Do You Need an Earache Home Remedy? Your Earache May Be Caused by a Cerumen Impaction
An earache can be very painful, and anyone who has suffered from this condition is well aware of just how distressing it can be.
Sometimes it is going to be necessary to see a doctor, but often you can use an earache home remedy rather than a costly visit to the physician's office.
Let's look at a few instances where home remedies are fine to use and when you should abandon them and see your doctor.
Do you see blood or pus draining from your ear? This can be a serious infection and not one where you would want to be trying any home remedies.
So for that, see a medical professional.
However, one thing that happens quite often and is not real serious but is very painful is a cerumen impaction.
Just what is this anyway? Well, it is very simply a build-up of wax inside the ear.
This affects different people in different ways, but a large build-up of wax can cause quite a lot of pain.
Now, is this stuff the same kind of wax as, say, a candle? No, actually it is not.
It is simply a sticky-type liquid which is secreted by the cerumen glands in the ear.
There are many kinds of glands in the skin, but the cerumen glands are only found in the skin of the ear canals.
You may now ask, what is the point of this stuff in your ear in the first place? Well, since it is a sticky substance, it is able to trap foreign material from entering your ear, and that is its function.
However, a buildup of cerumen, or ear wax, can cause problems such as pain in the ear, loss of hearing, and also a cough.
If the wax is partially or completely blocking the ear canal you may experience some hearing loss.
You may not even realize it though until you have it cleared out.
Often, not only will the wax build up, but some people have particularly hard wax which can press on the ear canal walls, causing pain and discomfort.
So it is very possible that simply eliminating the waxy build-up can completely get rid of your earache.
If you can determine quite confidently that wax is the cause of your pain, an earache home remedy is easily available to you in that all you need do is clean it out with a cotton-tipped applicator.
Please be very careful not to insert the applicator too far into the ear canal though as this can cause additional problems.
Hydrogen peroxide can also be used to dissolve the ear wax if need be.
Sometimes it is going to be necessary to see a doctor, but often you can use an earache home remedy rather than a costly visit to the physician's office.
Let's look at a few instances where home remedies are fine to use and when you should abandon them and see your doctor.
Do you see blood or pus draining from your ear? This can be a serious infection and not one where you would want to be trying any home remedies.
So for that, see a medical professional.
However, one thing that happens quite often and is not real serious but is very painful is a cerumen impaction.
Just what is this anyway? Well, it is very simply a build-up of wax inside the ear.
This affects different people in different ways, but a large build-up of wax can cause quite a lot of pain.
Now, is this stuff the same kind of wax as, say, a candle? No, actually it is not.
It is simply a sticky-type liquid which is secreted by the cerumen glands in the ear.
There are many kinds of glands in the skin, but the cerumen glands are only found in the skin of the ear canals.
You may now ask, what is the point of this stuff in your ear in the first place? Well, since it is a sticky substance, it is able to trap foreign material from entering your ear, and that is its function.
However, a buildup of cerumen, or ear wax, can cause problems such as pain in the ear, loss of hearing, and also a cough.
If the wax is partially or completely blocking the ear canal you may experience some hearing loss.
You may not even realize it though until you have it cleared out.
Often, not only will the wax build up, but some people have particularly hard wax which can press on the ear canal walls, causing pain and discomfort.
So it is very possible that simply eliminating the waxy build-up can completely get rid of your earache.
If you can determine quite confidently that wax is the cause of your pain, an earache home remedy is easily available to you in that all you need do is clean it out with a cotton-tipped applicator.
Please be very careful not to insert the applicator too far into the ear canal though as this can cause additional problems.
Hydrogen peroxide can also be used to dissolve the ear wax if need be.