Q: I am a 29-year-old male and have started getting ear pain when I stay in an air conditioned place. My left ear pains severely and is usually associated with some nerve. I have to take medication to relieve pain. I also experience a similar pain while travelling by air, especially during landing. Is this a serious problem? Do I need to take any treatment?

A:If there is anything that causes discomfort, then the first thing to do is to avoid such a thing. So avoid sitting in AC for a long time. This problem that you are getting is due to the blockage of your tube between the nose and the ear. The pressure changes in and outside the tube and it sucks or pushes the ear drum, causing pain. These pressure changes occur during flight decent, swimming underwater, mountains, cold air causing congestion etc. So when you board a flight, keep a chewing gum in your pocket and start chewing when you are landing and not when you are ascending, you can also keep on swallowing while landing, keep awake, taking sips of water. If you are travelling very often and the pain is severe, then you can carry a nasal drop and instill in the nose 30 minutes before landing.