The Vice Chairperson of the Greater Accra ENT Nurses Association, Ruth Amoh, has cautioned those who love to insert objects, especially bird feathers, in their ears when they itch to put a stop to it.

Doing that, she said, causes harm to the eardrum and, in the end, may affect the hearing abilities of patrons.

Ruth Amoh observed that a lot of people use bird feathers, cotton buds, sticks, and even at times keys in their ears in their quest to clean the ear or get relief from itching in the ear.

Speaking on Atinka TV‘s morning show, Ghana Nie with Abena Dufie, while commemorating “World Hearing Day’, Ruth Amoh said those practices were bad, noting that the ear has a way of cleansing itself.

She noted that by inserting objects into the ear, a lot of people have burst their eardrums unknowingly, which has affected their hearing.

“The ear has its own way of cleaning itself. There are certain cells in the ear that bring out the dirt in it, so when people insert objects in the ears, the cell is distracted from doing its work and it stops to function as it should, so when the dirt comes into the ear, it gets stuck inside, and the more you use cotton buds inside the ear, it pushes the dirt inside,” she explained.

She continued, “If we can, we should stop using the feathers in our ears. I will not encourage anyone to put it in their ear because it is not right, but if we cannot, when we take it, we have to wash it very well.”

Aside from that, she said the frequent usage of ear pieces and listening to loud music has also affected the hearing abilities of many.

She recommended that people rather use olive oil in their ears when they itch or feel it is dirty.

For those who cannot, she advised that they visit an ENT specialist for washing or cleaning of the ear, also cautioning against self medication.

“If your ear is itching, you can put olive oil inside; you have to pour it; do not use the feathers to do it. When you pour it in a small container, then you pour it in your ear, wait a bit, and change to the other, some are even drops that you can squeeze into your ears,” she said.