Manual Format

In the course of a normal week an ENT (EARS, NOSE, and THROAT) doctor sees a great many ear problems. Some of these problems can be very common and may be a source of worry and anxiety for the patient and/or the parent. If you are a parent, or a person with ear problems or you are the person who diagnosis ear problems, then this manual may be of use to you.

Several of the common diseases that affect ears are dealt with in this manual.  Every attempt has been made to use language that is not of a technical nature. As well, every attempt has been made to present the information in a clear and straight forward manner.

To make it easier for the user of the manual, all of the medical problems are presented in the following format:

  1. Typical complaint or symptoms.
  2. Most common age for the ailment.
  3. What to look for in the examination.
  4. Standard type treatments and precautions used.
  5. Discussion of:
    1. Home remedies
    2. Treatment Options
    3. Possible prevention of the problem.

To make these discussions easier to understand, a glossary of terms that might be unfamiliar to the average person or to the non-medical person is included at the back of the book. There is also a Table that cross-matches or connects symptoms with diseases. This table contains the more common diseases and symptoms that one might expect to encounter.

This manual is not intended to make doctors out of lay people or to replace seeing your own doctor. The object of this manual is to help people understand some of the basic concepts of ear diseases. The manual will help in what to look for when a person has ear problems and will help clear up any misconceptions that people may have.