Is it true that we should use cotton sticks to clean ear wax from our ears? Was it my mother or my grandmother, who said to me and it’s definitely true: “You never shouldn’t put anything in your ear smaller than your elbow”!!
But, to understand why it’s wrong to clean the water from our ears while bathing, we first must tell ourselves for ear wax and its purpose.
The dirt, medically known as cerumen (ear wax), is in fact there to protect your ears. The famous Dr. Douglas Backous says that ear wax should keep the canal of your ear clean.
Generally your ears are clean. Ear wax helps keeping the dust and dirt far from your ear drums, but also gives antibacterial lubrication. While eating and chewing the food, the jaw moving is helped by the sediment ear wax. Is it a sort of lubricating process (similar as escalator moving) says Dr. Backous.
The problem happens because we think that we are smarter than our body’s natural system and that all our vents have to be cleaned. We seem that we can clean our ear canals from dirt with a small cotton stick, but with that we actually put the dirt further in the ear.
They imprisoned ear wax becomes the habitat of fungi, bacteria and viruses accumulating in the external ear, potentially causing ear pain and infections.
Problems Emerging From Cleaning Ear Wax
Pushing the ear wax further in the ear can block the ear canal. Then hearing loss can happen, or the ear drum can pop and naturally cause a great pain. Each year, 12.000 Americans complain to doctors because of excessive ear wax – cerumen. They schedule checking for ear wax removing through special ways and treatments done by medical professionals – ear specialists.
“Your ears should be cleaned”, but by medical professionals – says Dr. Backous. “You will see the benefits and feel the change in your hearing after treatment by those professionals. If you want to clean your ears by yourself with cotton sticks – than do it around the external ear, without putting it in the ear canal” – is our advice.
Yes, we know you think – you can’t stop if you feel your ear is itching. You are enchanted by the self-pleasuring feeling. But, in this way, the more you clean the ear, the more you release histamine making the skin aroused and inflamed like a mosquito bite – you get a scar you constantly itch and scratch. Plus, because the ears are naturally lubricated with ear wax, removing of such can simply dry it out and cause the dirt to stick, and you will be delusional – trying to relief yourselves.
Ear Wax Cleaning Remedy
Dr. Backous says: “If you can’t resist self-cleaning your ears, I recommend a small homemade “watering”. Take a few drops of white vinegar, a bit pure alcohol and a bit tap water (with normal temperature) and do a trick – inject it in the ear with a plastic syringe. Be careful, too cold or too hot mixture can cause you nausea. The releasing is guaranteed as the mixture flows. After this, don’t put anything in your ears!
This explanation is informative, and is not a replacement for a medical advice. If you have some larger problems, please consult a qualified medical practitioner and get a personal medical advice.