Do you use Q-tips to clean your ears? Well, if you do, you might be interested learning that there is a right way and a wrong way, according to William H. Shapiro, Doctor of Audiology. In fact, the clinical associate professor from NYU Langone says it’s not a good idea to use the cotton swabs at all.
He says that not only is ear wax good for you, but putting a Q-tip anywhere except for the outermost parts of your ear can be detrimental to your hearing.
As Shapiro explains in the video below, most people don’t use Q-tips properly and wind up doing more harm than good when cleaning their ears. People push the end of the Q-tip too far into their ear and can end up pushing wax further inside the ear canal and up against the eardrum. In doing so, you decrease the eardrum’s ability to vibrate, which it needs to do in order for you to hear effectively.
He also points out that ear wax protects the inside of your ear. It keeps insects and dirt out and lubricates the ear canal. “It’s not a bad thing to have wax, but individuals should never take the wax out themselves,” Shapiro advises.
It seems that it’s not so much if you use cotton swabs as much as how you use them that matters! Do you agree with what Shapiro advises? How do you clean your ears?
Pass this tip on to your family and friends!
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