This will now be a 2-part post since I've recently deleted an old website of mine and I'm in the process of combining related articles, moving content amid multiple blogs, etc. Actually, this would have been a 3-part post, but I forgot to copy one of the pages before I deleted that site. Anyway...
Part 1: "Can't Hear? How to help Loosen & Remove plugged Ear Wax"
Original Post Date: Sometime during the year 2010
I've always had an abundance of ear wax and have never given it much thought, until recently. It is not anything to be proud of, but medical science tells us the gooey junk is necessary and it actually protects our ears. Well, a few weeks ago, at the onset of a sinus/head cold, my right ear started acting up. It seemed like there was water in it or something, but nothing ever came out. I did, however, notice that I couldn't get any wax out of it anymore, while cleaning it. I thought it might relate to the sinus condition and I didn't give it much further thought.
A couple weeks went by, and my head cold/sinus symptoms were gone. Periodically, I would wake up in the morning and I couldn't hear out of my right ear the first few seconds. I would sort of pull on it, open my mouth and it would pop, then everything would be fine. Well, one day it never popped back, and I couldn't hear out of my right ear for 2.5 days. Let me tell ya, it is weird walking around with one functioning ear!
On the 3rd day, I had to do something. I don't like going to doctors unless it is a medical emergency, so I was reading all kinds of stuff online about ear ailments & treatments. I was shocked to find out how many people had ear-related problems.
After reading for a while, I was pretty sure it wasn't an ear infection since there was no pain or strange looking crap coming out, so I narrowed it down to being plugged with wax. Hmm, maybe this is why I no longer seemed to have any wax in that ear anymore. Lucky for me, my girlfriend seemed to be knowledgeable about this subject and she provided the remedies (I wasted all that time online for nothing). I didn't know people could pour some of the things in your ear, like she did. Anyway, I'll share the info, in case anyone else has recently woke up with a plugged ear and doesn't know what to do.
Disclaimer: Remember now, I'm not a doctor nor is this professional medical advice, so use your own discretion and/or it is your ears so use your own judgment...
---How to Loosen & Remove Plugged Ear Wax:
This advice will only work for mild to semi-major plugged ears. Severely packed wax that is deep into the middle ear area, may require a specialist.
If you just want to cleanse your ears, a simple application of Hydrogen Peroxide will work.
In my case, my right ear was so backed up with wax that I temporarily lost hearing out of it, and this is what I had to do.
I laid on my side (the side of my good ear), and she poured a small amount of Hydrogen Peroxide into the affected ear. It will begin to fizz; let it set for a minute.
Although, the doctors and other medical advice you'll find on the web always says "no" to the use of cotton swabs (Q-tips), we used them as well. In fact, I think most people ignore the warnings, and it should be fine, as long as you don't jab it into your ear like you're trying to reach your brain or something. Anyway...
After the peroxide set for a minute or so, I took a paper towel, held it over my ear and rolled over so it could drain out. After that, she began to probe my ear with the cotton swab, but no such luck getting the wax. The first application of Hydrogen Peroxide didn't work for me, but it began to loosen it, and she could now see a large size chunk that was stuck in my ear. I thought to myself, oh, now that's why I couldn't hear... We tried a second application, except this time she used the cotton swab while the peroxide was fizzing. It was starting to break up, but I still could not hear. Then a 3rd dose was poured into my ear, and this time, she massaged the area behind the ear and also pulled outward on it while the peroxide was fizzing. Now, it was really breaking up and a lot of wax was removed via cotton swabs.
At this point, I was frustrated that I still had hearing loss, even though a lot of wax was took out. Now, here comes some other liquid I didn't know you could pour in your ear: Cooking Oil. She heated a teaspoon of Canola Oil over the stove, just enough to get it warm. I laid back on my side, and she poured it into my affected ear. She then put a cotton ball in place, and I got up and went about my business. I took the cotton ball out an hour later and lightly cleaned the inside of my ear with water.
The oil softens the remaining wax, so it has a better chance of being removed or, in some cases, falling out. In a couple hours, that is what happened, and my hearing was restored. I was so relieved that I didn't have to go visit a doctor or whatever.
So, the use of Hydrogen Peroxide, cotton swabs, and cooking oil was all that I needed. In addition to being able to hear again, I got out of having a doctor bill.
Can't hear out of which ear? Huh? Perhaps you need to purge the wax from your ears...
---End of Part 1 "Can't Hear? How to help Loosen & Remove plugged Ear Wax"
Part 2: "Suffering from Common Ear Problems?"
It seems like some of the most common ear ailments that I've read about, are the following: ringing of the ears (tinnitus) and frequent problems with ear wax, which can lead to a lot of other symptoms or stem from ear infections and so on.
The problem that I notice a lot with tinnitus, besides the ones suffering with lifelong ear ringing and the misery it must cause in severe cases, is all the scams out there that claim to be a miracle cure for this seemingly common ailment. Man, this junk is almost as bad as the "Male Enhancement" promotions. If you're suffering from tinnitus that is due to ear damage (especially from the excessive exposure to loud noise), there hasn't been a medical cure for it that I'm aware of, yet there are these "cure tinnitus" pills all over the place claiming to do that very same thing (cure tinnitus). I think a lot of people who are actually thinking of buying some of these baloney products with fictitious claims, might need to read a quick blog post that warns about the possible scams out there. You can find it here: "Tinnitus Scams - Be leery..." [Link is no longer active]
Next in line, is for all the ones who have problems with plugged ear wax. Although the body produces it for a reason, some folks have this gooey junk so bad, that they literally end up with temporary hearing loss. This stuff isn't funny, either. You should try walking around with one functioning ear while the other feels like it has water in it. I will say, it has happened to me before, and it just ruined everything because no matter what I was doing, I just didn't feel like myself. In that sense, I would at least classify it as "temporary suffering," to say the least. The following link will provide you with some information that will hopefully help the ones who end up with mild to moderate cases of plugged ear wax and need to find a way to loosen it. This is what worked for me, but I'm not a doctor so if in doubt, use your own discretion and/or go see a professional who specializes in this field. Anyway, you can find the link here: "How to help loosen & remove plugged ear wax." [Link is no longer active, but it is now Part 1 of this post.]
While doing a quick image search, I found this ear picture. I must say, some people have other alternative outlooks when it comes to common ear problems. By looking at the image below, it appears that having a "naked ear" would be a problem... Now that's what I call a styling set of ornamental ears! I take that back... Perhaps they are suffering from something else? Ha-ha! Cheers!
---End of Part 2: "Suffering from Common Ear Problems?"
Image Credit: Source = en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Modified_Ear.jpg
---End of Post "Can't Hear? How to help Loosen & Remove plugged Ear Wax"
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