https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86YZrbrNhrI
If you’re looking forward to a beer or two with Thanksgiving dinner, consider this interesting method of ingestion. The woman in the video above appears to be drinking beer through her ear. Is it a magic trick? To determine, we need to determine if it’s even anatomically possible.
There is an anatomical link between the ear and the throat called the eustachian tube. In order to get liquid from the ear into the throat, however, there would have to be a hole in the ear drum. If the woman has a hole in her ear drum, liquid could theoretically be sucked into the ear canal, go through the hole in the ear drum, into the middle ear, through the eustachian tube, and down the throat.
While this is theoretically possible, it’s highly unlikely. The opening to the eustachian tube is very small, the approximate equivalent of a coffee stirrer. Drinking beer that way would be very, very slow going.
Also, the woman in the video above doesn’t hold her nose while consuming the beer. Without plugging the nose, it’s unlikely that enough negative pressure would be present to suck beer up through the straw.
If somehow, despite the odds, she did manage it, there are several reasons why you shouldn’t drink beer through your ear.
- If alcohol is drawn into the middle ear, it could cause hearing loss.
- The middle ear region is ver sensitive, and putting alcohol on it would be quite painful.
- Cold beer could cause severe dizziness if drawn into the ear.
- Alcohol in the ear could also cause an ear infection.
In conclusion, while entertaining, it’s very improbable that this woman is actually drinking beer through her ear. If you do find that you’re able to pass liquids from your ear to your throat, Orlando ENT specialists would definitely advise against it.