Clean Your Ears! Sweat, Wax, and the Dangers of Q-Tips, Etc.

[Dusty Chalk]

Sonic Screwdriver

[zippy2001]

Maybe give your ears a good swabbing with a q-tip before inserting your iems' date=' and see if that helps. I actually keep q-tips with me, but I did that even before I had iems. I just like clean ears. [/quote']

I do clean my ears once or twice a day with q-tips usually after I shower. So normally my ears are pretty clean.

It's normally after extended use (a few hours or more), I think it's ear sweat more than anything else.

Wow, Scratch Miming. It looks like a drill bit to clean all the way to your brain.

[Torpedo]

No, I think it's still wax, but the ear discharge seems to increase when I'm particularly suffering from allergies, I.E. nasal discharge. In other words, the two seem to go hand in hand, when one increases, so does the other, etc. Does that make sense, medically?

PS I just cleaned my ears with a q-tip.

I don't know of medical conditions related to allergy which increase wax production, but I don't know everything. Wax production is increased mostly by mechanical stimulation (yet another reason for not using Q-tips nor hard mold IEMs) and other circumstances like dusty environment. Maybe the same allergens worsening your nasal condition can stimulate wax production somehow. Or it's possible that having your nose blocked produces some ear congestion, so you inadvertently touch your ears more, like after swimming to pull the water out, or use Q-tips more often.

[Dusty Chalk]

No, it's pretty much after the fact -- I can feel the build-up of wax, and can predict that when I finally use a Q-tip, it will be "productive".

And I hardly use IEM's, so I doubt it's that, either.

I'll try to monitor myself more closely, see if there's something else going on -- maybe when my allergies are exacerbated, my ears itch, and I itch them, or something like that. Or perhaps it's the dusty environment.

[jinp6301]

How are the ear cleaning thingies that asian people use?

[MoonShine]

[guzziguy]

This explains how wax gets into the ear. We are looking for a way to get it back out.

[Beefy]

If any of you guys believe in this bullshit, I will punch you the first time I meet you.

[MoonShine]

Must .... resist..... urge .... to draw parallels with cables.......

[guzziguy]

Don't you know that cable candling leads to a huge improvement in their SQ? Of course, you have to candle in the correct direction.

[aRc]

Peroxide...works great, leaves clean as a whistle;)

[Dusty Chalk]

...sounds like someone used your ear for a bowl of Rice Krispies.

[Torpedo]

Peroxide...works great, leaves clean as a whistle;)

Yep, you can use it mixed 50% with saline solution if bubbling of peroxide alone is excessive. 4 drops twice a day for 4-6 days is what we recommend our patients before "de-waxing" their ears, when big occlusive corks grow. For normal wax production used once a week should be enough to keep ears pretty clean.

[Dusty Chalk]

I don't know of medical conditions related to allergy which increase wax production, but I don't know everything. Wax production is increased mostly by mechanical stimulation (yet another reason for not using Q-tips nor hard mold IEMs) and other circumstances like dusty environment. Maybe the same allergens worsening your nasal condition can stimulate wax production somehow. Or it's possible that having your nose blocked produces some ear congestion, so you inadvertently touch your ears more, like after swimming to pull the water out, or use Q-tips more often.

I thought of a possibility -- when I get congested, my ears start popping, and it's possible I subconsciously do something about it (rub, poke, etc.) -- you're saying that this stimulates earwax production? So what should I do, leave my ears alone? I do try to yawn to open my ears back up -- this would be alright, though? But I don't think it's that, because part of the problem is that there's already enough wax to keep it closed (to stick).

[Torpedo]

I thought of a possibility -- when I get congested, my ears start popping, and it's possible I subconsciously do something about it (rub, poke, etc.) -- you're saying that this stimulates earwax production? So what should I do, leave my ears alone? I do try to yawn to open my ears back up -- this would be alright, though? But I don't think it's that, because part of the problem is that there's already enough wax to keep it closed (to stick).

Yes, the ear wax producing cells respond to pressure and mechanical contact, in the same way nasal mucus producing cells respond to dust, moisture and temperature changes. If your rubbing your ears is frequent and kind of "hard" that may stimulate wax production, thus explaining your increased wax production while suffering the allergy attacks.

If your ears get blocked for nasal congestion, this is due to a mismatch between the middle ear pressure and the atmospheric one, which should be the same. When nasal cavities aren't blocked, atmospheric pressure, nasal cavities pressure and ear one, are all the same. As soon as you have in your nose a different (usually lower) pressure than atmospheric, this transfers into the middle ear which develops lower pressure than atmospheric, then the ear drum gets "sucked" into the middle ear, doesn't vibrate as it should, so mild hearing loss and the blocking sensation develop.

In such condition, you'd need to firstly clean your nose as much as possible until air flows through it rather freely. Then performing the Valsalva's maneuver, which consists in blocking your nostrils, and with the mouth closed, blowing air out (air which of course won't go anywhere outside) carefully until your ears "plop" and pressure balances. It's the same maneuver divers do when going deep into the sea. If you put too much pressure it will ache, so it's important doing it carefully and slowly until you feel the air gets into your middle ears and blocking sensation disappears. If you go too far, you may feel a different blocking sensation due to the pressure in the middle ear being higher than atmospheric. In this case, you just need to block your nostrils, close your mouth and swallowing saliva twice or more times, this will balance pressure in the opposite way than Valsalva's maneuver.

All this will work as long as your Eustachian tubes aren't swelling and they allow air circulating through them. Usually ET blocking won't happen on most allergic conditions.

I hope this helps

[Dusty Chalk]

Yeah, it does, actually. I'll try those things (especially the "clear your nasal passages" part sooner than later) the next time my allergies act up.

I'm thinking it also might be inflamation, not just congestion, but I think all of your advice still applies -- clear (gently), etc.

[Torpedo]

Yeah, it does, actually. I'll try those things (especially the "clear your nasal passages" part sooner than later) the next time my allergies act up.

I'm thinking it also might be inflamation, not just congestion, but I think all of your advice still applies -- clear (gently), etc.

Of course it's inflammation of the mucosa, which leads to mucus overproduction and air flow blocking. To improve that I suppose you use some antihistamines, corticosteroid nasal sprays and all the usual treatment battery which is necessary to alleviate the condition. I suppose you visited at some point an ENT specialist or an allergist. Otherwise do it before the allergy season starts. We can't really cure allergy in most cases, but proper treatment planning may provide a lot of relief.

[Dusty Chalk]

I am maxed out (according to the insurance company) on Allegra-D, Nasonex & Astelin, yes, and I see my allergist weekly for shots.

Back when I first visited my prior allergist (the current allergist has taken over his practice), he said, "you tested positive to different things to different degrees, but I don't think you'd be here if it wasn't for this", and pointed to mold, 4+, off the scale, basically. I've since gotten worse with different things (I wasn't allergic to cats at all back then, now register mildly), and this last test, tested positive for the few things that were in DC-area air that I wasn't allergic to before (certain grasses). Yes, that's right, I am basically allergic to everything that is in DC area air (I tell people I'm allergic to air).

The prior guy actually told me to move. To the desert.

[Torpedo]

I am maxed out (according to the insurance company) on Allegra-D, Nasonex & Astelin, yes, and I see my allergist weekly for shots.

Back when I first visited my prior allergist (the current allergist has taken over his practice), he said, "you tested positive to different things to different degrees, but I don't think you'd be here if it wasn't for this", and pointed to mold, 4+, off the scale, basically. I've since gotten worse with different things (I wasn't allergic to cats at all back then, now register mildly), and this last test, tested positive for the few things that were in DC-area air that I wasn't allergic to before (certain grasses). Yes, that's right, I am basically allergic to everything that is in DC area air (I tell people I'm allergic to air).

The prior guy actually told me to move. To the desert.

Well, then there's not much else which can be done. Crossing fingers for the vaccine shots to work at some point, decreasing you sensitivity.

Moving to the desert would work for your allergies, but not for mine. I'm allergic to sunlight

[guzziguy]

Well, then there's not much else which can be done. Crossing fingers for the vaccine shots to work at some point, decreasing you sensitivity.

Moving to the desert would work for your allergies, but not for mine. I'm allergic to sunlight

Depends on where you move to the desert. Phoenix and Tucson used to be great havens for allergy sufferers. Now both have so much grass and other non-native plants that they are very bad for most people with allergy issues.

Are you sure you're not a vampire?

[Torpedo]

Hehehehe, I wonder that too, but my upper canines don't seem to grow, and I keep more interested in feminine areas other than the neck.