Earwax Glossary of Terms

1. Anatomy of an Ear Infection Slideshow Pictures
2. Take the Ear Infection Quiz
3. Tinnitus (Ringing of the Ears) Slideshow Pictures

Acoustic: Having to do with sound or hearing. The acoustic nerve (the 8th cranial nerve) i...

Bacteria: Single-celled microorganisms that can exist either as independent (free-living) ...

Bicarbonate: In medicine, bicarbonate usually refers to bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarb...

Clinical trials: Trials to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of medications or medical...

Curette: spoon-shaped instrument that has a sharp edge. The word curette comes from French...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Dizziness: Painless head discomfort with many possible causes including disturbances of ...

Drain: A device for removing fluid from a cavity or wound. A drain is typically a tube or ...

Ear: The hearing organ. There are three sections of the ear, according to the anatomy tex...

Ear wax: A natural wax-like substance secreted by special glands in the skin on the outer ...

Eardrum: The tympanic membrane of the ear, or tympanum. The eardrum separates the middle e...

Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degr...

Flush: (1) A redness of the skin, typically over the cheeks or neck. A flush is usually ...

Fungi: Plural of fungus.

Hearing aid: An instrument to help in hearing. There are four common styles of hearing aid...

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

Otoscope: An instrument for looking in the ear.

Outer ear: The part of the ear that is visible along the side of the head. The outer ear c...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or dev...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Saline: Relating to salt. As an adjective, "saline" means "salty, containing salt." As a n...

Sensation: In medicine and physiology, sensation refers to the registration of an incoming...

Sodium: The major positive ion (cation) in the fluid surrounding cells in the body. The ch...

Swimmer's ear: Infection of the skin covering the outer ear canal that leads in to the ear...

Syringe: A medical device that is used to inject fluid into, or withdraw fluid from, the b...

Topical: Pertaining to a particular surface area. For example, a topical agent is applied ...

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Tubes: The "tubes" are medically known as the Fallopian tubes. There are two Fallopian tub...