新奇事件簿 使用棉签会损害听力（在线收听）

Doctors are now telling us what grandparents have known for decades - don't stick anything smaller than your elbow into your ears. An organization of ear specialists in the USA, the American Academy of Otolaryngology, has said cleaning your ears with cotton buds (aka Q-tips) can cause long-lasting damage to your eardrums and hearing. Dr Jennifer Caudle told Yahoo Beauty that cotton buds seem harmless objects but can cause significant damage. She said: "I know people want to stick things in their ears and they think it’s the right thing to do, but [cotton buds] can cause holes in the eardrum, irritation in the canal, and can predispose you to getting infections."

医生们现在告诉我们一个祖辈们已经知道了几十年的事实——不要把比手肘小的任何东西放进耳朵里。美国耳科专家组织美国耳科学会表示，用棉签清理耳朵会对耳膜和听力造成永久性的伤害。Jennifer Caudle医生告诉Yahoo Beauty，棉签看上去是无害的物品，但是会导致重大伤害。她说：“我知道人们想要把什么东西放进耳朵里，认为这是正确的，但是棉签会导致耳膜穿孔，刺激耳道，还容易造成感染。”

The Academy has also recommended that people change their image of earwax and think of it as an essential substance to keep our ears healthy. Dr Seth Schwartz said: "There is an inclination for people to want to clean their ears because they believe earwax is an indication of uncleanliness. This misinformation leads to unsafe ear health habits." Doctors say our body produces earwax for a good reason. It does an essential job of cleaning out the ears, stopping them from drying out, and helping them to sweat naturally. It also protects the inner ears against bacteria, bugs, dirt and dust. Using cotton buds can push earwax further inside the ear and cause blockages, which can undo all the good work of earwax.

该学会还建议人们改变对耳垢的看法，将耳垢视为保护耳朵健康的必须物质。Seth Schwartz医生表示：“人们有一种清理耳朵的爱好，因为他们认为耳垢是不干净的标志。这种错误的信息导致不安全的耳部卫生习惯。”医生们表示，我们的身体产生耳垢是出于一个好的原因。耳垢可以完成清理耳朵的必须工作，防止耳朵干燥，帮助耳朵自然流汗。耳垢还可以保护内耳免受细菌，昆虫，污垢和尘土的污染。使用棉签把耳垢推向更深入耳朵的地方，导致堵塞，破坏耳垢的所有益处。