Aural Health Dictionary

Secretory form. A common form of inflammation of the middle ear in children and which may be responsible for conduction deafness.

Causes: chronic catarrh with obstruction of the Eustachian tubes of dietetic origin. Starchy foods should be severely restricted. The ear is clogged with a sticky fluid usually caused by enlarged adenoids blocking the ventilation duct which connects the cavity with the back of the throat.

Conventional treatment consists of insertion of ‘grommets’ – tiny flanged plastic tubes about one millimetre long – which are inserted into the eardrum, thus ensuring a free flow of air into the cavity.

Fluid usually disappears and hearing returns to normal.

Tre atme nt. Underlying cause treated – adenoids, tonsils, etc. Sinus wash-out with Soapwort, Elderflowers, Mullein or Marshmallow tea. Internal treatment with anti-catarrhals to disperse. Alternatives:– German Chamomile tea. (Traditional German).

Teas. Boneset, Cayenne, Coltsfoot, Elderflowers, Eyebright, Hyssop, Marshmallow leaves, Mullein, Mint, Yarrow.

Powders. Combine: Echinacea 2; Goldenseal quarter; Myrrh quarter; Liquorice half. Dose: 500mg (two 00 capsules or one-third teaspoon), thrice daily.

Tinctures. Combine: Echinacea 2; Yarrow 1; Plantain 1. Drops: Tincture Capsicum. Dose: 1-2 teaspoons thrice daily.

Topical. Castor oil drops, with cotton wool ear plugs, Oils of Garlic or Mullein. If not available, use Almond oil. Hopi Indian Ear Candles for mild suction and to impart a perceptible pressure regulation of sinuses and aural fluids.

Diet. Gluten-free diet certain. No confectionery, chocolate, etc. Salt-free. Low-starch. Milk-free. Abundance of fruits and raw green salad materials. Supplements. Vitamins A, B-complex, C. E. ... otitis media – glue ear

An instrument used to measure temperature. A traditional clinical thermometer consists of a glass capillary tube (a tube with a very fine bore) that is sealed at one end and has a mercury-filled bulb at the other.

Modern versions of the clinical thermometer include an electronic probe connected to a digital display, and an aural thermometer, which measures the temperature of the eardrum.

Both versions give an almost instant reading.

There are also disposable skin thermometers that employ heat-sensitive chemicals, which change colour at specific temperatures.

These are not as reliable, however.

Clinical thermometers may be calibrated in degrees Celsius (centigrade), degrees Fahrenheit, or sometimes both.... thermometer