Ear Infection Party

[alaity47]

Are the "Auro-Dri" and similar eardrops that you can buy in drug stores just mass-produced versions of the alcohol/vinegar solution? Or are they something else again?

 

[Arnaud]

Alaity, the one I've seen (can't remember the brand) was just alcohol with a bit of glycerin...

 

[IndigoBlue]

Diver Lori once bubbled...
Rez.....scroll up to read Doc Vikingo's statement about an alcohol/vinegar solution being a preventitive and not a cure. I use this solution frequently during dive vacations and have not had swimmer's ear in that time. Before alcohol/vinegar? You betcha!

I have found that plain ethyl alcohol from any drug store works quite well too. So I do not bother with the vinegar brew.

Also found that monthly ear washes with the small blue ear syringe kits, which dissolve the waxy build up, helps as well.

For some reason, you need to keep your ears rinsed and clean for scuba diving, or else they get infected. Cleaned before you dive, and rinsed with alcohol after you dive. Not sure what the science is behind the condition. Possibly indigenous bacterial or fungal exposure, exacerbated by moisture after diving. Just a guess.

Ethyl alcohol seems to prevent it from happening.

 

[SubMariner]

I have found that plain ethyl alcohol from any drug store works quite well too. So I do not bother with the vinegar brew.

I'm not a physician, don't play one on the TV and haven't slept at a Holiday Inn Express, but I would tend to think that not only would this be very drying to the ear, but would also put the PH way out of whack, which might make one more prone to ear problems. (The vinegar in the alcohol/vinegar mix re-establishes the proper PH in the ear.)

Also found that monthly ear washes with the small blue ear syringe kits, which dissolve the waxy build up, helps as well.

For some reason, you need to keep your ears rinsed and clean for scuba diving, or else they get infected. Cleaned before you dive, and rinsed with alcohol after you dive. Not sure what the science is behind the condition. Possibly indigenous bacterial or fungal exposure, exacerbated by moisture after diving. Just a guess

Whoa! This doesn't sound right! Where are you getting this information from?

 

[Bob3]

"Auro-Dri"

Almost all alcohol. Not very good in my book.
Using straight alcohol is WAY irritating to the ear canal, as Sub Mariner pointed out, the use of vinegar (acetic acid) does indeed set the proper PH of the canal to be very fungus-unfriendly.
Cleaning the ears before you dive isn't all that desireable either, the wax is a natural barrier.
A good FLUSHING & SOAKING (about 5 minutes) is what does the trick.
A couple drops of alcohol, as in Auro-dry is almost useless.

 

[alaity47]

So are there any over-the-counter drops with vinegar, or should I get in the habit of making my own?

 

[annie]

I found that I had a cast of ear-wax and subsequently removed this blockage.

how did you do this? Someone else has referred to small blue ear syringe kits . . .I'm interested in this. I get wax buildups in my ear which contribute to irritation and infection, I have to get them syringed out sometimes. I didn't know you can buy kits to do it yourself? How can you check whether it's all cleaned out?

 

[IndigoBlue]

annie once bubbled...


how did you do this? Someone else has referred to small blue ear syringe kits . . .I'm interested in this. I get wax buildups in my ear which contribute to irritation and infection, I have to get them syringed out sometimes. I didn't know you can buy kits to do it yourself? How can you check whether it's all cleaned out?

The kits come in little boxes about the size of a coffee cup, except rectangular. They contain a plastic vial of ear drops, which dissolve ear wax and ear wax plugs, and a small blue ear syringe about the size of a small rubber ball.

You turn on the TV, lie down on your side on the couch with a pillow, and put the ear drops into your ear and leave it for about 5 mins. It will bubble and churn inside your ear, while it dissolves the wax. Then you use a clean coffee cup filled with warm water to fill the ear syringe, and insert that carefully into your ear to rinse out the ear drops and the dissolved wax. Its good to repeat the whole procedure a few times in each ear. When a big glob of brownish yellow ear wax washes out from the rinsing with the syringe, you normally feel immediate pressure and pain relief.

Following this up with ethyl alcohol then drys out your ear completely. Do it for both ears. Takes about half an hour total time, if you Do It Right.

You can get the kits at any drug store. Just ask the druggist where they are displayed.

 

[gkndivebum]

A formula that my wife and I use:

60% H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide)
40% C3H8O (isopropyl alcohol)
"a pinch" H3BO3 (boric acid)

Works well with the onset of otitis externa symptoms

YMMV -

 

[Sebastian]

After my last Ear Infection my doctor advised me to get 'aqua ear'. They are ear drops you put in after you get out of the water

It helps prevent and treat swimmer's ear

Ingredients:

Acetic Acid Glacial 17.3 mg/mL

Isopropyl Alcohol 634 mg/mL

It does two things:

1. Dries up moisture in ear canal

2. Retards the growth of bacteria