- With Mayo Clinic internist
James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
James Steckelberg, M.D.
Dr. James Steckelberg is chairman of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Mayo Clinic, a consultant and a professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School.
A native of Fremont, Neb., Dr. Steckelberg was a Rhodes Scholar and graduated from the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine as a resident in internal medicine and a fellow in infectious diseases, and is board certified in both. He is the former director of the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory at Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Steckelberg belongs to numerous professional organizations. He is a founding member of the Musculoskeletal Infection Society of America and a fellow with the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He has served on many Mayo Clinic committees and is a member of the Department of Medicine Leadership Committee and the executive committee of the Division of Infectious Diseases. He also served on the editorial boards of "Mayo Clinic Proceedings" and "Antimicrobial Agents & Chemotherapy" and has been an editorial reviewer for more than a dozen publications.
Dr. Steckelberg's research interests include experimental models of infection, epidemiology of infection, and antimicrobial resistance and therapy of bacterial infections.
Definition (1)
- Cold or allergy: Which is it?
Complications (1)
- Plugged ears: What is the remedy?
Lifestyle and home remedies (7)
- Warm-mist vs. cool-mist humidifier: Which is better for a cold?
- Vicks VapoRub: An effective nasal decongestant?
- Neti pot solution: Can I make my own?
- see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
Alternative medicine (1)
- Echinacea: Can it prevent common colds?
Prevention (1)
- Flu germs: How long can they live outside the body?
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
Plugged ears: What is the remedy?
My ears have been plugged for more than a week. I'm just getting over a bad cold, so I've been taking an oral decongestant. But this hasn't helped. What causes this? Is there any remedy for plugged ears?
Answer
from James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
Plugged ears are usually a mild, temporary problem — most commonly due to allergies or a cold. Often, no treatment is needed. However, if symptoms are severe or last for an extended period, you may want to have the problem evaluated by a doctor.
The eustachian tubes connect your middle ears to the back of your nose. The air pressure in your middle ear usually is the same as that in your outer ear. When you swallow or yawn, your eustachian tubes normally open and allow air to flow into or out of your middle ear, equalizing the pressure.
If your eustachian tube is obstructed (eustachian tube dysfunction), the air pressure in your middle ear can't be equalized with the pressure in your outer ear. When this happens, your eardrum can't vibrate normally, so sounds are muffled. You may also have ear pain.
Symptoms typically last from a few hours to several weeks — depending on the cause — and usually go away without treatment. When needed, treatment is directed at getting air to flow into the eustachian tube. Oral decongestants, nasal spray antihistamines and topical nasal steroids may help. You can also try to forcibly open your eustachian tube by taking a deep breath and trying to blow out while pinching your nostrils closed and closing your mouth. If you feel a popping noise, you know you have succeeded.
Occasionally, people with severe symptoms of eustachian tube dysfunction that last longer than a few weeks need to seek care from an otolaryngologist — also known as an ear, nose and throat doctor. He or she may recommend inserting a ventilation tube into the eardrum to drain any fluid and relieve the pressure.
Next question
