Ears care

[tridacna]

I've been doing this for years - never an ear issue yet.

From @doctormike

"Ear beer" has to do two things - you want to dry the ear (alcohol) and you want to drop the pH (vinegar). The most common ear bacteria (Pseudomonas) doesn't do well in acidic environments.

So you don't need a lot of vinegar, since all you need to do is drop the pH, but vinegar is mostly water, so using a lot of it keeps the ear wet. I tell people to get a pint bottle of rubbing alcohol, pour out a few tablespoons and replace them with vinegar, and if you have some glycerin, a few drops of that can keep your ears from getting over dried.

 

[doctormike]

...actually, my understanding is that earwax, although disgusting, is the natural protection for infection, therefore is better to leave it (also the doctor told me so).
However, I can see your point of the earwax being a potential water-trapping device...

Yes, a thin layer of earwax is what protects the ear canal skin from superficial infection (otitis externa, or "swimmer's ear"). So compulsively rinsing your ears with a ceruminolytic (something that removes cerumen like debrox or hydrogen peroxide) is a bad idea.

On the other hand, a big collection of earwax can actually trap water in the ear canal and CAUSE swimmer's ear, so if you have that, it's good to get it removed (I do it with a microscope and curette). Remember, the point of that is to just take out the big clump of it, not to scrub away the protective layer.

Ear beer is indeed a great thing if used sparingly to prevent swimmer's ear. You can also use it to treat swimmer's ear if you can't get to medical care or antibiotic/steroid drops on a dive trip.

Two other options to prevent swimmer's ear are an ear dryer, and EarShield (thanks to my Instructor Wayne Fisch for that last tip)...

 

[NatureLVR]

I use this prescription from Bausch + Lomb. Works well for long term because it does not have any penicillin-type antibiotics in it.

http://www.bausch.com/Portals/77/-/m/BL/United States/Files/Package Inserts/Pharma/Rx-Generics/acetic-acid-in-aqueous-aluminum-acetate.pdf?ver=2016-09-12-083212-347

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

#1 on ear beer. If I leave it at home, I'll go with the Ear Dry products available over the counter. I don't really like the glycerin in my ear, but nobody sells ear beer.

Jay

 

[Snoweman]

I use this prescription from Bausch + Lomb. Works well for long term because it does not have any penicillin-type antibiotics in it.

http://www.bausch.com/Portals/77/-/m/BL/United States/Files/Package Inserts/Pharma/Rx-Generics/acetic-acid-in-aqueous-aluminum-acetate.pdf?ver=2016-09-12-083212-347

I'm not sure I like the idea of putting aluminum in my ear.

 

[NatureLVR]

I'm not sure I like the idea of putting aluminum in my ear.

Here is a DAN article on it:
Otitis Externa: Can You Prevent It?

 

[Snoweman]

Here is a DAN article on it:
Otitis Externa: Can You Prevent It?

I was referring to the link between aluminum and Alzheimer's.

Aluminum Levels in Brain, Serum, and Cerebrospinal Fluid are Higher in Alzheimer's Disease Cases than in Controls: A Series of Meta-Analyses. - PubMed - NCBI

 

[Mr. Sunday]

I learned my ear lesson after a trip to Costa Rica. Decided to clean my ears prior to leaving with q tips and got a little too aggressive it seems. Wound up with an infection that made my trip miserable and limited my diving.

I now use ear beer and a neti pot. No issues since.

 

[SheepDog68]

Spending my summers on the water as a kid I found the constant use of rubbing/ Isopropyl alcohol a little harsh on my ears! (Not as harsh as swimmers ear!)

As a young adult one of my friends was using EverClear as an alternative. I’ve made my ear drops with EverClear and vinegar ever since! Everclear (alcohol) - Wikipedia

SD

 

[rabe]

Can someone explain what the ear beer is exactly? Never heard before...