There are a lot of ear myths circulating on the biggest social media platforms, and it’s getting pretty alarming. Because of how persuasively written these posts are, many people quickly believe them.
The irony is that people resort to these medical alternatives to cure themselves when, in reality, they make things worse.
To prevent causing any further harm, we gathered the most credible information from our doctors about the worst ear care practices that you should avoid.
Always Use Cotton Buds to Clean Your Ears
When you’re being told to clean your ears, a cotton bud is the first tool you think of using. After all, it’s common for people to use this to get rid of wax build-up.
Cotton swabs are handy for cleaning the outside of your ears, but they are never recommended for use inside your ears. It will only push your earwax deeper and deeper in, which can ultimately cause complications such as injury, infection, or even hearing loss.
There is even a disclaimer put out by cotton swab companies (such as Q-tip) not to use their products to clean the inside of your ear.
Eardrums are very delicate and can be easily reached by a cotton swab. One wrong move and you can puncture your eardrums. You risk pushing back your earwax even if you apply the gentlest pressure.
Swimming Can Cause Ear Infection
This myth started mainly because of the well-known ear condition, Swimmer’s Ears. In truth, Swimmer’s ear is mainly caused by cleaning your ears too much.
The walls of your ear drums are susceptible. If it comes into contact with an external object, you risk exposing yourself to an ear infection.
Wearing earphones can also make you susceptible to catching Swimmer’s ears. Because it goes in and out of your eardrum (sometimes even going deeper than it should), it thins out the layer of ear wax you have. Not to mention, your earphones may have bacteria in them.
You Should Always Clean Your Ears
Your ear wax serves as a protection for your eardrums. Hence, it’s less than ideal to have a squeaky clean ear canal. Besides, you don’t need to take it upon yourself to clean your ears. Showering is more than enough to eliminate any earwax build-up you may have.
Water entering your ear canal loosens the wax inside and eventually gets washed away. The ear canal is also shaped in an outward, spiral pattern that makes it easy for the earwax to come off naturally.
Your ear wax will fall out on its own, so you do not need to shove whatever ear cleaning tool you can get your hands on.
Listening to Loud Music on Earphones Can Cause Deafness
To some extent, this is true. But the music isn’t to blame for your sudden loss of hearing. In fact, any loud noises can cause your ears to deteriorate.
Alarm sirens, sound systems, megaphones, or anything that produces noise above 80 decibels is enough to affect the quality of your hearing. The damage can either be cumulative or sudden.
Regardless of whether you listen to loud music on the regular or your ears have been blasted with loud noises, one fact remains the same — both are equally fatal to your ears.
Ear Candles are a Great Alternative for Cotton Swabs
Ear candles are not recommended by our Cebu doctor or any doctor for that matter.
For years people have attested to the wonders of using ear candles as an alternative to cotton swabs.
This might be a tough pill to swallow for those continuously using ear candles, but ear candles don’t work. They are just another gimmicky product that makes people feel better about their health, much like a placebo.
The evidence you see on the internet about ear candles having ear wax in them? An absolute scam.
If you try burning an ear candle without putting it inside your ears, you’ll see that it produces an ear wax-like secretion. That wax you think may be yours? It’s from the ear candle, not your ears.
There aren’t enough studies to back up the claim that ear candles work. These products put you at risk of getting candle wax inside your ear and causing more damage.
Get Your Ears Checked
If you have fallen victim to any of these myths, it’s recommended that you get yourself checked by an ENT Cebu doctor at Digital Hearing.
We are located in Century Plaza Complex, Juana Osmeña St, Cebu City, and are available for consultation Mon-Sat from 9 am-6 pm. You can call us at 0932 788 1168 or message us on Facebook.
