Main description:

Intricately shaped and amazingly sensitive, ears are the organs of hearing and balance. When something goes wrong with the ears-whether infection or cancer, eardrum perforation or hearing loss-our overall well-being is generally disturbed. In The Ear Book, Drs. Thomas J. Balkany and Kevin D. Brown, recognized experts on ears and hearing, explain how the anatomy of the ear facilitates hearing and balance and then examine the causes, symptoms, and treatment of common problems of the outer, middle, and inner ear. Their explanations take the mystery out of hearing aids, the proper care of ears, and how the pressurized conditions of scuba diving and air travel affect the ears. And they debunk ear-related myths-from the notion that exposure to loud noise strengthens the ear to the idea that tinnitus can be cured with nutrients-and urge readers to stop using ear candling or Q-tips to get rid of wax. Drs. Balkany and Brown address such common questions as: Can dizziness be cured? How loud is too loud? Why do my ears ring? Do cochlear implants work for nerve deafness? What promise do innovations in gene therapy and stem cell therapy hold for the future?
Fully illustrated and including helpful tables, hearing preservation tips, a glossary of terms, lists of ear medications and resources, and suggestions for further reading, The Ear Book is sure to be a welcome family guide.

Contents:

Preface
I. Understanding Your Ears
1. How the Ear Works
2. Ear Symptoms
3. Common Myths about the Ear
II. Common Ear Problems
4. Otitis Media
5. An Overview of Hearing Loss
6. Hearing Loss in Children
7. Age-RelatedHearing Loss
8. All about Hearing Aids
9. All about Cochlear Implants
10. Dizziness and Vertigo
11. Tinnitus
III. Disorders of the Outer Ear
12. Swimmer's Ear
13. Ear Wax and Foreign Bodies
14. Malformations of the Outer Ear
15. Bony Growths of the Ear Canal
16. Cancer of the Outer Ear
17. Trauma
IV. Disorders of the Middle Ear
18. Perforated Eardrum and Tympanoplasty
19. Otosclerosis and Stapedotomy
20. Mastoiditis and Cholesteatoma
V. Disorders of the Inner Ear
21. Meniere's Disease
22. Noise-InducedHearing Loss
23. Sudden Deafness and Autoimmune Disease
24. Ototoxic Drugs
25. Acoustic Neuroma and Other Tumors
VI. Other Things You Should Know
26. Hearing and Balance Tests
27. The Ear and Scuba Diving
28. Airplane Ear
29. Bell's Palsy and the Facial Nerve
30. The Future
Appendix 1. Commonly Used Ear Medications and Their SideEffects
Appendix 2. Organizations Offering Information, Support,and Advocacy
Glossary
References
Index