The purpose of your ears is to collect and process sounds to send to the brain as well as maintaining your balance. The ear is made up of three sections, the outer ear, middle ear, and the inner ear.

The outer ear is also known as the pinna or auricle. This is what collects the sound to send into the ear. The curves of your pinna help the brain determine where the sound is coming from. Sounds in front of the ear will sound louder than behind the ear and sounds occurring on the right side of the body will be louder to the right ear than the left.

The ear canal is part of the outer ear and this is where earwax is made. People think that earwax is gross; however, it serves an important purpose for the ear. Earwax contains chemicals that fight off infections, collects dirt to keep the canal clean, and moisturizes the ear.

Sound waves travel from the ear canal through the eardrum to the middle ear. The middle ear houses three ossicles that aid in hearing. These three ossicles are the malleus (also known as the hammer), incus (also known s the anvil), and the stapes (also known as the stirrup). The sound vibrates through these ossicles and pushes through to the inner ear.

The cochlea is positioned in the entrance of the inner ear. This is a small curled tube, resembling a snail, which is filled with liquid and is lined by tiny hair cells. These hair cells move the sound vibrations creating signals the brain can understand.

The inner ear also assists in balance. There are three loops above the cochlea in the inner ear known as semicircular canals. These semicircular canals are liquid filled. As your head moves, the liquid is moved which sends a signal to the brain saying that you are moving. Once the body movement stops so does the liquid and a signal is sent to the brain to say that you are still. Occasionally the fluid doesn’t stop moving when you do. This causes the brain to receive mixed signals and in turn causes a person to feel dizzy. Everyone experiences some dizziness from time to time. However, if you experience dizziness often, you should seek medical attention from an Ear-Nose-Throat Physician.