Why does the back of the ears stink

Ears are the organs we use to hear sounds. Without ears, we will feel that everything around us is silent, just like the silent movies long ago. Many people like to clean their ears. In ancient times, cleaning ears was a specialized profession. Nowadays, we are more casual. If our ears are itchy or there is earwax in them, we can just use our fingers or cotton swab to clean them out. Not only does earwax grow in the ears, but it also makes them smell. Why does the back of the ears smell?

Causes of stinky smell behind the ears

1. Greaseous otorrhea: Due to excessive secretion of the cerumen glands in the external auditory canal, it is mostly yellowish brown or light yellow viscous oily, generally odorless, commonly known as oily ears.

2. Purulent otorrhea: It is a manifestation of purulent inflammation, commonly seen in acute and chronic purulent otitis media, otitis externa, furunculosis, etc. In addition, rare cases of suppurative mumps, suppurative cervical lymphadenitis, etc. may also cause purulent otorrhea when the tube ruptures into the external auditory canal. If the pus is not large but has a foul odor, the possibility of cholesteatoma should be considered.

3. Bloody otorrhea: It is mostly related to trauma. Bullous myringitis, ear trauma, and some otitis media may also be considered, but be alert to hemangioma or middle ear cancer. Especially in the case of middle ear cancer, if there is blood in the pus, the pus has a foul odor, or there is severe ear pain or headache, it is a bad sign. Suspicious tissues in the external auditory canal or middle ear should be taken for pathological examination to determine the diagnosis and treatment measures.

Judging the health of internal organs by looking at the ears

The structure and function of the ear:

The only auditory organ in the human body structure is the ear. The human ear is not only beautiful and adds color to the facial features, but is also mainly responsible for converting the sounds emitted by the surrounding vibrations into nerve signals and transmitting them to the brain. These signals are translated into language and other sounds in the brain, a complex machine. The ear completes this process through three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The ear is an expressionless organ in the face, but the ear has a close relationship with the internal organs, so the ear is also a window for observing and diagnosing diseases.

Ears listen to the internal organs

Compared with other organs, our knowledge and health awareness of ears are relatively weak. First of all, ears are quietly hidden in the blind spot of our vision, and it is not easy for us to find them. Moreover, they are always listening silently, listening to the mountains, rivers, and the voices in our hearts. But do you know? Ears are also listening to our health. Ears and our internal organs influence each other in physiology and pathology.

What to do if an insect gets into your ear:

1. Use a flashlight to take a look

If a small insect flies into the ear canal, you should immediately go to a dark place and use a flashlight or a lit match to shine into the ear canal where the insect is. The insect will fly out when it sees the light.

2. Blow a puff of smoke into your ears

You can also use fumigation to drive away the bugs by blowing cigarette smoke into the ear hole to choke the bugs out;

3. Ear drops

You can drop a few drops of cooking oil or glycerin into the ear. After 2-3 minutes, tilt your head to the affected side, and the bugs will flow out with the oil. Or you can take an appropriate amount of ginger, mash it and drip the juice into the ear, or take an appropriate amount of vinegar and drip it into the ear, then the bugs will come out.