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    Hearing Tests Home

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    Ear Infections Home

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    Ear Infection Guide

    • What Is an Ear Infection?
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    • Picture of the Ear

    Related to Ear Infection

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    • Cold, Flu, & Cough
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    What to Do When Your Baby or Toddler Has a Cough

    In Plain Sight: Hearing

    Video Transcript

    [THEME MUSIC] AMY GARBER, RN: Hearing, it's one of our most essential senses. And these amazing orifices allow us to hear all the sounds in the world.

    [LAUGHTER]

    Why is the PA back there laughing? Do I look ridiculous? I do, don't I? I'm going to stop doing this. Instead, let's take an inside look at what these babies are all about.

    [MUSIC PLAYING]

    Oh, look at that fleshy goodness. Oh, and check out all those hairs. Everyone's got them, but that's a good thing, because they trap particles and push them, along with dead skin cells, out of your ear. Let's keep going.

    Do you see that yellow stuff? That's some good ol' earwax. Might look disgusting, but it also helps trap particles and keep them from going any deeper. Earwax is your friend. A gooey and somewhat gross friend.

    Next and last stop, the middle ear. We are now looking at an actual eardrum. The eardrum's a thin piece of skin, and other tissues, stretched tight like a drum. When sound waves hit the eardrum, it vibrates and moves the ossicles, which are the three tiniest most delicate bones in your body. The ossicles move the sound to the inner ear, which sends signals to the brain. Amazing.

    Sadly, we can't go beyond the eardrum and see all that inner goodness, because we don't want to puncture it. But what an incredibly intricate and highly developed system. And that's just the little bit that we can see, so remember to appreciate your ear, because there's no hearing without the ear.

    I totally came up with that myself. Should we copyright it?

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