance. In the first place, absence of wax must be established, and this can only be done by a doctor. With the unaided eye it is impossible to see down the drum of the ear. fsometimes removal of wax may cure, at at any rate lessen, the troublesome noise. Then something may be done by the mental effort of the patient. If he expects and listens to the noises and £i»"v.£ b °™ t he wiU Mgravate hi* trouble. But if he makes up his mind to ignore the noises and do his best to forget them, he may find that they worry him less and less. tr A^ l l rrh '!! ®* r or tllr o*t can be treated by a doctor. In other cases the Ij'-aKh i* *t fault and nothing will effect, any good but a change of air tom X OV€ K u ' f n l nt tbe , cheerfulness f Hindered hv .Htter health, the absence of worry—all ?o"l ' P vvv ~at' fun t t0 "nail tr u hen the car m definitely an f d**fness ha H supervened, tile advice of a doctor must immediatelv bo

By — A Family Doctor

! I find there is much confusion about the subject of wax in the ears. Wax is natural; its collection in the ear is not a sign that the person is of dirty habits and never washes his . ears. Wax may accumulate in the ears of the most cleanly. You cannot remove it yourself; it is quite impassible, so you had better give np trying. No inexperienced persons can do it for you; they are more likely to burst your drum than clear wax out. It is a most foolish habit to syringe the ears as a cure for deafness if the deafness is due to catarrh, as it often is, the syringing will make it worse. Water never stays in the ears after bathing, whatever you may say. What happen* is that the water makes the wax swell, and it feels as though there were a drop of water there. It m time the superstition about water in the ear wa« killed. l/se of Syrimge is . ® f two varieties—the hard at once 6 •pft nuy be removed i at once, but the hard should be softened

with oil before syringing. Take a teaspoon and make it hot by dipping it in hot water. Pour a few drops of sweet oil in the spoon, and then put the dfops in the ear; hpTd the head on one side for a few minutes so that the oil soaks in. Do the sanje with ? the other ear. The beet time to do it is at night; the oil «ofteiw the wax all night, and in the morning you can call at the doctor's and have the syringe used 011 you. Deafness in one patient may be due to two cau«3ea —wax and catarrh. The taking away of the wax will improve the hearing, but will not cure the catarrh. If ever you do syringe your own ear be sure toJ avoid those glas» syringes with a bulb at the end. There must be a space left for the injected fluid to return. If you block up the earhole with the bulb and then squirt you will break the drum. Heart Disease People with incurable diseases should never be allowed to despair. Even if the trouble cannot be cured, in many cases a great deal can be done to make it lighter. For instance, in heart disease it is unfortunately impossible to supply the patient with a new heart, but by attending to a few simple rules his lot may be made much happier. The clothing should be very light in hot weather, as these patients are particularly susceptible to the oppressive effects of the heat. At the fame time, it should

not be forgotten that rheumatism and heart disease often go hand in hand, and care must bo taken that the patient does not catch cold through staying out when a heavy dew is falling. Gentle exercise is often beneficial. It is a good plan to walk a measured distance everv day gradually, carefully increasing the"number of yards, and stopping immediately any distress is felt. The diet should be strengthening and easily digestible; anything that gives rise to flatulence must be rigidly avoided. Thus, heavy articles, like steak and kidney pudding, cheese, and pastry must be given up. and green vegetables taken in moderation only. The stomach lies next door to the heart, and when the former is distended with wind it disturbs the action of the heart. An occasional pipe of tobacco can do no harm, but cigarettes must be avoided like the plague. Flies and Illness A campaign against flies would be a most effective aid in eliminating disease. We must make a determined effort against these disease-carriers. The war against insects has been very successful in other parts of : th« world; malaria and yellow fever have been almost exterminated in . districts that were scarcely habitable before. And rain should receive our attention. We cannot order rain and sunshine at will; but we can imitate the rain by washing down tfie streets, cleansing th'e gullevs. washing down the back-alleys, a>i'l trying to keep down the dust that gets into our food and down the throats of our little children; their faces are much nearer the ground, and the-dMttoSMT" readily reaches the lungs, 'J~;

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