Q: I have suffered from ear infections on and off for most of my life. My question is why do some people have all these problems and other people don’ t ever seem to get ear problems?
A: There are three main types of ear infections. You can get viral infections of the inner ear, known as viral labyrinthitis, which cause dizzy spells and nausea. This can happen to anyone at any age.
Infection of the inner ear is called otitis media.
This often occurs in children following a sore throat or tonsillitis, and results in severe earache so bad that the child often screams with pain. The eardrum can rupture if the condition is not treated in time. Adults sometimes get this too.
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You may have suffered from this since childhood, but you may also be simply prone to getting infections in the outer ear, or otitis externa, which is not as serious and can be treated with drops.
The symptoms of this are itching or mild pain in the outer tube between the eardrum and the outside ear, often accompanied by a
watery discharge.
This could be due to a bacterial infection, but often is caused by a fungus.
Some people are more prone to outer ear infections than others because they have a straighter tube leading to the eardrum, allowing water inside. Try putting earplugs or cotton balls into your ears before putting your head in water.
Perspiration problem
Q:I am a 43-year-old female with excessive perspiration. I have tried many different types of extra strength deodorants and antiperspirants, but none of them lasts long. How can I prevent this?
A:The name for your condition is primary hyperhydrosis. This means that other causes for excessive perspiration, such as an overactive thyroid gland, have been eliminated.
A new treatment involves the use of butulinum type A toxin. Dr. Marcus Naumann and associates at the Julius Maximillians University in Wurzberg, Germany, did a study of 320 adult patients by injecting them in the armpits with a solution of this toxin.
He found that nine out of 10 in the study had more than a 50% decrease in the amount of sweat they produced. This effect lasted four months. The treatment is not yet available to the public.
If you have access to a computer you can e-mail questions to any of our expert columnists at newsroom@producer.com. Or mail your question to the relevant columnist. The newspaper will forward it unopened. Mail to columnist name c/o Editorial Dept., Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4.
