DIET AND FITNESS:
How to Clean Your Ears Safely --A
Step By Step Guide
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September 28, 2010, last updated September 17, 2012
By Natalia Real, Contributing Columnist and Susan Callahan,
Health Editor
Unsightly earwax (cerumen) has a noble purpose: its
perpetual slow flow is created by our bodies to protect,
lubricate and clean our ear canals. If you relish the thought
of sticking a cotton swab in your ear, twisting it, and pulling
ear wax out (like I used to), be forewarned -- the ear canal
inside our ears is so delicate that inserting a simple cotton
swab in it can cause myriad problems. As the adage goes,
"you shouldn't put anything smaller than your elbow into
your ear.”
For instance, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford
University School of Medicine and Attending Physician at
Packard Children's Hospital Alan Greene M.D. F.A.A.P. says
this action can cause an infection in the ear canal or an
injury to the skin lining the ear canal or the eardrum.
Perforations to the eardrum could either heal on their own
or require surgery. And Dr. Rod Moser, P.A., Ph.D. explains
that hearing loss and a dry, itchy ear canal can also occur as
a result of swabbing.
The odds a person will visit an emergency room in the U.S.
due to an accident caused by first-aid equipment (including
inserting a cotton swab in one’s ear) in a year are a hefty 1
in 7,163, according to the Book of Odds. Some 4,000 cases
of sudden deafness occur each year in the United States, and
only 10-15% of these patients can pinpoint the cause, which
may be cotton swab use.
The Wrong Ways to Clean Your Ears
Deep swabbing of the ear can be dangerous for three
reasons. First, if you have a lot of wax in your ear canal,
inserting the swab into it may compact the wax, which can
transform a partial blockage into a complete blockage.
Second, you could harm your ear drum if you unwittingly
insert the swab too deeply (it’s not like we can see in there
as we swab, after all). Finally, you could cause a painful
infection of the canal called "swimmer's ear" if you scratch
or abrade your ear canal skin, says Douglas Hoffman, M.D.,
Ph.D.
The Right Way to Clean Your Ears - a Step by Step Guide
1) Let Your Ears Clean Themselves- The safest way to clean
yours ears is to wait for the hairs within the canal plus our
jaw movements to transport the wax out to the surface of
the ear, where it becomes visible.
Update:
Chewing gum, especially gum containing xylitol, can help the
ears to clean themselves. According to the National Institutes
of Health, chewing gum helps the jaw muscles to dislodge
wax in your ears.
2) Wipe Where the Wax Is Visible Only -Now it can be wiped
away with a washcloth or a finger without inserting anything
into the canal. Ear swabs can also be used -- if used
correctly. This means swabbing the outer portion of the ear
(called the pinnea), or the opening of the ear, but never the
ear canal itself. Another option is washing the outer ear and
behind the ear using soap and water, being careful to not
allow much water to enter the canal.
In general, try to keep water out of your ear canal. This is
especially true when you are washing your hair. If you use
dye, cover your ears with plastic ear cups before you dye
your hair to keep the harsh chemical dyes from entering
your delicate ear canal.
3) Be careful to dry your ears gently – again, without
entering the ear canal. If water does get stuck in the canal,
tilt your head to allow the water to drain out on its own.
4) Soften wax with ear drops - If there is too much wax in
your ear canal or the wax is too thick, you can soften it with
ear drops that thin the wax. You can also gently apply a few
drops of warmed olive or almond oils to each ear and let it
set for several minutes to allow the oils to soften the wax
and help lubricate the canal to aid the wax’s exit. If this does
not work, do not try harsher methods. See your doctor or if
you are in the UK, your GP or Practice Nurse.
You're just getting started. Learn more about the
relationship between your diet and your risk for other
diseases and conditions: Hearing Loss -How to Prevent It /
Tinnitus -That Ringing In Your Ears/ How to Lose Weight
After Menopause/Best Breakfast to Fight Arthritis/ Health
Dangers of Milk / Lose Weight by Lowering Thermostat /
Lose Belly Fat After the Baby/ Foods That Shrink Your
Waist/ Drinking Cold Water Burns Calories / Six Pack Abs-A
Guided Tour /Top 10 Foods That Fight Anemia / How Much
Is Too Much Salt? /Sugar-The Disease Connection / Are Diet
Sodas Bad for Your Health? / Ideal Breakfast for Diabetics /
Ideal Breakfast for Arthritis /Healing Foods Links / Foods
That Shrink Your Waist / Foods That Lower Cholesterol/
VLDL-The Other Cholesterol/ Foods That Reduce Blood
Pressure
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