Have your ears examined at least once every year by your physician, audiologist, or any hearing specialist.

The ear is normally a self-cleaning mechanism. Wax acts in a protective manner, catching particles that may land in the ear. Fine hairs inside the ear canal constantly move wax and sloughed skin out of the canal. Wax and skin can build up inside the ear canal. If the canal is not clean, the eardrum can become completely blocked, greatly reducing hearing and eventually cause permanent damage.

One cause of excessive wax buildup is the use of cotton swabs. A cotton swab is larger than the ear canal. Sometimes, when you use a cotton swab to clean your ear, you can push wax deeper into the ear canal and partially or completely block it.

Your doctor or hearing specialist should remove your excess wax. Do not try and remove ear wax with cotton swabs, hair pins, or other hard objects. You can damage your ear canal or eardrum.

To maintain a clean and healthy ear canal, use an eye dropper to place two or three drops of pure apple cider vinegar in your ears, two to three times a week. You can also flush out the ear canal using warm water with a rubber syringe. Be very careful in attempting to do this. You do not want to aim the stream from the syringe directly toward your eardrum.

If you have itching inside your ear canal, use an eye dropper to place a few drops of baby oil in your canal once or twice a week to lubricate.

Visit your physician or hearing specialist regularly if you frequently have fluid in your middle ear. Fluid normally drains from the ear via the eustachian tube. If the eustachian tube becomes blocked, fluid can:

• cause damage to the small bones in the middle ear,

• cause extreme pain, and

• possibly rupture the eardrum.

If pus flows from any part of your ear, you probably have some kind of infection and should see a physician immediately. You can lose your hearing if you allow the condition to continue.

Common symptoms associated with hearing impairment are ringing sounds in the ears, a feeling of pressure in the ears, and dizziness. Call your doctor your hearing health care professional to test your hearing if you experience these symptoms, particularly if you've recently began taking a new medication or experienced some kind of head trauma.

Common childhood diseases such as mumps, measles, scarlet fever, whooping cough, or any high fever can leave permanent hearing impairment. Always have your child's hearing tested if he/she has had any of these conditions in addition to regular ear care.

Women who are exposed to German measles, measles, mumps, or any other viral diseases during their pregnancies have a very high risk of giving birth to a baby with serious hearing impairment. Have your baby's hearing tested if you have been exposed to these conditions during your pregnancy, or even if you suspect hearing impairment.