Are you experiencing severe hearing loss or turning deaf? To get back your normal hearing, you should undertake a cochlear. It is a small device which is planted in your ear via a surgical procedure. It sends impulses to the auditory nerve directly and as a result, sound signals are carried to your brain. Such an implant does not make you hear like normal again, but it helps you with sounds and knowing sounds around you such as telephones, alarms and doorbells.

How Does Cochlear Implant Work?

Cochlear implant is meant for adults and children who have sensorineural hearing loss. This is a condition which damages the tiny hair cells in the inner ear known as the cochlea. Your hearing gets impaired when these are damaged. A cochlear implant sends signals to the auditory nerve directly by skipping the damaged hair cells.

The device has two distinct parts. One part is the receiver-stimulator which is placed under the skin via surgery. The other part is the speech processor, which is worn around the back of the ear like a hearing aid. The outside device is, however, bigger in size than a hearing aid.

The receiver is placed under the skin, behind the ear through a small incision and it gets connected to electrodes. This is put into the cochlea of the inner ear. The surgery takes about some hours to be completed.

Two weeks after the surgery, the speech processor is fitted by the doctor. You will have to wear a microphone behind your ear. The processor can be connected to the microphone and worn around the ear. It can also be worn at any other place of the body, depending on your age and lifestyle.

Advantages of Cochlear Implant-

The major advantages of a cochlear implant are as follows:

You may be able to hear speech at an almost normal level.

You may understand speech without the help of lip reading.

It will be easy for you to talk on the phone and listen to the television.

Your experience of listening to music will improve.

You will be able to pick up different sounds starting from soft, medium to loud sounds.

You can also control your own voice in a better way, which will make it easier for others to understand you.

A cochlear implant can be a life changing device if you suffer from serious hearing loss. The results are not the same for everyone and vary from person to person. Some people may benefit more than others.

All You Need To Know About Cochlear Implant

Remember how Shrek literally pulled out a candle from his ear for the dinner table? Ever tried doing it yourself? Well, the stuff in your ears may be called wax, but it can t really be used to make a candle. However, it certainly can signify a lot about your health. Though the idea of discussing earwax is rather disgusting, it actually plays a pivotal role in keeping your ears healthy and functioning. Earwax protects your eardrums by barring the entry of insects, fungi, bacteria, dust and bacteria. In clinical terms, earwax is also known as cerumen. 

Studies indicate that children typically produce more earwax than adults. The earwax in your ear is a combination of alcohol, shed layers of the ear, unsaturated and saturated long-chain fatty acids and squalene. In order to clean earwax, you should not insert objects too deep in your ear, instead, you can just wipe it off with a cotton swab.  The color and texture of the earwax removed can actually indicate your overall health condition, stress level, genetic ancestry, etc.

Know what your earwax color says about your health 
Pale yellow to yellow earwax: It is the most common type of earwax and indicates overall good health. Children typically produce soft, pale yellow earwax and in case of adults, the color should remain the same, but the texture tends to be sticky. 
Wet vs. dry earwax: Wet and dry are the genetically determined earwax types, wherein, the 'wet type' is dominant and the 'dry type' is recessive. A research, conducted on Biologic variation in health and illness: race, age, and sex differences (1985) by Overfield, Theresa, established that dry-type earwax indicates East Asian and Native American ancestry, while wet-type indicates African and European. 
Thick, dark and black colored earwax: The production of earwax is also influenced by your stress level i.e. when you are stressed out, the glands that are responsible for the production of earwax work overtime and produce excess amount of earwax. As this earwax collects, it can turn thicker and darker thus, this type of earwax is a sign of increased stress level. And, black colored earwax indicates that it has been accumulating in your ears for quite some time and has not been cleaned. To avoid this, it is essential to clean your ears from time to time and in the right way. 
Dry, gray earwax: The gray color of the wax is an indication of dust build-up and must be cleaned properly at regular intervals. However, if your earwax suddenly seems dry and brittle, it could be the sign of a skin infection. Dry earwax accompanied by itchiness in the ear is usually a sign of eczema.
Bloody earwax: Blood in the earwax should never be ignored. This could be caused by an ear infection or can be a sign of ruptured eardrum and you must consult your doctor immediately. 
Thus it is important that you take proper care of your ears so as to ensure that your hearing is maintained and although earwax protects your ears against infections and problems, it must be cleaned from time to time. It is advisable that you get your ears cleaned professionally, in case you are suffering from certain ailments such as Diabetes.

Earwax - Did You Know Its Color Can Say A Lot About Your Health?

How is homeopathy beneficial for sinusitis?

Sinuses, also known as paranasal sinuses as they surround the nasal cavity, are hollow air-filled cavities. Humans have four pairs of such cavities which are known as:

-Frontal sinus - in the forehead
-Maxillary sinus - behind the cheekbones
-Ethmoid sinus - between the eyes behind the bridge of the nose
-Sphenoid sinus - behind the eyes

What is sinusitis?

Sinusitis is the inflammation or infection of one or more of the sinuses. It can be caused by a virus, bacteria, fungus, allergies or excessive nose blowing and results in the blockage of the sinus opening. Sinusitis can be acute (lasting 4 or lesser weeks), subacute (lasting 4 to 8 weeks), chronic (lasting beyond 8 weeks) and recurring (several attacks in a year).

Acute sinusitis generally causes pain in the sinuses, headaches, loss of smell, stuffiness, and coughs as well as may also cause bad breath, toothaches, and fever.

What does the homeopathic treatment for sinusitis entail?

Homeopathy is an alternative medicine system which uses plants and minerals to develop remedies that augment the body's natural defenses by stimulating symptoms of the disease the patient is suffering from.

Acute sinusitis finds a permanent cure in homeopathy. Though treatment takes time, it rebuilds the body's immunity to sinusitis. It drains the sinuses, kills the germs and wipes the infection off at the root, thus preventing it from recurring. When antibiotics are used to treat sinusitis, there may be side effects such as fungal infections. Fungal infection is a leading cause of chronic sinusitis.

Homeopathy can boost the body's immunity which can treat fungal infections from the root, hence eliminating chances of recurrence. It can treat the symptoms of sinusitis and provide relief from associated respiratory diseases and allergies. There are different remedies available to treat the different symptoms of sinusitis, which work together to completely cure it by boosting the body's immune system without having any side effects.

Homeopathy for Nasal Polyps:

With Chronic sinus, soft growths arising from the mucous membrane of the nose or paranasal sinus are referred as nasal polyps. The most common treatment option suggested by a conventional system in nasal polyps is surgical removal. In most cases, nasal polyps reappear after surgery. However, surgery is a temporary fix since it does not address the body's tendency to form polyps. Homeopathy, on the other hand, offers a permanent solution by treating the root cause. Following six homeopathic medicines are usually recommended  for nasal polyps - Lemna Minor, Sanguinaria Can, Calcarea Carb, Kali Bichrome, Teucrium, and Phosphorus.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

How Does Homeopathy Cure Sinusitis?

Tonsillitis is a disorder of the tonsils present on the back of your throat. The tonsils acts as a defensive mechanism in the body as they prevent the body from infections. This is a contagious condition and can occur at any age. It is widely prevalent among school going kids.

Tonsillitis may be classified into two types:
1. Chronic tonsillitis: this type of tonsillitis tends to last for an extended duration with symptoms of bad breath and tenderness in the lymph nodes.
2. Recurrent tonsillitis: this is a form of acute tonsillitis which repeats itself over a year.

Causes
Tonsils prevent various virus and bacteria from entering the body through the mouth by producing antibodies. The tonsils, however, may become vulnerable to these infections. A virus that causes common cold or the bacteria that causes strep throat may result in tonsillitis. The most common cause of this disorder is the strep bacteria. School going children are especially vulnerable to this disorder because they are most prone to various infections.

The various viruses that may cause tonsillitis are:
1. Enterovirus
2. Herpes simplex virus
3. Epstein-barr virus
4. Influenza virus
5. Adenovirus
6. Parainfluenza virus

Common symptoms
The various symptoms of tonsillitis are
1. Swallowing difficulties
2. A sore throat
3. The sore throat may result in bad breath
4. You may experience fever and chills
5. Pain in the head, ear and stomach
6. You may experience stiffness in the neck and the jaw
7. Swollen tonsils with possible redness
8. Changes in voice
9. Symptoms of cold

Treatment
The treatment for tonsillitis is usually antibiotics and in some cases, tonsillectomy. The antibiotics help in getting rid of the bacterial infection. Surgery is only done in cases where tonsillitis is chronic in nature. It is important that you drink fluids and restrict smoking to prevent tonsillitis.

Causes and Symptoms of Tonsillitis

9 Home Remedies for Sinus 

Nose incorporates an intricate system of narrow passages and hollow, air containing spaces connecting to eyes and ears that enable us to inhale the air before it reaches our lungs. And the problem of sinus is directly linked with the nose. Basically, Sinus is a cavity within bones of face connected with nasal cavities and the main cause of sinus is allergies. But internally our nose has to suffer a lot when this problem occurs. But there are few tips that can be of great help during sinus. Let’s see them one-by-one

1. Drink plenty of water: While you are suffering from sinus, you must keep drinking water at short intervals because this won’t let the sinus get dry which is very essential for the treatment of sinus. Prefer taking lukewarm water.

2. Oregano oil: Adding few drops of oregano oil in water and having it 2-3 times a day for a week will provide relief when suffering from sinus and it will also make recovery faster.

3. Eat vitamin C: Eat citrus fruits which are rich in Vitamin C. Although some people avoid it thinking that it will aggravate the sinus problem but taking Vitamin C is helpful in sinus problem.

4. Fruit juice intake: Taking fruits juices also helps in thinning out mucus and preventing sinuses from blocking.

5. Warm compressor on face: Keeping warm compressor on your face will give relief from discomfort and will open blocked nasal passages.

6. Keep your head propped up while sleeping: Sleeping on a couple of pillows will be a good idea as it will help in proper breathing.

7. Spicy food intake: Taking too many spices is never a good idea but taking it in limits can actually solve many problems and one of them is clearance of sinus. Spices like mustard, hot pepper, curry and horseradish etc. helps in clearing sinus. It opens your nasal passages.

8. Hygiene: Hygiene is the first and foremost thing to be kept in mind when this problem occurs.

9. Humidifier: Keeping humidifiers in your room also helps in providing relief during sinus.



9 Powerful Home Remedies for Winter Sinus That Work Fast!

Though nosebleeds are usually not a cause for serious concern, it can sometimes be a scary experience and cause a lot of anxiety. The nose is home to a lot of blood vessels and being fragile they bleed easily. Nosebleeds, however, can be a cause of concern if they happen regularly. While a few factors can be taken care of easily, there are a few rare cases that are actually alarming.

Injury or blow to the nose: Any injury or sudden blow may cause the nose to bleed. The severity of bleeding depends on the intensity and nature of blow/ injury.
Sinusitis: Bleeding is seen in a moderate number of cases of sinusitis. Not every person with sinusitis experiences nose bleeds though.
Hypertension/ high blood pressure: People, who have high blood pressure and one or more of other predisposing factors, might experience nosebleed in some cases. High blood pressure basically increases your chances of experiencing nosebleed.
Liver infection: This condition can be one of the rare causes of nosebleed.
Conditions hampering blood clot formation: There are certain medical conditions in which the blood clot formation does not take place effectively and thus the bleeding incidents can happen with minor causes as well.
Blood thinning medication: People having blood thinning medicines are more prone to experiencing an episode of nose bleed for obvious reasons.
Excessive scratching or sneezing: This might cause the nasal wall to rupture, causing minor bleeding.
Excessive alcohol consumption: In people who consume alcohol in an excessive amount, nose bleeding might occur as an after effect.
Blood cancer/ leukemia: In some cases of leukemia, the patient might experience nosebleed along with other complications.
While some causes can be self-cured at home, a few others need proper treatment from a medical practitioner.

You shouldn't ignore these 9 alarming causes of nose bleed!

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