Otitis Externa and Otinova: A Practical, No-Nonsense Guide If your ear suddenly feels itchy, sore, blocked, or painful after swimming or showering, you may be dealing with otitis externa —often called “swimmer’s ear.” The good news: most cases are very treatable with the right early steps. This guide explains what otitis externa is, why it happens, where Otinova fits in, and when to escalate quickly. What is otitis externa? Otitis externa is inflammation (and sometimes infection) of the skin lining the external ear canal. It commonly presents with: Ear pain (often worse when touching or pulling the outer ear) Itching Fullness/blockage Reduced hearing from swelling/debris Sometimes watery discharge Otinova’s own instruction documents describe it as treatment for ear canal inflammation/eczema (swimmer’s ear). Why does it happen? The ear canal is protected by a mildly acidic environment and a skin barrier. Otitis externa tends to flare ...
How to diagnose allergic rhinitis? Rhinitis or runny nose can be due to several factors. Allergic rhinitis is inflammation of the lining of the nose in response allergen around you in your environment. This allergen can be pollen, mould, dust or in your diet. Typically, if you have an itchy and runny nose, sneezing with a blocked nose, this can be due to allergic rhinitis. How is a diagnosis made for allergic rhinitis? When you go and see your doctor. He will ask you about your symptoms, severity, and how they are impacting your quality of life. If the cause for your allergic rhinitis symptoms is unclear, then special allergy skin prick test or allergy blood test may be requested. Why are special allergy test required? In some cases of allergic rhinitis, it is not clear what is your trigger factor for your symptoms. So, by these tests, treating clinician can advise about lifestyle changes, medications and allergy avoidance. How is the allergy test performe...