This is the most visible part. It is made up of the auricle and the auditory canal. Both capture the sound and transmit it to the tympanic membrane.

Listening to music with headphones at more than half the volume of the device, being at a concert for several hours, and, in general, exposing yourself to very high volumes without having the necessary protection can damage your auditory cells and cause acoustic trauma.

If your job or lifestyle requires you to listen to very loud sounds, you should protect yourself with earplugs and regulate the time. This will prevent conditions that can cause hearing loss.

Nearly 1.100 billion adolescents and young people are at risk of hearing loss due to exposure to harmful noise levels in places such as bars, nightclubs and sporting events, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

• Otitis: inflammation that arises from an infection, in most cases, in the middle ear. It is recurrent in children under six years of age, who have a lower level of defenses and are undergoing some anatomical changes.
• Hearing loss: It can occur at any stage of life. However, it is more common in people over fifty years of age. Frequent exposure to loud noises, consumption of toxic medications and infections are some of the aspects that can reduce the ability of the ears to conduct sound.
• Tinnitus: It is a ringing or whistling sound that can occur during and after hearing loss, as a result of exposure to very loud sounds, when there are ear infections, or as a side effect of certain medications.
• earache: It is an inflammation of the external auditory canal, the middle ear and the temporomandibular joint. It is not necessarily related to an infection. Consult a specialist who will diagnose the location and cause of the inflammation in order to treat it appropriately.

• The cochlea: transforms the vibrations of the middle ear into nerve impulses that travel to the brain and are interpreted as sound.
• The semicircular canals and the vestibule: Its appearance is similar to three small tubes that are interconnected and are responsible for the balance of the body. In this portion of the ear is located the otolithic membrane, which contains the otoliths, calcium particles responsible for orientation and balance.

Vertigo, a reality in motion

Although it is commonly believed to be a disease, it is a symptom that is related to an illusory sensation of movement. It is often accompanied by nausea, dizziness and instability, which alert to the existence of a balance disorder caused by a disease or infection, including benign paroxysmal vertigo, vestibular neuritis, Ménière's disease or vestibular migraine.

It is important to understand that not all dizziness, headaches or nausea are associated with vertigo. This is why it is important to have only an otolaryngologist diagnose you. Benign paroxysmal vertigo is the most common cause of this symptom. It occurs when the otoliths become detached.

A physical examination will be enough to detect this abnormality, which appears mainly when moving the head suddenly, looking up and bending down. Once the doctor diagnoses you with vertigo, you will begin a treatment that includes therapies and medications to adjust the otoliths, compensate the central nervous system and rehabilitate balance.

Be careful what you put in your ear

Keys, pen caps, pencils and cotton swabs are some of the objects we often use to scratch or clean our ears. These practices can cause irreversible injuries, such as perforation of the eardrum.

You should not use any of these items, including cotton swabs, because the removal of wax is a natural process that commonly occurs with the movement of the jaw. However, there are patients who accumulate more wax and to get rid of it they must moisten it with oils or glycerin.

Injecting water into your ears with a syringe to remove accumulated wax was a common practice years ago. However, due to the risks involved, including perforating the eardrum, it is no longer practiced. An ENT specialist is the only person who can perform a cleaning with the appropriate instruments.

• 10 dB: Tread.
• 20 dB: Wind in the trees.
• 30 dB: Conversation in low voice.
• 40 dB: Noise in a library.
• 50 dB: Office environment.
• 60 dB: Conversation.
• 80 dB: Traffic noise perceived inside a car. The maximum exposure level is eight hours.

• 90 dB:
  • Vacuum cleaner.
  • Motorcycle: More than 47 minutes can affect your well-being.
• 100 dB:
  • Sporting event: Exposure for more than fifteen minutes can be very harmful.
  • Hair dryer.
• 110 dB:
  • Concert: Two minutes of exposure to the noise of this type of event can cause serious damage to your hearing.
  • Bar or nightclub.
• 120 dB:
  • Ambulance siren: hearing it for more than a minute is harmful.
  • Fire alarm.

• 150 dB:
  • Fireworks.
  • Discharge of a firearm.