Catarrh
Catarrh is blockages or discharge from the common cold, but also:
*if blockage and discharge are both present, catarrh could be middle ear infection
*if the throat is sore or raw, catarrh could be tonsillitis.
*if forehead is tight and cheeks are tender and tight catarrh may be sinusitis
*it may also take the form of adenoid infection. Swelling of adenoids can also cover the opening of
eustachian tubes, resulting in barotrauma, if for example, riding an elevator, airplane, or jumping into a bath.
Many people have chronic blockage, so it is as if they always have a cold.
Sometimes blockage clears outdoors, e.g. jumping into an outdoor pool may be preferable to an indoor pool, since it appears that barotrauma is often less of a problem outdoors than indoors.
Blockage may result in discomfort with (and a possibly justifiable fear of)
*elevators,
*airplanes,
*driving in the mountains, etc.
*baths such as
swimming pools, jumping
baths, etc..
Even the shallow end of a swimming
bath can be troublesome;
barotrauma can result in as little as 4 feet of water depth.
Blockage is often time-varying, e.g. some days are better than others, etc.. For example, a person can be entering the baths from a height of 5m one week, and the next week can be in severe pain entering from only the 1m board, or even just from the side of the pool, in which case the person is said to be "having a bad ear day".
Open windows before slamming car doors or trunk. (Power windows may be troublesome if doors are opened and closed when the car is powered down.)
Use stairs rather than elevators (good exercise as well).
Running through sprinklers and
spray fountains may be a good alternative to jumping into a pool because although the spray gets water in the ears, it doesn't hurt because it doesn't make a tight seal like when jumping into a pool, where sudden increase in pressure can cause
barotrauma.
Wearing a lifejacket can help by reducing the depth of entry when jumping into, or accidentally falling into, a bath or natural body of water.
*
Common cold*
Allergy*
Hay fever*
Rhinitis*
Sinusitis
