There are various ways to keep your ears healthy and clean. One of them is with ear therapy. Various therapies currently available are claimed to be able to maintain ear health. However, aare these therapies safe? Come on, see the explanation through the following article.
Ear hygiene and health need to be maintained properly, because if not, this important organ is susceptible to interference. Apart from being a sense of hearing, the ear also plays a role in maintaining the balance of the body. If there is a problem with the ear, your hearing and balance can be impaired.
To maintain cleanliness and ear health, there are many ear therapy options that can be done by doctors, therapists, or done alone at home. However, be careful. Not all of these therapies are safe and proven effective.
Various Safe Ear Therapy Options
The following are some ear therapy options that are proven safe for maintaining ear health:
Ear irrigation
Ear irrigation is an action to clean the ear canal from dirt or foreign objects. This therapy is done by rinsing the external ear canal with sterile water or sterile saline.
Ear irrigation should be done by a doctor to be safer. Before performing this procedure, the doctor will first examine the condition of the ear with an instrument called an otoscope, to ensure ear irrigation is safe to do. After that, just sprayed sterile water or saline into the ear.
Ear therapy is not recommended for people who are experiencing ear infections, have had chronic or recurrent ear infections, have had ear surgery, or have had their eardrums ruptured.
Ear acupuncture
If ear irrigation is more useful and safe for cleaning earwax, then ear acupuncture therapy has wider benefits. Ear acupuncture is a traditional Chinese therapy that involves inserting needles into specific points in the ear.
This therapy is claimed to have various health benefits, including overcoming insomnia, arthritis, postoperative pain, headache, migraine, and constipation. A study even showed that ear acupuncture therapy can treat dementia in the elderly. In addition, this therapy is also believed to be able to help people to quit smoking.
These various benefits still need to be studied further. Even so, acupuncture is a safe therapy to do. However, with a note, this therapy is carried out by therapists who have certificates and competencies in the field of acupuncture, and use sterile acupuncture needles and clean equipment.
If you are considering trying the above ear therapy, be sure to consult with an ENT doctor first. Do not carelessly do ear therapy yourself, for example by picking the ear or using a ear candles, so that there are no side effects that can harm your hearing.