気温が低く乾燥した日が続いています。2月4日は、暦の上では立春で春を迎える時期とされていますが、一般的に1月下旬から2月にかけて最も寒くなると言われています。感染症もまだまだ流行っているので、手洗い・うがいをしっかり行い、予防に努めましょう。
3月3日耳の日
「３」は耳の形に似ていることなどから3月3日は「耳の日」といわれています。耳は、音を聞いたり、体のバランスを感じ取ったりする大切な器官です。子どもの耳ならではの特徴を知って、耳を守りましょう。
耳の仕組みは・・・
耳の仕組みは、大人も子どもも同じで、外耳、中耳、内耳の３つのパートがあります。耳の穴から鼓膜までは外耳、鼓膜の奥には中耳、内耳があります。内耳では音や体のバランスなどをキャッチしています。ただ、子どもは大人よりも体が小さいため、子どもならではの特徴があります。
子どもの耳は‥・
中耳炎になりやすい
中耳は「耳管」という管で、鼻の奥とつながっています。子どもは大人に比べて耳管が短く、傾きがなだらかなため、鼻の中のウイルスや細菌が耳管を通って中耳に入りやすく、中耳炎を起こしやすいのです。鼻水はすすらず、かむ習慣をつけましょう。
耳掃除が大変
耳の穴が小さく、中が見づらいため、耳掃除が難しいです。また、耳の中の皮膚は敏感なため、子どもが嫌がって動いて耳の中を傷つけることや、きょうだい児が抱きついてきて耳が押されて鼓膜が破れる事故も。耳掃除は綿棒で外耳道を拭き取る程に行い、難しい時は耳鼻科で相談しましょう。
The days continue to be cold and dry. Although February 4 is winter according to the traditional Chinese calendar, the end of January to February is generally the coldest time of the year. Infectious diseases are still around so let’s wash our hands and gargle to fight them.
World Hearing Day (March 3)
March 3 is World Hearing Day because the number “3” is shaped like an ear. The ears are crucial not only for hearing, but also for the body’s balance. Let’s understand how children’s ears work in unique ways and make sure they are protected.
How the ear works・・・
The ear works in the same way for both adults and children. It consists of three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. From the back of the ear to the eardrum is the outer ear. Behind the eardrum are the middle and inner ears. The inner ear picks up sound and keeps the body in balance. Because children are smaller than adults, their ears have unique characteristics that we need to keep in mind.
Children’s ears‥・
Children’s ears are likely to be susceptible to middle ear infections. The middle ear is connected to the back of the ear through the ear canal. Because children tend to have smaller ear canals than adults and their ear canals are not as slanted, viruses are more likely to enter the middle ear through the ear canal, causing a middle ear infection. Blowing your nose is better than sniffling.
Difficult to clean
Because children have small ears, it is difficult to see inside them, making it difficult to clean them. Also, the skin inside their ears is very delicate, so accidents can happen, like a child may resist while being cleaned their ears and damage their ear, or their sibling with a disability will push them on their ear and rupture their eardrum. While cleaning their ears, you should wipe their outer ear canal with a Q-tip and if you have any difficulty, please consult an ENT doctor.
