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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 24, 2014 15:46:05 GMT -5
Now the Safety Engineer in me sees just SO MANY things wrong with that picture... |
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Post by garbulky on Feb 24, 2014 16:10:55 GMT -5
Yeah, I know. I've done it all my life, though, and have never had an ear infection (not one - ever). I've not ever touched my eardrums. I've not ever had significant wax build up. For the majority of my life, I've had an annual audiogram showing my hearing is better than most. If I ever have a problem, I'll change my ways, but I think that the article is excessively conservative. If you believe it, then follow the advice. I'll continue cleaning my ears with Q-tips daily, thanks. Or - phrased another way - A lifetime of experience vs. something I read on the internet. I actually DID ask a Certified Occupational Health Nurse about the practice once, and she said that so long as you aren't rambunctious with the Q-tips, there's no harm at all. Well.... I happen to have some experience on that matter being from the healthcare field. No q-tips!  It even says it in the nursing textbooks. Over time the point where the qtips stop reaching is where the wax that has been inevitably pushed back despite careful efforts will desposit and slowly start impacting. Q-tips can clear around the ear but stick it in and there will be a higher likelihood of wax build up. Debrox solution over the counter works quite nicely and is reccomended by doctors offices. Just don't use it too regularly or your ear may get irritated. And it usually comes with a flush which can flush it out. Rambunctious can mean different things to different people.  A wax build up and certain ways it affects the hearing cannot be shown on audiogram. There's a difference between hearing certain frequencies at certain threshholds and a change in the way one hears due to wax. Though significant build up will be easily measured as hearing loss via the audiogram. www.medicinenet.com/ear_wax/page3.htmHere's a PA rambling on about it blogs.webmd.com/all-ears/2006/11/q-tips-weapons-of-ear-destruction.htmlincluding a post from the q tip website “Q-Tips cotton swabs have more cotton at the tip* than any other swab, making them the safest, softest and gentlest tool you can use for family care. They also provide the ultimate precision, making them the perfect tool for uses outside your ear.” |
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Post by garbulky on Feb 24, 2014 16:17:32 GMT -5
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2014 16:24:32 GMT -5
Now the Safety Engineer in me sees just SO MANY things wrong with that picture... Nonsense! Just as safe as jumping over a fire pit after having a few drinks, maybe even more so... |
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Post by deltadube on Feb 24, 2014 17:03:07 GMT -5
anyone clean there ears with there finger nails and then eat it?
cheers
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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 24, 2014 17:22:08 GMT -5
Well.... I happen to have some experience on that matter being from the healthcare field. No q-tips! I believe you, my friend - I do. BUT - Sometimes the zeitgeist of the times makes for overprotective advice (yes, even in medical textbooks). I'm sure that some moron once punctured their eardrum by sticking a Q-tip in there while drunk or stoned and then sued the company for a lifetime of support. With our jury system, the moron probably won, too. The company, in response, labeled its products "not for use in the ear canal" and warned the medical profession that for the purpose of risk avoidance (like in "not getting sued") that THEY should get on board with the "don't do that" message too. In actuality, I believe that careful swabbing of the ear canal with a Q-Tip dislodges and removes wax - NOT causes it to build up around the eardrum. Why would I say this (not being a medical professional and all)? Because in 61.5 years of having my ears swabbed with Q-Tips (and swabbing my own), I've never had a single ear infection, never had a single eardrum poke, and never had a single instance of wax build up. And I'm NOT alone. I'd guesstimate that a significant portion of ALL people do exactly as I do with exactly the same results. Now if the practice was half as hazardous as the manufacturer and medical profession claim, then there'd be a steady stream of folks in the emergency room: "I poked my ear with a Q-Tip and the ear is bleeding!" "I can't hear out of this side despite using Q-Tips regularly" "I stuck a Q-Tip in my ear and it came out my nose!" To the best of my knowledge, such incidents are so rare that they become talking points for medical personnel who need a break from the REALLY horrific stuff that comes through the ER. So to summarize - The hazard is minuscule provided that you're sober & careful when you swab your ears with Q-Tips. The benefit (yes, it IS a benefit) is that wax does NOT accumulate in your ears and you WON'T need to use a commercial flush kit to get it out, AND you minimize your chances of not getting run over by a train because you didn't hear it. So stick with Q-Tips and your survivors won't be needing to sue Southern-Pacific after you're gone! Remember - Your survivors will probably sell your gear for half what you told them you paid for it! PS: The article by Dr. Rod Moser says "While excess, hard, or obstructive earwax can be problematic, most earwax (cerumen) is infinitely more beneficial. It is a normal, protective coating for the sensitive skin of the ear canal. A canal coated with ear wax will repel water and help prevent external ear infections. When you dig it out like some demented gold miner, you leave your ear very vulnerable." I wonder if he feels the same about other sebaceous emissions from the body (specifically the glans). Are they beneficial? Should they be left in place? Are they "a normal protective coating for the sensitive skin?" Dr. "Rod" (pardon the bad pun) ain't God... |
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Post by solidstate on Feb 24, 2014 17:31:44 GMT -5
This is one of the best solution I've found for removing ear wax at home. Nothing is better than a doctor doing it though...
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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 24, 2014 17:35:18 GMT -5
The "Rhino ear washer?!" LOL I bet women just flock to the product with a seductive name like that!
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Post by garbulky on Feb 24, 2014 19:04:39 GMT -5
Now if the practice was half as hazardous as the manufacturer and medical profession claim, then there'd be a steady stream of folks in the emergency room: "I can't hear out of this side despite using Q-Tips regularly" To the best of my knowledge, such incidents are so rare that they become talking points for medical personnel who need a break from the REALLY horrific stuff that comes through the ER. This is actually very common. But they don't come to the ER, usually it's to their GP who then charges them $100 to have an aid squirt water up their ear. And q-tips are one of the common reasons for it. Luckily the others listed are much rarer! But I concede that a large amount of people (like you) use them without issue. Just like seatbelts. Where I'm from, nobody had ever used them. And I don't recall ever having an accident and neither did any of my friends and relatives. When I went back home I reached for my seatbelt out of habit and my uncle (who came to pick me up) felt very hurt and offended! Edit: nobody even knew what baby seats were! Lot of times they just rode at the rear window space including me! Once an officer pulled my parents over - not to give them a ticket but to make sure what the creature at the back was waving at him! |
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Post by solidstate on Feb 24, 2014 19:26:42 GMT -5
This works better than the Rhino ear and is probably the best home product available. www.bionixmed.com/MED_Pages/OtoClear-Ear-Irrigation-Delivery.html  NEVER USE A Q-TIP!!! Before using the product above place olive oil drops into ears and let sit in each ear for a good couple hours. The best way to do it is to lay on your side and place 6 drops of olive oil into your ear and wait twenty minutes. Repeat for the other ear. Do this before bedtime and let that oil sit in there overnight. In the morning after a hot shower allow some of the water to shoot into your ears. This should really loosen any ear wax for easier removal using the OtoClear. Be prepared to be shocked what comes outta your ears! |
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hemster
Global Moderator 
Particle Manufacturer
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Posts: 51,951
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Post by hemster on Feb 24, 2014 19:33:28 GMT -5
Q tips only on the outside but never insert into the ear canal. Clean in a swirling motion on the ear cup. Once every 6 months, a drop of mineral oil in each ear. Next morning, a wad of wax comes out on its own. Hint: Cover the pillowcase!My grandma had impeccable hearing. Nothing seemed to get past her. She would place a drop of warm garlic oil in her ears once a month. I have distinct memories of her trying that on me but I was too fast for her! Seriously folks, remember that ear wax is a natural phenomenon and serves a purpose. So sterilizing ears and depleting them of all wax is not good IMHO. |
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Post by solidstate on Feb 24, 2014 19:46:01 GMT -5
Seriously folks, remember that ear wax is a natural phenomenon and serves a purpose. So sterilizing ears and depleting them of all wax is not good IMHO. YUP! The problem is though a lot of people have excess wax and it does have an impact into your hearing. People who have never had it done in my experience will have pencil eraser head sized chunks in each ear and when removed they note a huge improvement in their hearing acuity. Earwax candles are DANGEROUS and not very affective. Q-tips should never be used and if you wish to have it done safely visit a doctor. MDs are generally not into removing earwax because A it's gross and B they believe some wax should remain for health/safety reasons. I personally believe, and I'm no medical expert, if you haven't had it done in years and years have a doctor do it. Be insistent on it and request complete removal with a final rinse. At this point you could be prone to infection because you don't have protective wax in your ears so don't do any public pool swimming or diving etc. I don't think it takes long for the wax to return to protect your ears and this is a good thing it's just a half centimeter of the stuff is unnecessary and does impact hearing. |
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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 24, 2014 20:50:39 GMT -5
OK - I can see I'm outnumbered (and maybe for good reason). When my current box of Q-Tips runs out, I'll try a Bionix instead. Better safe than sorry.
Thanks for the info.
Boomzilla
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hemster
Global Moderator
Particle Manufacturer
...still listening... still watching
Posts: 51,951
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Post by hemster on Feb 24, 2014 21:36:00 GMT -5
Seriously folks, remember that ear wax is a natural phenomenon and serves a purpose. So sterilizing ears and depleting them of all wax is not good IMHO. YUP! The problem is though a lot of people have excess wax and it does have an impact into your hearing. People who have never had it done in my experience will have pencil eraser head sized chunks in each ear and when removed they note a huge improvement in their hearing acuity. Earwax candles are DANGEROUS and not very affective. Q-tips should never be used and if you wish to have it done safely visit a doctor. MDs are generally not into removing earwax because A it's gross and B they believe some wax should remain for health/safety reasons. I personally believe, and I'm no medical expert, if you haven't had it done in years and years have a doctor do it. Be insistent on it and request complete removal with a final rinse. At this point you could be prone to infection because you don't have protective wax in your ears so don't do any public pool swimming or diving etc. I don't think it takes long for the wax to return to protect your ears and this is a good thing it's just a half centimeter of the stuff is unnecessary and does impact hearing. I never advocated Q-tips for anything other than cleaning the ear cup. I never advocated ear candles! |
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Post by Gary Cook on Feb 24, 2014 22:54:14 GMT -5
 Sorry couldn't resist it. Cheers Gary |
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Post by dust770 on Feb 24, 2014 23:27:32 GMT -5
Well.... I happen to have some experience on that matter being from the healthcare field. No q-tips! I believe you, my friend - I do. BUT - Sometimes the zeitgeist of the times makes for overprotective advice (yes, even in medical textbooks). I'm sure that some moron once punctured their eardrum by sticking a Q-tip in there while drunk or stoned and then sued the company for a lifetime of support. With our jury system, the moron probably won, too. The company, in response, labeled its products "not for use in the ear canal" and warned the medical profession that for the purpose of risk avoidance (like in "not getting sued") that THEY should get on board with the "don't do that" message too. In actuality, I believe that careful swabbing of the ear canal with a Q-Tip dislodges and removes wax - NOT causes it to build up around the eardrum. Why would I say this (not being a medical professional and all)? Because in 61.5 years of having my ears swabbed with Q-Tips (and swabbing my own), I've never had a single ear infection, never had a single eardrum poke, and never had a single instance of wax build up. And I'm NOT alone. I'd guesstimate that a significant portion of ALL people do exactly as I do with exactly the same results. Now if the practice was half as hazardous as the manufacturer and medical profession claim, then there'd be a steady stream of folks in the emergency room: "I poked my ear with a Q-Tip and the ear is bleeding!" "I can't hear out of this side despite using Q-Tips regularly" "I stuck a Q-Tip in my ear and it came out my nose!" To the best of my knowledge, such incidents are so rare that they become talking points for medical personnel who need a break from the REALLY horrific stuff that comes through the ER. So to summarize - The hazard is minuscule provided that you're sober & careful when you swab your ears with Q-Tips. The benefit (yes, it IS a benefit) is that wax does NOT accumulate in your ears and you WON'T need to use a commercial flush kit to get it out, AND you minimize your chances of not getting run over by a train because you didn't hear it. So stick with Q-Tips and your survivors won't be needing to sue Southern-Pacific after you're gone! Remember - Your survivors will probably sell your gear for half what you told them you paid for it! PS: The article by Dr. Rod Moser says "While excess, hard, or obstructive earwax can be problematic, most earwax (cerumen) is infinitely more beneficial. It is a normal, protective coating for the sensitive skin of the ear canal. A canal coated with ear wax will repel water and help prevent external ear infections. When you dig it out like some demented gold miner, you leave your ear very vulnerable." I wonder if he feels the same about other sebaceous emissions from the body (specifically the glans). Are they beneficial? Should they be left in place? Are they "a normal protective coating for the sensitive skin?" Dr. "Rod" (pardon the bad pun) ain't God... +1 20+ years here using a tips and I can't see any way you would jam earwax back in there unless you never cleaned your ears and they were plugged shut and then you shoved a q-tip in there. But I can tell you if you use them regularly there is very little wax around the canal to clean and hence not enough to push back. Those candle things don't do diddly. Watched a myth busters not to long ago that showed they were BS. No offense to anyone using them. |
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Post by dust770 on Feb 24, 2014 23:32:29 GMT -5
Sorry couldn't resist it. Cheers Gary I bet his wife bought him that kit....after she raised his life insurance limits of course. |
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KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 10,273
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Post by KeithL on Feb 25, 2014 11:06:54 GMT -5
I think perhaps - and perhaps as usual - the problems occur when someone fails to apply common sense as well as following the instructions. 1) If you push the Q-tip straight in (especially if it is tight), it could act like a plunger - which is why a gentle rotating motion is a good idea. (It also makes it less likely that you'd push it in too far.) 2) Likewise, if we're talking about hard earwax, perhaps dampening the Q-tip with warm water would help. 3) If the cotton seems loose, then don't use it (it might come off in your ear). And, remember, if you're using an electric drill - keep it below 100 RPM and DON'T use impact mode  (Personally, I prefer to use a kitchen napkin. You roll it up sort of diagonally, so one corner of the napkin ends up being the "point" of a tapered pointy cone - sort of. It's stiff enough to hold its shape, but doesn't have an actual hard stick like a Q-tip. You push in, turn, and remove as needed - dampening if necessary. Use a scratchy enough napkin that it doesn't just dissolve when you wet it.) Yeah, I know. I've done it all my life, though, and have never had an ear infection (not one - ever). I've not ever touched my eardrums. I've not ever had significant wax build up. For the majority of my life, I've had an annual audiogram showing my hearing is better than most. If I ever have a problem, I'll change my ways, but I think that the article is excessively conservative. If you believe it, then follow the advice. I'll continue cleaning my ears with Q-tips daily, thanks. Or - phrased another way - A lifetime of experience vs. something I read on the internet. I actually DID ask a Certified Occupational Health Nurse about the practice once, and she said that so long as you aren't rambunctious with the Q-tips, there's no harm at all. Not just the poking of the ear drum but for us it is the inevitable pushing of wax that eventually builds up a wall of it at the ear drum thus changing its frequency response.  Think about it. Unless you are scraping the ear drum with your q-tip you are pushing some small amount of wax closer to the ear drum each time you do it. There isn't really a way around that. |
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KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 10,273
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Post by KeithL on Feb 25, 2014 11:08:28 GMT -5
And, if you're crazy enough to try a candle, absolutely, POSITIVELY, don't do it after trying anything with alcohol in your ear! The results could be... dramatic  Now the Safety Engineer in me sees just SO MANY things wrong with that picture... |
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Post by jefft51 on Feb 25, 2014 11:37:39 GMT -5
A few drops in each ear and all the pops and clicks from my records go away.  |
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It even says it in the nursing textbooks. Over time the point where the qtips stop reaching is where the wax that has been inevitably pushed back despite careful efforts will desposit and slowly start impacting. 
