The ear has two main functions. According to surveys the vast majority of people believe that the ear has only one function, that of hearing sounds, but the anatomy of the ear actually consists of two parts, the cochlea and the semicircular canals and otolithic apparatus. The semicircular canal and otolithic apparatus are important organs used to maintain balance in the body, so there is another function of the ear that most people overlook or are unaware of, and that is to maintain balance, and when they become diseased, vertigo occurs – that is, seeing things spin or objects in motion. So when vertigo occurs the first thing to consider is what’s wrong with the balancer in the ear, and you should first visit an ENT. ”An otolith is not an earwax!” It is an otolith membrane in the inner ear that is so tiny that it can only be seen under a microscope. Otoliths are gray, microscopic calcium carbonate crystals that adhere to the vestibule in the inner ear, and their main function is to allow a person to sense linear acceleration. For example, if we doze off while riding in a car but still feel the emergency brake, the otolith is transmitting the information, and the irritation of the semicircular canal by the dislodged otolith can cause vertigo. One of the most common causes of vertigo is otoliths, also known clinically as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Most patients present with the onset of vertigo as a sensation of spinning in the sky when getting up, falling backwards into bed or turning over in a certain direction in bed, raising or lowering the head. The onset of vertigo is brief, lasting a few seconds, usually less than one minute. This disease has a high prevalence in elderly people, especially in middle-aged and elderly women, which is about twice as common as men. In the United States, at least half of all people over the age of 50 have suffered from otoliths. However, in recent years, the rate of the disease in young people is increasing year by year. Young people work long hours, play computer for a long time, stay up late frequently and other bad habits, but the trigger for otoliths.