Good hearing requires daily maintenance: Ear care and massage tips
5. Good hearing requires daily maintenance.
Prolonged exposure to various noises, such as loud voices, vehicle noises, and machine noises, can cause a rapid decline in hearing. Hearing that is already in a period of decline is more prone to fatigue, and in severe cases, noise-induced hearing loss may occur. Therefore, reducing or avoiding noise is the most important aspect of protecting hearing for middle-aged people.
Middle-aged men often experience anger and irritability, which can disrupt the normal regulatory function of the autonomic nervous system, leading to nutritional deficiencies in the auditory nerve and edema and ischemia of the inner ear organs. This can potentially cause deafness or a sharp decline in hearing. Therefore, middle-aged men should learn to reduce stress and cultivate a pleasant and relaxed environment.
The impact of eight bad habits on the ears
Foreign objects are lodged in the ear canal. Small insects such as mosquitoes crawl or fly into the ear. Avoid removing them directly with instruments. Instead, drip oil or alcohol into the ear to quickly kill or drown the insects before removing them.
Picking your ears. There's a saying, "If you don't pick your ears, you won't go deaf," and there's a lot of truth to that. This behavior can easily damage the ear canal walls, and in severe cases, it can injure the inner and middle ear, leading to deafness.
Drug abuse. Before using any new medication, you must consult a doctor about its potential harm to the ears.
Pinch both noses together and blow your nose forcefully. If you blow your nose improperly, you may blow snot into your middle ear. The proper way to blow your nose is to press one nostril closed with your finger, exhale in several stages, gradually increasing the pressure, and clean one nostril at a time.
Frequent exposure to noisy environments without wearing earmuffs or earplugs can easily lead to noise-induced hearing loss. Listening to music at excessively loud volumes or for extended periods can also cause hearing loss.
Incorrect diving technique can cause changes in air pressure, leading to eardrum perforation.
Smoking, drinking alcohol, an unhealthy diet, a bad mood, overwork and anxiety, failure to actively prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases, and lack of physical exercise can all accelerate hearing loss.
Inattention to swallowing during diving, air travel, or hyperbaric oxygen therapy can lead to traumatic otitis media.
Two massage tips for ear health
Rub the soles of your feet with your palms. There's an acupoint called Laogong on the hand and a kidney meridian acupoint called Yongquan on the sole of the foot. Middle-aged men can sit on the bed with their left and right hands crossed, and pat or rub the soles of their feet with their palms. This maximizes the function of the kidneys, drawing energy downwards and pulling down excess heat from the upper body. With no underlying cause of illness, the condition will naturally improve. Rubbing the soles of your feet with your palms also helps to unblock the body's Qi flow. When Qi flows smoothly, the meridians become more fluid, naturally improving ear problems.
The "Heavenly Drum" technique involves striking the back of the head, also known as the "Heavenly Drum." This technique utilizes the Laogong and Tingwen acupoints. The Laogong acupoint is one of the most active acupoints in the body, belonging to the "fire" category. For example, when we have a stomachache, we instinctively cover our stomach with our hand. The correct way to perform the Heavenly Drum technique is as follows: First, place your palm (the Laogong acupoint) against your ear canal, then place your entire hand on the back of your head, with your index finger on top of your middle finger. Then, flick downwards, creating a striking force. Continue flicking the back of your head in this manner, then suddenly relax. You will experience a very refreshing sensation in your ears. Long-term adherence to this technique has excellent health benefits for the ears.
Foods that help maintain good hearing
Foods rich in magnesium include walnuts, red dates, bananas, sesame seeds, mustard greens, pineapple, spinach, daylilies, whole grains, seaweed, and kelp. A lack of magnesium in the ear arteries can affect their function, naturally leading to hearing loss.
Foods rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene, such as pumpkin, carrots, fresh oranges, eggs, tomatoes, zucchini, and lettuce. Vitamin A and beta-carotene provide nutrition to the middle ear epithelial cells and inner ear sensory cells, enhancing ear cell vitality.
Foods rich in zinc include lean meat, fish, dairy products, beef and lamb, yeast, beer, walnuts, sesame seeds, soybeans, peanuts, whole wheat flour, and brown rice. Zinc helps with fat metabolism, thus protecting the ear arteries.
Foods containing calcium and vitamin D can also help maintain healthy ears, such as calcium supplements, skim milk, and bone broth. Calcium and vitamin D not only help maintain the small bones in the middle ear cavity, strengthening the ear bones and preventing otosclerosis (ear sclerosis similar to osteoporosis), but they also help cleanse the ear arteries and improve ear function.