The W.O. Frohring Family Resource Center
Part of Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, this center has a resource library with information on parenting, breastfeeding, sibling relationships and much more. Materials may be borrowed for a limited time within the hospital, and copying services are available.
Patients who have recently given birth at MacDonald Women’s Hospital find the library to be an excellent source on topics relating to newborns and their parents. The Frohring Family Resource Center supports a caring and effective partnership between families and their healthcare team by providing general assistance on baby care and health-related issues. You can learn more about the Center on the Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital website. Community residents are also welcome to visit or call the center for information.
Health Encyclopedia
Ear - blocked at high altitudes
High altitudes and blocked ears; Flying and blocked ears
You can usually yawn and swallow to unclog blocked ears when you are coming down from high altitudes. Chewing gum the entire time you are changing altitudes helps by causing you to swallow frequently. This may prevent you from getting blocked ears in the first place.
People who always have blocked ears when flying may consider taking a decongestant about an hour before the flight leaves.
If your ears are blocked, try breathing in, then gently breathing out while holding your nostrils and mouth closed. If you do this too forcefully, you can cause ear infections by forcing bacteria into your ear canals. A perforation (hole) in your eardrum can result if you blow too hard. See barotrauma.
Review Date:
1/12/2009
Reviewd By:
A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Greg Juhn, MTPW, David R. Eltz. Previously reviewed by Daniel Levy, MD, PhD, Infectious Diseases, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network (10/15/2008).