OFF TOPIC Ear candles

[Sylvain VAN DER WALDE]

Hello all.

Are ear candles a gimmick or do they really work? Do you have a favourite "item" for removing ear wax?

Sylvain.

[Andy Burns]

Do you have a favourite "item" for removing ear wax?

Cotton bud of course.

[Mary Fisher]

Hairgrip.

What fascinated me recently was learning that there are tiny mites living in our ears - everyone's ears, no matter how clean they are.

I knew that we had mites living in our eyelashes and eyebrows but not ears.

Mary

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The smallest thing you should attempt to put in your ear is your elbow. If you've got wax problems, go to your doctor. The practice nurse should have a machine which breaks it down and removes it without discomfort.

[mike]

"Sylvain VAN DER WALDE" wrote in news:GTbGh.43432$ [e-mail]:

I understand four candles will clear it.

mike

[Colin Wilson]

Seconded

[Lobster]

Not a good idea, it'll give him saw tips.

David

[soup]

My mum (67) still uses that saying

[Andy Burns]

Even I cringe when I see people using the end (not the curved one) of a paperclip.

[The Wanderer]

tried some Hopi ear candles a couple of years ago. Didn't work. I think they fall into the category 'You can fool some of the people all the time'!

[Tom Woods]

Fork handles? He must have big ears!

[gymratz]

An old syringe and warm/hot water.

Just like the nurse uses.

Fill the sink up with pretty warm water then suck and squirt. The warm water softens the wax and there isn't any great danger of damaging the ear drum unlike when you poke thin objects in the ear.

I have found just when you think all the wax is out (by the heightened swooshing sound of water on the ear drum)if you keep sucking and squirting for a few minutes more your reward will be a big blob of wax.

That's when you know it's really clean!

Of course you are squirting from the entrance to the ear canal to allow wax and water free passage past the syringe into the sink.

Works for me.

sometimes ear drops may be required for a few days prior to cleaning to soften any vintage deposits.

Pete

[gymratz]

[Peter Twydell]

It's usually a good idea to take the needle off first! :-)

[Mary Fisher]

They don't use that any more at our practice. They say it's been banned because of the danger of damaging an ear drum.

I'm only repeating what was said to Spouse by the way, so there's no point in arguing with me!

Mary

[Andy Dingley]

You don't have one of those ivory / bone ear spoons that so many of the re-enactor carvers sell ?

[Mary Fisher]

We make them from bone. And yes, I have to test all of them :-)

Ours usually have tweezers at the other end.

Mary

[Lobster]

Our practice has some sort of electric contraption for the job - some sort of pump presuambly - so I'm told anyway.

David

[Dave Plowman (News)]

They use something a bit more modern these days. A sort of ultrasonic pencil which in conjunction with warm water breaks up the lumps of wax without discomfort.

[Sylvain VAN DER WALDE]

Thanks for that reply. I won't bother to get any, then. Thanks to everyone else for their replies. Not much help though. :)

Sylvain.