How to do ear bath

Many people may not know much about ear bathing. In fact, ear bathing is mainly a way to treat ear diseases. Generally, the medicine is dripped into the ear and then soaked for a period of time so that the mucous membrane in the ear can better absorb the medicine and achieve the therapeutic effect. However, the ear bath treatment methods are different for different age groups, so how should they be done specifically?

What does ear bathing mean?

Ear bath:

Drop the medicine into the ear canal and soak it for a while to allow the ear mucosa to fully absorb the medicine, thereby achieving the purpose of local treatment. This is similar to giving your ears a bath.

Specific meaning:

The patient lies on his or her side with the opening of the external auditory canal facing upwards. Drop the ear drops into the external auditory canal and try to fill it as full as possible. Stay in this position for ten minutes, then change position and pour out the medicine.

How to do ear bath?

Children's ear bath:

1. Clean your hands and ears with a wet towel.

2. Hold the bottle of ear drops for a few minutes to allow the ear drops to reach body temperature.

3. Tilt the child or let him/her lie prone on the table, pull the ear upward and downward to fully open the external auditory canal.

4. Add 3-4 drops of liquid and gently press the tragus several times. Helps fluid enter the ear canal.

5. Hold the affected ear upward for several minutes to allow the medicine to fully soak (ear bath), and then wipe off any residual medicine that has flowed out.

Liquid volume and time:

There should be enough liquid medicine each time, preferably to fill the external auditory canal with at least 5 drops. Keep the ear drops in the ear for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the medicine to fully contact the lesions in the external and middle ear to enhance the efficacy.

Wash first and then drip:

Clearing middle ear secretions can prevent the medicine from being blocked or diluted by the secretions, causing it to become ineffective or have its effect weakened.

3% hydrogen peroxide solution (hydrogen peroxide) is commonly used for ear washing. It is best to wash until there is little foam or no foam. Then wipe it clean with a sterilized cotton swab or suck it out with a suction device. Then use antibiotic ear drops to achieve a better bactericidal effect.

Notes on ear bathing

1. Ear drops are usually in the form of true solutions. If it is a suspension ear drop, it must be shaken well before use.

2. When dripping the medicine, you need to pull the ear shell to straighten the curved ear canal and drip the medicine into the external auditory canal.

Note that the ear shell should be pulled backward and upward for adults, and backward and downward for children.

3. When dripping the medicine, do not let the mouth of the ear drop bottle or the dropper touch the ear, especially do not let it touch the lesion site or exudate pus, etc., so as not to contaminate the ear drops.

Once the ear drops are opened, they must be used up within a certain period of time (1 month). Ear drops that are left for too long will lose potency or deteriorate, which may affect the therapeutic effect or cause infection.

4. For those with perforated eardrum, press the tragus with your fingers after dripping the medicine to encourage the medicine to enter the middle ear through the eardrum to enhance the efficacy. At this time, part of the medicine solution can flow into the nasopharynx through the Eustachian tube, and the patient may feel a bitter taste, which is normal.

5. In winter, because the temperature of the medicine is too low, it is easy to stimulate the vestibular organ of the inner ear after ear drops, which may cause dizziness, nausea, tingling and other discomforts.

The prevention method is to put the ear drops in the underwear pocket for a moment or roll them back and forth in the palm of your hand to warm them before use, but do not heat them with boiling water.

6. When using several kinds of liquid medicine at the same time, you can alternately apply ear drops every 1 to 2 hours.

7. Long-term use of antibiotics can cause local dysbacteriosis, inhibit bacterial growth, and promote fungal reproduction, such as the appearance of white or black mold clusters (filaments) in the external auditory canal and mastoid cavity, turning originally non-pathogenic fungi into pathogens, which should be taken seriously. Therefore, antibiotic ear drops should not usually be used for more than 7 days to avoid drug resistance and superinfection.

8. Do not use other people's ear drops at will, and do not give your own ear drops to others at will, so as not to spread pathogenic bacteria, delay the disease or cause new ear infections.