Season 2, Episode 16: Ears

The external human ear is a shell-shaped structure composed of cartilage covered by skin that lies on the lateral aspect of the head. Inside the head lie the middle and inner ear. All together they are the organ of hearing or audition and equilibrium or balance. When it comes to common disease associations, the outer ear is skin cancer, the middle ear is otitis media or earaches, and the inner ear is hearing loss, tinnitus (hearing sound when no source is present often referred to as ringing in the ears), as well as vertigo or dizziness.  Patient complaints about their ears are more expansive. They’re too big, they stick out, they itch inside, they’re full of wax, they hurt, they don’t pop, they feel clogged, etc. We’ll hear all of that and more on this episode.