It's a bit embarrassing I suppose, but I was cleaning my ears Saturday and somehow lodged the earwax just barely out of reach from a cloth or cotton swab in my left ear. It's been partially blocking my ear ever since and making it slightly more difficult to hear. I've heard before from my grandmother that heat from candles can be used to draw ear wax out from the ear, and so I'm wondering whether that is true, whether there is a better method of cleaning it on my own, or whether I should see a doctor to have it cleaned.
Anything hot would work, resting your ear on a water-bottle or hot flannel would work pretty effectively - I wouldn't put anything in there though. Ears clean themselves. Using Q-Tips to clean them can do more damage than good, as they push (like in your case) wax further down towards the canal and eventually towards your eardrum (which could eventually cause deafness). Wax is there to protect your ears from actual dirt and unless it's clearly visible in the outer ear, don't try to remove it. 'Nothing smaller than an elbow should go inside your ears!'
Yeah, I try to be very careful, but I slipped this time. I only clean the outer ear on purpose. I think I'll try the water bottle. Thanks a lot!
No problem! It'll get a little runny, but that's just what's stuck up there, melting. I hope it works!
It's a pretty common problem- especially in younger people where the ear canal is more narrow. There are irrigation kits that you can buy to remove the wax. They should only used when there's a blockage. Ear wax is part of the protective systems in the ear, so you don't want to remove surface wax from anywhere except the external part of the ear. It helps if you run the irrigation solution under a faucet with warm water or warm the bottle with your skin first. Debrox is one brand that is available in the US. Here's a list of several brands: Ear Wax Removal | Walgreens I generally prefer the commercial kits because the irrigation is sterile. There are home remedies that use mineral oil or alcohol: Video: Home Remedy Ear Wax Removal | eHow.com (PS that is not me in the video- I wouldn't be caught dead in a yellow bow tie :rolle: )
If you go to a natural health store, they should have something called ear cones. I use them all of the time and they work great. Basically, they are these long tubes covered with wax, that come down to a point that you insert into your ear canal. You light it, and it creates suction, pulling the wax from your ear. I have had ear problems all my life, and had to have tubes put in my ears when I was a kid. Earaches have been pretty common place for me until I discovered them. I don't want to place a link here out of fear of being banned for spamming, but if you do a google search for ear cones, you will see what I mean.
Ah! Okay, yes. That's what my grandmother had mentioned a number of years ago, but all I could think of were candles when I tried to remember it. Thanks very much.
Hey I think everything has pretty much been mentioned here already, but I'll just give you a quick summary from the top of my head if it helps : 1) There are a number of treatments available. Ear candles/melting the wax are one option; there are also mineral oil treatments that help to soften the wax - you'd be looking at a few drops a day for a treatment time of less than a week (2-4 days-ish). An example of a wax softener is 'Waxsol.' 2) You'd only need to see your doctor if the above simpler methods failed first - your doctor would probably use an ear syringe. 3) Sometimes using things like cotton buds can actually cause impaction of the ear wax (which sounds like what you have now). If you do use cotten buds, try to spin it around in circles, rather than pushing it in and out. 4) After you clear the initial impaction, if you find that it is becoming a regular problem, you can try using saline washes that help cleanse the ear, and these are used about once or twice a week (e.g. one product in Australia is 'Ear Clear Ear Ceanser') Hope it helps For me personally, I'd probably stick to trying wax softeners first (ie. mineral oils) as they are a lot less of a hastle than things like ear candles. Products are probably a bit different in Canada, but treatments are likely to be more or less the same.
