Table of Contents
Preface ix
I Understanding Your Ears
1 How the Ear Works 3
2 Ear Symptoms: What Do They Mean? 8
3 Common Myths about the Ear 12
II Common Ear Problems
4 Otitis Media 27
5 An Overview of Hearing Loss 37
6 Hearing Loss in Children 39
7 Age-Related Hearing Loss 50
8 Alf about Hearing Aids 55
9 All about Cochlear Implants 61
10 Dizziness and Vertigo 71
11 Tinnitus: Ringing in the Ears 81
III Disorders of the Outer Ear
12 Swimmer's Ear 93
13 Ear Wax and Foreign Bodies 102
14 Malformations of the Outer Ear 107
15 Bony Growths of the Ear Canal 112
16 Cancer of the Outer Ear 115
17 Trauma: Cauliflower Ear 120
IV Disorders of the Middle Ear
18 Perforated Eardrum and Tympanoplasty 127
19 Otosclerosis and Stapedotomy 134
20 Mastoiditis and Cholesteatoma 137
V Disorders of the Inner Ear
21 Ménière's Disease 145
22 Noise-Induced Hearing Loss 156
23 Sudden Deafness and Autoimmune Disease 161
24 Ototoxic Drugs 167
25 Acoustic Neuroma and Other Tumors 171
VI Other Things You Should Know
26 Hearing and Balance Tests 183
27 The Ear and Scuba Diving 194
28 Airplane Ear 199
29 Bell's Palsy and the Facial Nerve 204
30 The Future: Gene Therapy and Stem Cell Therapy of the Ear 209
Appendix 1 Commonly Used Ear Medications and Their Side Effects 213
Appendix 2 Organizations Offering Information, Support, and Advocacy 215
Glossary 217
References 221
Index 233
