Ear Wax!

When I was a kid, my mom used to take a bobby pin out of her hair, throw my head across her knees and start the torture! I can’t decide which I hated worse: getting my brains picked out through my ears, or getting my hair cut with that itchy polyester cape around my neck. Either way, I ended up with clean ears, and a haircut like Moe from the Three Stooges. Thanks God those days are over!

Ear wax is really just a super thick oil that your ear glands secrete, to protect the skin. The was sort of water-proofs the soft tissue and keeps you from getting an ear infection every time you swim or take a shower. Some folks’ ears, simply over do, a good thing!

Treament and Expectations: If you ear is completely plugged and you can’t hear a thing, go see a doctor! For maintainence or minor ear was plugging, try these simple steps:

1. Since ear was is really just a thick, thick oil, you can add some thinner oil to it to loosen it up. Think

   

   of peanut butter. If you add some vegetable oil to the thick peanut butter, it will become more runny. So for your ear, you can add some mineral oil. In the ER, we use infant Colace which is simply some baby laxative.

2. Add a few drops into the plugged ear canal, and lay on your side with your plugged up, for about 20-30 minutes.
3. Get up and flush you ear canal with some lukewarm or room temperature water. NOT WARM, NOT HOT! Flush your ear with a bulb syringe, trying to shoot the water towards the SIDE of the ear canal. Do not enter into the canal past the first corner, and certainly don’t touch the ear drum.
4. Flush gently until clear, and you should feel much better.
5. If you just can’t clear it out after a few tries, go see a doctor!!!