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Swimmer's Ear
Also known as Otitis Externa, "swimmer's ear" doesn't only occur in swimmers' ears. Otitis externa is an infection, usually fungal, in the external ear canal that connects the eardrum with the outside of your body. The space we typically get water caught in after diving or bathing and the place where we shouldn't put anything smaller than our elbows into, but often do put cotton swabs anyway. This canal is usually waxy and this wax serves to protect the canal from invasion by germs unless we are constantly swabbing them and disturbing the natural function of the wax and the little hairs in the canal or we are exposed to a large dose of fungus, such as is sometimes present in smarmy lakes (hence the name, swimmer's ear.). Usually this can easily be treated with ear drops of various sorts including a home remedy of peroxide, vinegar and water dribbled into the canal nightly, or by a prescription solution that fights fungus and decreases inflamation and pain. See your doctor if keeping your ear dry and using the concoction above doesn't do the trick. Some swimmers use an ear plug that prevents the dirty water from settling inside. Others use a solution (over the counter) that dries the liquid after water exposure without swabbing (it has alcohol in it and may burn if you already have an infection - don't use it in that case). Anyway, the good news is that it does not impair your hearing function and usually gets better on its own with time and avoidance of the original cause. Oh, yes, you can also give yourself this infection by sticking pencil points or other nasty things into your ear to scratch that itch so stay out of it, for your own good.
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