Symptoms:
Hearing is becoming duller, and the person suspects he may be losing his hearing.

Cause:
The problem may a hard plug of earwax in the ear canal. Some people have constant ear pain until the excess wax is cleaned out.

If you do not chew your food thoroughly, earwax can build up. The chewing tends to break it down.

Saturated fats contribute to excess production of earwax

Treatment:
• Never put anything sharp in the ear! That includes bobby pins, paper clips, and pencil tips. They can puncture the eardrum.

• Do not use cotton-tipped swabs either, because they merely ram the wax down deeper and impact it the more.

• Place something in your ear which will soften it. This can be hydrogen peroxide, mineral oil, or glycerin. Add a drop or two of this to each ear. Let the excess run out. The liquid left inside will soften the wax. Do this for a couple days.

• Fill a bowl with body-temperature water. Suck it into a rubber bulb syringe; and, holding your head over the bowl, gently squirt the water into the ear. Use very, very little pressure. Turn your head and let the water run out.

• Do not rub the ears, to dry them. Either use a hair dryer (18-20 inches away) or drop a little alcohol in each ear. Do not wash out the ears in this manner more often than every couple months. You need some earwax to protect your ears.

• There is a tendency for people who have ear problems to be heavy earwax producers. To reduce the amount of earwax made, eat less unsaturated fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids are not a problem. It is the over-balance of unsaturated fats which causes the earwax problem.

• An alternate method of cleaning out the earwax is this: Using an eyedropper, place either a solution of 1 part vinegar to 1 part warm water or a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in your ear. Allow it to settle for a minute, then drain it. Do this 2-3 times a day. If the wax is hard and dry, apply garlic oil for a day or two, to soften it. Then wash out the ear with a steady stream of warm water, under no pressure. Patiently continue irrigating the ear canal, flushing with warm water. The wax buildup will come out.

• Yet another method is using "ear candles," available at health food stores. Someone will have to help you use them. Instructions come with the candles. Afterward, you may be bothered by the fact that an excess of wax has been eliminated. You may need to put cotton in each ear for a time.