Leave Ear Wax Alone
It’s best to leave ear wax where it is, new national guidelines state.
While many people feel they need to remove ear wax — technically called cerumen and a mixture of secretion, hair and dead skin — it is actually protective since it has lubricating and antibacterial properties, said Dr. Peter Roland, an ear specialist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. He chaired a panel that released new guidelines Friday from the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.
According to Dr. Roland, those who need to pay more attention to their ear wax status are those wearing a hearing aid since they are much more likely to develop problems with ear wax. That’s because the hearing aid “prevents the ear from doing its job,” which is to clean out excess ear wax naturally.
The guidelines advise against the use of cotton-tipped swabs, oral jet irrigators and ear candling (the use of cone-shaped candles that are lit to draw out the wax).
Source: MSN Health & Fitness, 29 August 2008
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