OFF TOPIC Ear candles

[Sylvain VAN DER WALDE]

I'll have a word with my doctor, next time I see her. P.S. I use cotton buds, but never actually enter the ear canal where most of the wax will be.

Sylvain.

[Derek Geldard]

Our surgery avoids it nowadays if they can help it, that big old metal syringe caused a lot of infections.

According to Wiki ear wax is not generated deep in the ear canal but only gets pushed down in there by people shoving objects in ther lug 'oles trying to get it out.

IME auditory symptoms such as 1812 overture like crashing are frequently caused by a single hair sticking in the wax and impinging on the eardrum deeper in the ear canal.

My doc prescribed treatment with Cerumol or Earex drops for a few days to soften the wax followed by irrigation with weak (5 volume) hydrogen peroxide solution dribbled in from a teaspoon whilst laying on your side with the wax contaminated ear uppermost. This releases loads of oxygen bubbles (tickles like hell) which disturbs the wax allowing it to float out. Repeat as necessary.

Don't get the H2O2 on your hair, clothes or furniture.

DG

[Clint Sharp]

And so does mine, along with several people I knew who worked at a clinic for people with hearing impairments.

[T i m]

I think it could be one of these ...

read a Doctors review of this kit somewhere and he suggested when the practice bought one their lawyers could sleep easier because of the much reduced risk re ear drum damaged compared with the old syringe method? ;-(

Apparently this is a (safe) d-i-y way of keeping the deeper recesses of your ears clean (and safer than a Dremel) ;-)

the best ..

T i m

[Mary Fisher]

...

A Dremel! Why hadn't I thought of that?

I rarely put anything in my ear and when I do it's just for the pleasure of the feeling. Whenever a doctor has examined my ears I've been told that they were clean as whistles. I hope that doesn't mean they're full of spit and dried peas ...

Mary

[Andy Hall]

Ah yes. This seems to be a relative of the aptly named Grossan machine used for sinuses.

I read a Doctors review of this kit somewhere and he suggested when

However:

AUDICLEAN Sea Serum? is produced by world leading marine biotechnology specialists, GOËMAR. It is created from seawater taken from the crystal clear waters off St. Malo, France. The tides here are amongst the strongest in the world, constantly enriching the pure waters with the natural mineral salts.

[T i m]

Me too and it didn't work for me either but were you like me trying to get our blocked ears clean, or keeping your ears clean pre blockage?

Ah, that's it then ;-)

They do suggest salt water helps ward off infection and the water itself can't do much harm (if not applied via a pressure washer).

I eventually sorted my last issue myself by repeated dosing with Earex / Otex then leaving the corner of a soft tissue twisted up to form a fine wick threaded into the softened area overnight. *Such* a relief when your hearing comes back .. well till the missus starts shouting again that is .. ;-(

All the best ..

T i m

[Andy Hall]

I've tried it for both - limited value. Possibly if it was warm prior to application....

That's certainly true, although I'm not sure that the specific salts sold for these purposes are really needed, vs. ordinary sea salt.

Trouble is smelling like a granny's boudoir....

Yes but they'll do that anyway

[Huge]

Define "these days". I had mine done about 18 months ago, and the nurse used ... a syringe and warm water.

[Ian White]

It was having my ears syringed "professionally" that convinced me I could do a better job myself (there, we're back on topic), and have done so ever since.

The owner of the ear is in a much better position than the nurse to sense how far the syringe has been inserted. The one missing piece of information is how hard to blast the water in... and the answer to that is: nowhere near as hard as the nurse did!

The syringe is one the dentist gave me, and has a curved plastic nozzle which goes in more easily than straight one. The end can be kept well away from the eardrum, because the aim is to squirt the water in *along* the wall to create a swirling motion.

At your own risk, of course; but like Pete,

[T i m]

Yeah and maybe because of how little water it's squirts out (compared to the Doctors old syringe) I couldn't seem to get the same buzz as when the Doctor did it ;-)

I think with most of this sorta thing it's the diminishing returns sorta thing.

No worse than some of the other smells we get in this house. Since the step daughter has left home the place doesn't regularly smell like a cheap knocking shop as 6 of her mates would turn up pre going out to a club etc ;-(

Hmm, point taken, but it's safer when you pretend you didn't hear them .. now where did I put that tube of instant wax ....

All the best ..

T i m

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Sylvain VAN DER WALDE" saying something like:

Blowlamp.

[Andy Hall]

I believe Viz refers to this as a "tart's window box"

You just need to pretend. Selective hearing is a wonderful thing....

[Stuart Noble]

Sea water is guaranteed to make me go deaf for a couple of months and usually set up an infection. Bloody nuisance as it's my favourite pastime on holiday.

[Terry W.]

Andy Hall wrote in news: [e-mail]:

[Sylvain VAN DER WALDE]

I'll give that stuff a try, before seing the doctor. Thanks to everyone else with _sensible_ replies.

Sylvain.

[T i m]

I with you there bro (and might be more attentive re getting the water temperature correct). It was getting caught out with a blocked ear whist on a motorcycle touring holiday and being very kindly dealt with in the Pwllheli (Nth Wales) clinic, even though it was their afternoon off! That was my first exposure to the Propulse system, and it was actually a pleasant experience. ;-)

It was based on that experience I was very tempted to get my own machine, 100 quid being much cheaper than a perforated eardrum and more convenient than waiting a week to get an appointment at the doctors. ;-(

All the best ..

T i m

[robgraham]

And put a bowl the other side to catch the water that goes through.

Rob

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Did they bleed you at the same time?

[Mary Fisher]

Which reminds me, don't suck with the syringe or the two or three brain cells will be lost.

Mary