Ear Wax

[heydude]

what do you do about ear wax? can you go to a doc and have them scoop it out?
what about those remove ear wax you can buy at walmart?

thanks

[Mrs-M]

Yes, you can visit a doctor and have a flushing done, but many well-established physicians tend to shy-away from such a procedure due to possible eardrum damage, so what I recommend is olive oil, and yes, it works better than any other product you can buy.

Warm several drops olive oil, drop into ear canal, then use a cotton ball to seal-off the ear canal while the oil does it's magic. I recommend applying the oil just before bedtime, that way the warm oil will have the night to soften and loosen wax build-up in the ear. I use this home-treatment/remedy on both my middle daughter and husband, and neither has had an earache since starting on it, and neither gets wax build-up anymore.

[Mrs-M]

Heydude. I will post a picture (tomorrow) of the little glass bottle/w dropper I use. A special bottle/w dropper isn't a must, but it does make both heating and dispensing the oil, easier.

[Mrs-M]

Tomorrow, didn't sound good to me, so here is that picture I promised you, Heydude!



Notice the bulbous end on the dropper? It's like a ball on the end, and that helps accumulate oil before it drops, so you get a proper full drop. I recommend anywhere from 3-5 drops per ear. Re: warming, I just hold the bottle under the tap (hot water) for a few seconds to warm.

[CathyA]

My son used to have horrible wax build up when he was younger. I would put a few drops of mineral oil in one ear, and he would lay down for a little while, to let it soften. Then I would flush his ear with warm water and a bulb syringe until it came out. Sometimes that can make the person dizzy.
One time the pediatrician's office cleared his ear and they used something called an "elephant" syringe. It was able to use a bit more directed pressure and worked really well.
I imagine the olive oil drops would work well too. But sometimes you need something like hydrogen peroxide to get it to bubble up and out........otherwise you just have soft wax that's stuck in there. I've seen the Debrox in the store and it looked like it might work well.
I've actually seen those ear wax scoops for sale, but I don't think I'd ever try them at home. The docs used to use them in the ER, but I think it might be a little too dangerous at home, for fear of hurting the eardrum.

[fidgiegirl]

I would second the avoidance of flushing. I had a horrible, awful ear infection when I lived in Mexico, and the docs flushed my ears several times. Well, it was too many. Then I got a fungus growing in there. By the time I went to the specialist she had to treat all the fungus (think athlete's foot in the ear) before she could even see what the heck was going on (because the infection was still present, too). I used to flush at home prior to that but discontinued the practice after that experience.

I have also put hydrogen peroxide in there in the past, but wouldn't do that anymore, either. If I HAD to do something, though, I'd try Mrs. M's or Cathy's tricks first, and then maybe I could be convinced to try the HP if that didn't work.

My brother-in-law swears by ear candling, but I would be too scared of setting myself on fire!

[iris lily]

How would I know that I have an ear wax problem? I can't think that this has ever been a problem for me.

Like most things in our life, the dogs get treated for a health issues but us humans--not. I regularly flush dog ears.

[CathyA]

IL.........usually, the person starts not being able to hear very well out of the ear with too much wax. Then it might start hurting too.

[Mrs-M]

With the olive oil treatment, usually, by morning, a large clod or plug of ear-wax will release and come out with the cotton ball (when removed), however, if build-up has been let-go and is bad, a second treatment will be required, and, in some cases, an entire week of treatment will be needed in order to loosen/correct build-up.

Olive oil, is a natural close, to the bodies natural Cerumen (ear-wax), so even after wax build-up is solved, a preventative program of regularly applied olive oil will keep ones ears healthy.

One of the things many of us are guilty of, is flushing our ears under the high water-pressure when showering. Believe it or not, our ears require no cleaning, and no soaps or detergents (whatsoever). That is the purpose of Cerumen, which slowly builds inside the ear, catching dirt and any other bacteria, then, slowly (in people with normal functioning ears), the Cerumen, slowly flows to the outer ear canal to keep the inner-ear cavity clean and sterile. It's a natural process that needs no outside intervention, so keep Q-Tips, and other objects out of your ears. I do cheat every now and then Re: Q-Tip use, but I never push the cotton end down onto the eardrum when using.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

heydude, all this is good sound advise. But, I would add IF the oil drops and flush doesn't do the job then it is time to go see an ENT specialist. I had to do this when I had a horrible wax build-up. He does not use a flush, but a tiny vacuum type thing that pulls it out. Mine was found during a screening at a health fair I attended, and the person doing the screening told me it was completely stopped and I should see a doctor. After he was finished the ENT said "we should have weighed you when you came in, and weighed you when you leave - I bet you would weigh 5 pounds less!". I have no idea why some people secrete more wax in the ear than others, but it happens and needs to be taken care of in some fashion. So, if the other suggestions aren't enough in your case, there is always this option.