Several years ago, a neighbor called to thank me for the column I had written that week. He told me that he had been suffering from an annoying pain in his ear and that when he read my article on otitis externa (also known as swimmer’s ear) he immediately knew that was what his problem was. His healthcare professional confirmed his self-diagnosis and he was treated and healed.

I ran into him the other day, and he mentioned it again. So, with all this great summer weather beckoning us to take a plunge, I thought this might be a good time to help someone else, maybe you, identify a problem or better yet prevent one.

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