震驚! 美國專家稱掏耳朵會帶來重大影響!

Cleaning the ears is often considered to be a sign of good personal cleanliness.

清理耳朵通常會被認爲是良好個人衛生的一大標誌。

But manually removing earwax could actually damage a person's hearing, according to new guidelines by experts in the US.

不過，根據美國專家們公佈的最新指南，手動清理耳屎實際上會損害人的聽力。

Researchers at the American Academy of Otolaryngology noted in their updated guidelines that inserting foreign instruments into the ear canal, such as cotton buds, can cause a variety of hearing issues and actually increase cerumen production.

美國耳鼻喉科學院的研究人員們在他們更新的指南當中指出，往耳道里插入如棉花籤這樣的異質物，能夠造成很多聽覺問題，同時還會增加耳屎的產生。

In addition, manually cleaning the ears also increases the chances of piercing the eardrum, dislocating delicate bones and causing infection.

此外，手動清理耳朵還會增加耳膜穿透、細骨脫臼和感染的概率。

Dr Seth Schwartz, chair of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, said: "Patients often think that they are preventing earwax from building up by cleaning out their ears with cotton swabs, paper clips, or any number of things that people put in their ears.

美國耳鼻喉科學院的負責人賽斯·施瓦茲醫生表示："病人們通常認爲通過棉花籤、回形針或是任何人們放入耳內的東西清理耳朵能夠防止耳屎的堆積。"

"The problem is that this effort to eliminate earwax is only creating further issues. Anything that fits in the ear could cause serious harm to the ear drum and canal."

"問題是，這些減少耳屎的努力只會製造更多的麻煩。任何進入耳內的東西都會給耳膜和耳道造成嚴重的傷害。"

He also asserted that, contrary to popular belief, the ear is self-cleaning.

他還聲稱，與流行的觀點背道而馳的是，耳朵可以實現自我清理。

"Many people believe that earwax is an indication of uncleanliness. This misinformation leads to unsafe ear health habits."

"很多人認爲耳屎是不乾淨的象徵。這一錯誤的信息導致了不安全的耳朵衛生習慣。"

He added earwax or cerumen was a normal substance the body produces to clean, protect and 'oil' ears.

他補充說道，耳屎是人體產生的一種正常物質，它能夠清理、保護和"油潤"耳朵。

It acts as a self-cleaning agent to keep ears healthy by trapping dirt, dust, and other small matter, keeping them from getting farther into the ear.

它發揮着自我清洗劑的作用，通過吸附污垢、灰塵和其它細小物質保持耳朵健康，從而防止它們進一步進入耳內。