Ear Beer

[Angelo Farina]

True, but he said he has "Fluid in tube behind ear drum," and I don't know of any treatment for that other than letting the body deal with it in time.

The rare case I got mid ear infections with fluid behind the tympanic membrane I did threat it with a mucholithic aerosol and performing BTV (opening voluntarily the tubes) while doing the aerosol.
Of course I assume one can use BTV, unfortunately a percentage of population seem to be unable to use this technique..
If the aerosol penetrates in the medium ear through the tubes, it washes out all the bad fluids trapped inside...
This means healing in 2 days instead of 2 weeks.

 

[DandyDon]

The last few times diving i got water trapped in my right ear. This is something new after all of my years of diving. I used a product call "Earshield" which didn't work. What I've been doing now is seeing my ear doctor after my trip and he gives me a prescription antihistamine which relaxes the inner ear and drains the fluid, usually within a week. It's not painful and doesn't hinder equalizing it just really annoying having limited muffled hearing in the right ear.

That just does not sound right. You might get a second opinion.

The rare case I got mid ear infections with fluid behind the tympanic membrane I did threat it with a mucholithic aerosol and performing BTV (opening voluntarily the tubes) while doing the aerosol.
Of course I assume one can use BTV, unfortunately a percentage of population seem to be unable to use this technique..
If the aerosol penetrates in the medium ear through the tubes, it washes out all the bad fluids trapped inside...
This means healing in 2 days instead of 2 weeks.

And that sounds impressive. I have no idea what any of it meant tho.

 

[Angelo Farina]

And that sounds impressive. I have no idea what any of it meant tho.

???
Never heard of BTV?
Here some info:
Hands Free Equalization for the Beginner and the Curious

 

[ggunn]

???
Never heard of BTV?
Here some info:
Hands Free Equalization for the Beginner and the Curious

That's how I equalize, although I didn't know it had a name. It's sort of like swallowing at the same time as pushing my lower jaw forward, though I can do it without doing either of those things. I'm doing it now.

I am a little scared of Valsalva because there's no reciprocal method for when you ascend.

 

[DandyDon]

I generally have no problem equalizing altho at times I have to ascend a bit first. The closed mouth Valsalva is the most effective for me.

I am a little scared of Valsalva because there's no reciprocal method for when you ascend.

I've pinched my nose and sucked on ascent at times.

Interestingly, there is an open mouth Valsalva maneuver for other needs. What Is the Valsalva Maneuver?.

 

[sefuchs]

Well, I gave it a try and I am actually pretty happy with it. earpro.co is the site, guess it is mostly in Europe at the moment but you can get it here.
You spray once in each ear before the dive, it coats the ears and prevents water from getting trapped, also targets the bugs that cause infections so no need to reapply after the dive. Has a two year shelf life so the cost balances out, enough in a bottle for a couple hundred dives.
Did about ten dives over 4 days in Monterey and normally even with the vinegar I would be struggling but with this stuff, no problems at all and my ears felt great the whole time.
No more Vinegar for me

I’ve started using this ‘preventative’ lotion as well on my last couple trips and it’s helped significantly. Can’t remember the name of it and it’s packed away with my dive gear. It was spendy at ~$30 a bottle but well worth the cost to me. The home made ear-beer ‘kinda’ worked but after a week or so my ears would become raw. For me the preventative lotion is much more effective.

 

[DandyDon]

The home made ear-beer ‘kinda’ worked but after a week or so my ears would become raw.

Did you add glycerin? I suspect that's the problem there.

 

[sefuchs]

Did you add glycerin? I suspect that's the problem there.

ya it helps but still after a week to 10 days the ears are feeling it.

 

[Angelo Farina]

That's how I equalize, although I didn't know it had a name. It's sort of like swallowing at the same time as pushing my lower jaw forward, though I can do it without doing either of those things. I'm doing it now.

I am a little scared of Valsalva because there's no reciprocal method for when you ascend.

The reciprocal of Valsalva to be used ascending is called Toynbee...
BTV is much better, of course, both descending and ascending. And you can use it also out of the water, for purging bad fluids from your middle ear. Really a pity that a significant percentage of population cannot use BTV.

 

[diver-jud]

You may have ear wax buildup.

I don't have ear wax buildup, I keep my ears clean and healthy but as a regular watersports participant I have had many ear infections and dealt with all manner of ear issues over the years so I know when I am experiencing difficulty.
The Ear Beer does work to dry ears and kill bacteria, my biggest concern is that it also kills all bacteria that the ear needs to remain healthy. It also dries out the skin of the ear and causes you to have to add glycerin afterwards to at least retain the moisture. All those chemicals are extremely caustic and I agree that doctors have been perfectly happy to prescribe it, mostly because there is no alternative...

Going on to Antibiotics if it doesn't work is currently the only other treatment available.

I look at it like this.. The walking was great transportation until people tamed horses... the horse sufficed for a millennia... then came the car. The resistance to those advances was always the same.."But we have been doing it this way and it works just fine"

I used a product call "Earshield" which didn't work.

EarShield was an attempt at the next level but they didn't do a lot of research and just stuck olive oil and tea tree oil in a bottle. It is helpful in keeping the ear moist and the olive oil is fairly ok at preventing the dirty water from getting under the skin of the ear but it wears off quickly. Tea Tree oil has some anti-bacterial properties but does not really tick all the boxes.

The EarPro I got from Europe uses Parafin oil which is used in lipsticks and baby cream etc. creates a really effective water proof layer in the ear canal without effecting hearing or equalizing (actually think it helps equalizing) which lasts for hours. The purified Oregano oil targets the two types of bacteria most responsible for outer ear infections (been doing a bit of research) Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus without killing off all the healthy bacteria.

All in all I think this is a better way and after probably 80-100 dives with it I still have at least half a bottle and have not had a single ear issue.