John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Objects in the ear usually can be seen by a qualified medical professional by
directly looking in the ear with an instrument called an otoscope. A
magnifying light with a plastic cone tip is slid into the canal to look at the
structures inside. In cases involving children, it is important to realize that
there may be more than one foreign body, and other orifices (other ear, mouth,
nose and rectum) may also need to be examined. Once the object is seen, there
are many ways of retrieving it.
How is an object in the ear treated?
If the object is very small the affected individual can try to gently shake it out. Pulling the
back of the ear (the pinna) gently toward the back of the head straightens out
the ear canal and the foreign body may roll or slide out with a gentle shake of
the ear. Do not strike the affected person's head on the opposite side to try to
dislodge the foreign object.
If the foreign object is deeper in the ear than be seen, a qualified medical professional
should remove it. Do not stick anything into the ear
to remove objects yourself, as you may push it in further and cause damage or
rupture of the eardrum or scratch the skin of the ear canal.
At the doctor's office or in the emergency room the foreign object can be
removed using several techniques.
Modified tweezers or forceps can be used to reach in and grab the object
with the help of an otoscope so important structures are not damaged.
Gentle suction can be used to suck out the object.
Irrigation of the canal with warm water and a small catheter can flush
certain materials out of the canal and clean out debris.
Some doctors have devised ingenious and novel ways to remove objects from
ear canals (paper clips, magnets, glue, etc.)
Small children do not tolerate painful or scary interventions, and may need to
be sedated medically to have objects removed from their ears. Often with
children, the first try is the most successful, as subsequent attempts to remove
an object can be painful and frightening to the child.
Insects in the ear canal are often killed with either
lidocaine (an
anesthetic) or mineral oil. They are then flushed out with gentle warm water
irrigation.
After the foreign object is removed the doctor may put the patient on
antibiotic drops for five days to a week to prevent infection from trauma to the
ear canal.
Vertigo is a feeling of spinning movement, and at times accompanied by nausea and vomiting occur. Vertigo is most often associated with an inner ear problem. The treatment for vertigo can be lifestyle changes and medication if necessary.
Middle ear infection or inflammation (otitis media) is inflammation fo the middle ear. There are two types of otitis media, acute and chronic. Acute otitis media is generally short in duration, and chronic otitis media generally lasts several weeks. Seventy-five percent of children in the U.S. suffer from otitis media at some point. Treatment depends upon the type (chronic or acute).
Ear was is a natural substance secreted by special glands in the skin on the outer part of the ear canal. It repels water, and traps dust and sand particles. Usually a small amount of wax accumulates, dries up, and then falls out of the ear canal carrying with it unwanted particles. Under ideal circumstances, you should never have to clean your ear canals. The absence of ear wax may result in dry, itchy ears, and even infection. Ear wax may accumulate in the ear for a variety of reasons including; narrowing of the ear canal, production of less ear wax due to aging, or an overproduction of ear wax in response to trauma or blockage within the ear canal.
Balance is a state of body equilibrium or stability. We often take for granted how dependent we are on a healthy balance system. When the system breaks down, however, patients will describe symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo, lightheadedness, or motion sickness.
Swimmer's ear (external otitis) is an infection of the skin that covers the outer ear canal. Causes of swimmer's ear include excessive water exposure that leads to trapped bacteria in the ear canal. Symptoms include a feeling of fullness in the ear, itching, and ear pain. Chronic swimmer's ear may be caused by eczema, seborrhea, fungus, chronic irritation, and other conditions. Common treatment includes antibiotic ear drops.
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