Ear liquid mixture after diving

[simcoediver]

I guess I have been lucky, in reality I guess the solution does stay in my ears as I never rinse it out after putting the drops in and thats why it is still effective. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi Clay Jar,

Tha DAN pieces that you have cited are very dated. For example, the Otic Domeboro product they both tout was discontinued by the manufacturer in Dec '00.

There are much more recent DAN Alert Diver articles on the topic, such as this one from the Mar/Apr '07 issue (which includes alternative solutions for the old Otic Domeboro):

Preventing Swimmer's Ear
Doc Vikingo's Preventing Swimmer's Ear

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[DocVikingo]

Thats the mixure I use too, just 50/50 alcohol & vinagar, but you dont need to leave it in your ears for 5 minutes, just drop it in, massage your outer ears for a couple seconds and leave it at that. The alcohol kills any bacteria in your ear instantly.(sic)

Hi Simicoediver,

There a couple of issues with your statements that may be worth discussion.

As "Spectrum" has indicated, leaving the solution in for at least 5-minutes (with the head tilted) indeed is important. All 3 DAN pieces cited in this thread make mention of this.

Also, the alcohol in the mix is primarily for the purpose of drying the ear. The alcohol in a 50/50 mix certainly would have bactericidal effects, but to assert that this solution "kills any bacteria in your ear instantly" is stretching it more than a bit.

Finally, the agent of real value in such brews is the vinegar, which acidifies the environment in the ear canal and makes it inhospitable to the growth of microorganisms.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[ClayJar]

The DAN pieces that you have cited are very dated. For example, the Otic Domeboro product they both tout was discontinued by the manufacturer in Dec '00.

Yes, they are dated, but I could not find the newer article on DAN's site, so I went with the references I could find. Any idea why your recent Alert Diver article is not on DAN's site where it can be found with the older articles when searching?

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi ClayJar,

That article can be found on DAN's website at Divers Alert Network : Alert Diver Articles

Sadly, not all published articles migrate over to the DAN Medical FAQS section, which is badly in need of updating in some areas.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[ClayJar]

Ah, well that explains it then. Now I know how to find your copy at the link you'd posted earlier. I can reference that in the future. :biggrin: