WEBVTT - Earwax: Live With It 0:00:01.120 --> 0:00:04.320 Welcome to you Stuff you should know front House Stuff 0:00:04.320 --> 0:00:12.680 Works dot Com. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm 0:00:12.800 --> 0:00:17.799 Josh Clark, There's Charles w Chuck Bryant, there's Jerry Uh. Yeah, 0:00:18.120 --> 0:00:22.840 it's stuff you should know. He just shrugged, like, what 0:00:22.840 --> 0:00:26.680 are we gonna do? That's what we are episode number 0:00:28.360 --> 0:00:32.440 seven something. Yeah, I have no idea either. It's in 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:34.479 the seven hundreds of folks. If you think there's only 0:00:34.520 --> 0:00:38.640 three hundred because you're on iTunes, you're in for to 0:00:38.720 --> 0:00:42.400 be doubly surprised. Yeah. Well, somebody um tweeted recently, I've 0:00:42.440 --> 0:00:45.280 just found the How Stuff Works app and there's way 0:00:45.320 --> 0:00:48.239 more stuff you should notice than there is on iTunes. 0:00:48.360 --> 0:00:51.880 I hate you guys now. Wait, I was cool with 0:00:51.960 --> 0:00:55.360 three one, but that's it. I had someone asking it 0:00:55.440 --> 0:00:57.200 the other day if we feel like we're running out 0:00:57.240 --> 0:01:01.000 of things topics, clearly we are because we're recording on 0:01:01.040 --> 0:01:04.800 your way exactly. What did you tell him look for 0:01:04.880 --> 0:01:08.800 boogers in the near future? Um no, I said no 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:11.479 that sometimes it feels a little like, oh my gosh, 0:01:11.520 --> 0:01:14.840 what are we gonna do? But there's gazillions of topics 0:01:15.000 --> 0:01:18.160 in the world at least, and gazillions of scientific that's right. 0:01:18.520 --> 0:01:21.600 What is that? How many zeros? Is that a real number? 0:01:21.959 --> 0:01:24.680 I don't know. I don't think it is. Let's say nine, 0:01:25.080 --> 0:01:28.160 it's a real number if you're eight years old, but 0:01:28.240 --> 0:01:31.440 watch it probably is a real number. Yeah, I think, Um, 0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:37.960 a jillian is a real number. A bazillion jillian definitely is. 0:01:38.319 --> 0:01:41.560 I would guess gazillion is by now I might actually 0:01:41.600 --> 0:01:43.760 look that up. I mean, there's just like a handful 0:01:43.800 --> 0:01:46.240 of mathematicians who are in charge of naming that kind 0:01:46.240 --> 0:01:49.560 of stuff, you know. So, chuckers, while you're looking that up, 0:01:49.960 --> 0:01:53.600 do you have ear wax? Um? Do you have a 0:01:53.680 --> 0:01:59.600 problem you're wax? None? No, I don't either. No, I 0:01:59.600 --> 0:02:03.040 wouldn't say so. Um. It is a little distressing, though, 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:06.400 even though we will find out it is awesome and 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:09.160 exactly how it's supposed to work. When it just sort 0:02:09.160 --> 0:02:12.120 of falls out of your ear onto your shoulder. Yeah, 0:02:12.240 --> 0:02:15.880 that's that's ideal. Actually, yeah, because ear wax in your 0:02:16.560 --> 0:02:21.040 physiology in general doesn't care about what social group you're 0:02:21.040 --> 0:02:24.000 a part of. Nope, it's just like, here's some ear 0:02:24.000 --> 0:02:27.400 wax on your shoulder. Deal with it. Although and I 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:30.280 didn't look up why this is true? Apparently in northeastern 0:02:30.320 --> 0:02:34.400 Asian countries like Korea and China, um they they're ear 0:02:34.400 --> 0:02:36.400 wax is a little different. They're more likely to have 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:39.320 the dry ear wax UM, which can be hard and 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:43.760 red to black in color, which sounds gross and flaky 0:02:44.040 --> 0:02:49.640 or pale yellow, whereas here we have that um, nasty, 0:02:49.720 --> 0:02:52.760 gooey orange e mess wet ear wax. That is what 0:02:52.840 --> 0:02:55.480 it's called. Yes, and the reason why actually is because 0:02:55.520 --> 0:02:59.160 of the ABC living gene. That why, Yeah, they isolated 0:02:59.200 --> 0:03:02.680 the gene that there was a reason causes the type 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:04.960 of ear wax that you get. And it turns out 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:11.600 that they say the w UM mutation is um or 0:03:11.639 --> 0:03:15.600 the D mutation dry ear wax is recessive. So the 0:03:15.639 --> 0:03:18.800 only way to get dry ear waxes if both of 0:03:18.840 --> 0:03:22.360 your parents have dry ear wax, both carry the D 0:03:22.480 --> 0:03:25.200 gene or D mutation of the ABC levan gene. Well, 0:03:25.200 --> 0:03:29.400 I have both. Most people have our w D sea. 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:33.640 So you have to get to D alleles to dry 0:03:33.680 --> 0:03:36.280 ear wax alleles to have dry ear wax yourself. If 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:38.240 you have a W in a D or two W 0:03:38.480 --> 0:03:41.560 you're gonna have wet And for some reason I have both. 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:45.920 Can't you like one ear is dry and the other's wet. No, 0:03:46.400 --> 0:03:48.680 like sometimes you know, if I get the old cotton 0:03:48.720 --> 0:03:53.240 swab out, which now you're introducing something way beyond genetics. 0:03:53.800 --> 0:03:57.560 That's not even apo genetics, that's human intervention. The point is, 0:03:57.600 --> 0:03:59.160 if I get the cotton swab out, that's when I'll 0:03:59.160 --> 0:04:02.120 get out the orange wet stuff. But um, I'll also 0:04:02.160 --> 0:04:04.760 have the dry, flaky stuff that falls out sometimes probably, 0:04:04.880 --> 0:04:09.720 I would guess. And I'm no ceremon expert, I'm no seaminisd. 0:04:10.520 --> 0:04:13.400 Now what's the what's the word? Uh? Actually looked it 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:16.640 up for someone who studies this. It has to have 0:04:16.760 --> 0:04:20.719 to do with ceremon m. I can't find it now. 0:04:21.920 --> 0:04:26.480 It's so Seamonius doesn't ringing a bell. No, it's wrong. 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:29.680 I can't find what it is. Sorry, Okay, Well the 0:04:29.760 --> 0:04:32.760 person who said, I'm not a person who studies ear wax. 0:04:33.440 --> 0:04:37.080 But what I would guess is that when you're when 0:04:37.080 --> 0:04:40.320 you're digging in there, you're getting to the fresher ear wax, 0:04:40.520 --> 0:04:42.880 That's what I think. And then as it works itself 0:04:42.920 --> 0:04:47.120 further and further out your ear, which is the natural process, 0:04:47.520 --> 0:04:51.599 it's exposed to drier air, that ambient air, and it 0:04:51.680 --> 0:04:53.960 drives out and flakes off, which is what it's supposed 0:04:54.000 --> 0:04:56.320 to do. So I don't think you have both. I 0:04:56.360 --> 0:04:58.839 think if you have both, the stuff inside your ear 0:04:58.880 --> 0:05:01.120 would be dry, would be dry as well. Yeah, okay, 0:05:01.320 --> 0:05:04.000 all right, well that makes sense. Um, So what ear 0:05:04.000 --> 0:05:08.040 waxes or uh ceramon c E R U M E 0:05:08.200 --> 0:05:12.680 N is the scientific name, but I'm sure they call 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:19.839 it wax. It's the third chubby angel. Now, that's cerebum um. 0:05:19.880 --> 0:05:22.640 It is made up of secretions of a couple of 0:05:23.120 --> 0:05:27.039 little specialized glands uh in the skin on the outer 0:05:27.320 --> 0:05:30.520 third of the ear canal. Yes, um, so you have 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:33.719 your sebaceous glands and they're gonna secrete in these names 0:05:33.720 --> 0:05:37.680 all sounds so growth really, but they're perfect for describing 0:05:37.720 --> 0:05:42.120 what they are. Yeah, yeah, um, they secrete sebum as 0:05:42.200 --> 0:05:45.720 E V m uh. And then you have um an 0:05:45.720 --> 0:05:52.039 apocrene sweat gland that's modified that produces uh yeah, it combines, 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:54.800 it combines with the sebum, and that's where you get 0:05:54.839 --> 0:05:58.200 your ceremony. And so see them in and of itself 0:05:58.279 --> 0:06:01.000 is fairly normal. If you like, take your fingertip and 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:03.800 rub it alongside where your nose folds into your face. 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:08.120 That's well if if your stuff is at all oily, 0:06:08.240 --> 0:06:11.760 the oil is see them. So apparently it mixes in 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:16.440 in your ear with the the that kind of apicrene 0:06:16.440 --> 0:06:19.160 gland like you said, to form ceramon, which is its 0:06:19.200 --> 0:06:21.960 own thing. It's not just see them, but all of 0:06:22.000 --> 0:06:29.360 it is basically fatty, oily lipid e um compound that's 0:06:29.400 --> 0:06:34.800 secreted by these glands in the skin cells, specialized glands. Yeah, 0:06:35.040 --> 0:06:39.320 about six keratin, which is a protein. And then like 0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:42.840 you said, the fatty acids, you've got dead skin cells, um, 0:06:43.560 --> 0:06:49.360 hair follicles, dead bugs, little bugs. Yeah, lots of stuff 0:06:49.400 --> 0:06:51.840 that comes out in this and like you, like you 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:56.800 said dust it probably dust mites then too. And like 0:06:56.839 --> 0:07:00.640 you said, um, it's produced in the inner third of 0:07:00.680 --> 0:07:05.680 the outer ear outer one third of the ear canal um. 0:07:05.720 --> 0:07:09.960 And when it's produced in there, it's migrates outward thanks 0:07:10.000 --> 0:07:15.240 to um the motion of the ocean. Right and you 0:07:15.400 --> 0:07:19.240 talking and chewing. Yeah, I couldn't figure out, like how 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:21.960 does your ear wax move, But it's just from jaw movement. 0:07:22.000 --> 0:07:25.720 Normal jaw movement moves the old or the newer stuff 0:07:25.720 --> 0:07:29.040 outward and as it's coming out, all the gunk and 0:07:29.120 --> 0:07:32.040 stuff that's protected your ear from are moved out with it. 0:07:32.120 --> 0:07:35.520 So the stuff that flakes off and falls on your shoulder, Uh, 0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:39.480 that everybody points and laughs at at the at the party, Um, 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:42.360 that is filled with all the stuff that your ear 0:07:42.440 --> 0:07:45.080 reax caught along the way. It's a it's a beautiful, 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:50.160 elegant process. Probably was beautiful, um, aspect of the entire 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:54.560 human experience. Well, I think you're making a joke, but 0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:57.320 I really do think that. Like it's the little things 0:07:57.360 --> 0:07:59.600 like that about Like I'm amazed about the function of 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:01.480 the brain and of course the organs and all that, 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:05.480 but just something as simple as that mechanical talking and 0:08:05.560 --> 0:08:08.880 chewing will work ear wax out of your ear. It's 0:08:08.960 --> 0:08:12.360 just so basic, and I think it's awesome and I 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:13.960 think it's really cool. Actually, I know. To me, I 0:08:14.040 --> 0:08:17.040 agree with you. Um. So some people produce a lot 0:08:17.120 --> 0:08:20.720 of this. Um. I was gonna say gross stuff. But 0:08:21.480 --> 0:08:25.320 have you seen Paddington the movie? Yeah? No, I heard 0:08:25.320 --> 0:08:28.040 it was really good. It's very good, super super cute, 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:31.160 really well done. Why did you see that? Just because 0:08:31.160 --> 0:08:33.880 it's a cute movie? Really yeah? Um, solid in theaters 0:08:33.880 --> 0:08:37.440 and everything. UM, please tell me you took you me yeah. 0:08:38.720 --> 0:08:40.040 And as a matter of fact, it was just me 0:08:40.120 --> 0:08:41.880 and you, me and the whole theater. But if it's 0:08:41.960 --> 0:08:45.360 just you and no kids, then it's like somebody you 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:48.760 might want to call that they did. I'm just a 0:08:48.800 --> 0:08:53.200 Paddington fan, um, but I am now So anyway, Um, 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:56.000 there is a part where there's a part featuring ear 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:59.880 wax in Paddington. It's it does not celebrate the beau 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:02.920 of ear wax. It's the exact opposite. And actually you 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:07.720 mean was like god or it was really gross but 0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:13.840 just awesome. So anyway, Gussie Gussie Paddington. Is that a spoiler? Okay, 0:09:14.120 --> 0:09:16.880 I don't think so, maybe for like a five year 0:09:16.920 --> 0:09:20.520 old you know. Um, So, like I said, some people 0:09:20.559 --> 0:09:23.640 produce a lot of the stuff. Um, some people don't 0:09:23.679 --> 0:09:27.120 produce as much, and they don't really know why, but 0:09:27.200 --> 0:09:31.200 they do know that sometimes stress and anxiety, um can 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:36.520 increase production of your wax, which makes interesting hormones, hormones 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:39.600 affected your glands go off. It also said that some 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:43.880 drugs can increase your ear wax production. And I looked 0:09:43.880 --> 0:09:46.960 all over and can you find the drugs? But if 0:09:47.000 --> 0:09:51.400 stress and anxiety does hiahuasca, I imagine yeah, or cocaine 0:09:51.400 --> 0:09:54.120 would probably make you produce more ear wax or something. 0:09:54.320 --> 0:09:57.120 Oh yeah, when you put that stuff in your ear, yeah, 0:09:57.280 --> 0:09:59.320 or something that makes you like to your jaw lot. 0:09:59.679 --> 0:10:04.240 Oh sure, that could probably get more ear wax out. Yeah. Interesting, 0:10:04.280 --> 0:10:08.120 I never thought about that. I couldn't find any anything else. 0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:11.080 Um is gross, as you might think ear wax as 0:10:11.120 --> 0:10:13.760 though it actually is a great thing for your body. 0:10:14.240 --> 0:10:17.120 And there's a very good reason, uh why you have it, 0:10:17.240 --> 0:10:20.720 because there are four main functions that your ear wax 0:10:20.840 --> 0:10:24.160 is going to serve my friend. Uh. One of them 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:27.600 is it creates an acidic environment. That's great, that kills 0:10:27.640 --> 0:10:32.880 helps kill bacteria and fun Guy. Oh even better, number two, 0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:36.040 Um it is, Well, that's that's a big deal too, 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:39.040 because your ear, your inner ear, like that is really 0:10:39.240 --> 0:10:41.520 a place where fungus and bacteria would thrive because it's 0:10:41.559 --> 0:10:45.440 moist and dark, and you know what we always say 0:10:45.480 --> 0:10:49.200 about moist dark places, fun Guy thrives, that's right. Um. 0:10:49.240 --> 0:10:52.280 The thing is is, it doesn't seem like that be 0:10:52.320 --> 0:10:54.640 a big problem to have fun Guy in your ear, 0:10:55.200 --> 0:10:59.439 but it would because it would affect things like your balance, nausea, 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:03.480 ear aches. Um, it just wouldn't be good so the 0:11:03.520 --> 0:11:07.240 fact that earwax produces in a cidic environment alone makes 0:11:07.240 --> 0:11:09.960 earwax a beautiful thing and to be celebrated. So if 0:11:09.960 --> 0:11:11.840 we did, we could just stop there. We could, but 0:11:11.920 --> 0:11:13.520 you can go on. Like you said, there's four and 0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:17.640 that was just one quarter of these these benefits that 0:11:17.720 --> 0:11:21.880 your ex pistos. Secondly, it is a lube. Um. It 0:11:21.960 --> 0:11:26.480 lubricates your ear can basically to keep it from drying out. 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:29.800 And um, you know you don't want the inner ear 0:11:29.840 --> 0:11:34.599 becoming all like itchy and dry and craggedy, and you 0:11:34.640 --> 0:11:38.080 want to hear something weird that I've a new personal 0:11:38.160 --> 0:11:41.920 hygiene thing I have to do as of yesterday, starting yesterday, 0:11:42.480 --> 0:11:44.600 something I'll probably have to do my whole I have 0:11:44.640 --> 0:11:47.240 to moisturize not ears. Now. I thought you gonna say, 0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:49.120 heir inside the ear. I was like, I have been 0:11:49.120 --> 0:11:51.440 doing that for a while. It's getting I got a 0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:56.240 little fro inside ear fro yeah, but no, like taking 0:11:56.320 --> 0:11:58.920 moisturizer and like rubbing on my ears because I got 0:11:59.000 --> 0:12:02.400 a haircat yesterday and like my ears were exposed and 0:12:02.440 --> 0:12:04.600 all of a sudden, I'm like, wait, why is like 0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:06.920 there a streak of white on my ear? And they're 0:12:06.960 --> 0:12:10.040 bright red, and I realized, like, my ears are chapped, 0:12:10.240 --> 0:12:12.880 and that is brand new or else. I just noticed it. 0:12:12.960 --> 0:12:15.880 So I'm an ear moisturizer. Now, yeah, you had that 0:12:16.000 --> 0:12:19.200 seventies uh ear muff hairstyle cut off of your ears 0:12:19.640 --> 0:12:21.640 so your ears were exposed. Yeah, it was pretty seventies, 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:23.680 wasn't well. I was growing my hair out to to 0:12:24.160 --> 0:12:27.320 create like a blank slate of you know that could 0:12:27.320 --> 0:12:29.640 be worked with. It was kind of longish for you. 0:12:29.840 --> 0:12:32.480 It was really long and it it was that seventies 0:12:32.520 --> 0:12:35.680 like ear muff thing wasn't quite It was getting there. 0:12:35.800 --> 0:12:40.120 It looks good, very nice. Thanks. Did that make you uncomfortable? No, 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:42.680 I was fishing for that the whole reason I brought 0:12:42.720 --> 0:12:47.400 that story. You looked either sheepish or really uncomfortable with 0:12:47.480 --> 0:12:50.880 a little bit both. Alright, gotcha? Alright. Number three on 0:12:51.440 --> 0:12:55.280 top four things that earwax does, Uh is your ceremon 0:12:55.640 --> 0:12:59.240 and your hair just like let him exactly. Um, it's 0:12:59.240 --> 0:13:04.240 gonna discover just uh everyone's worst nightmare, which is spider 0:13:04.320 --> 0:13:07.719 crawling in there, which I covered. Uh, you know that 0:13:07.760 --> 0:13:09.880 happened to Emily. I think I talked about that on 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:12.960 one of the shows that was genuinely one of the 0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:16.679 most awesome things that I've ever experienced, because it did 0:13:16.720 --> 0:13:19.160 not happen to me. Wasn't there a picture? Didn't you 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:22.840 post a picture of it or something like that? Um No, 0:13:23.120 --> 0:13:26.360 but there I think I I posted a picture of 0:13:26.400 --> 0:13:29.400 a happening to some woman in China. I think that 0:13:29.520 --> 0:13:32.040 was frightening, And it was a picture of a spider 0:13:32.120 --> 0:13:35.560 looking out of the woman's ear canal right, yeah? Yeah, 0:13:35.600 --> 0:13:37.720 but Emily's if people haven't heard this story, it was 0:13:39.000 --> 0:13:40.120 I think it was in the middle of the night 0:13:40.160 --> 0:13:42.640 or something. She was like, I got this weird fluttering 0:13:42.679 --> 0:13:44.760 in my ear and I don't know what's going on 0:13:44.800 --> 0:13:46.319 in there. And I was like, well, you know, I 0:13:46.360 --> 0:13:48.760 took in the bathroom and trying to light and I 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:51.920 was like, holy crap. And the spider I think work. 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:54.560 Didn't it with the flash flight? Remember like, if you 0:13:54.600 --> 0:13:57.240 look at your I don't know, did the did They're 0:13:57.240 --> 0:14:00.320 saying yes, yes, okay, so there you go. Well, all 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:03.200 I remember thinking is only I don't want to have 0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:04.960 to break this to you, but you have a spider 0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:10.000 in your ear? You didn't like chloroformer first? I should have. Yeah, 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:12.640 she was not excited about that. She was not pumped, 0:14:12.720 --> 0:14:15.320 but so, well, what was the process for getting it out? Well, 0:14:15.400 --> 0:14:19.720 I've looked on the internet super quickly, um to see 0:14:19.720 --> 0:14:22.920 how and they said to flush it out and um, 0:14:23.480 --> 0:14:25.920 just like a little warm. Oh my gosh, you did 0:14:26.040 --> 0:14:28.440 use tweezers. Yeah, And I put the water in there 0:14:28.440 --> 0:14:30.840 and it kind of um loosened it up, and went 0:14:30.880 --> 0:14:32.360 in there and got the tweezers and I was like, 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:34.920 look at this. How big was it? Oh? I mean 0:14:34.920 --> 0:14:38.320 it wasn't huge, but it was It was enough spider 0:14:38.360 --> 0:14:42.320 for her taste. Yeah, more than enough, right, dude, it was. 0:14:42.360 --> 0:14:45.800 I can't imagine that some people like sleep with vesseline 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:49.960 in their ears to keep bugs from crawling in. Yeah, 0:14:50.160 --> 0:14:52.720 like that is a thing. Yeah, I mean people don't 0:14:52.760 --> 0:14:55.360 want bugs in their ears. No, but that's taken. I 0:14:55.360 --> 0:14:57.800 mean that's just parents severe paranois. I think if you're 0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:00.160 sleeping that your muffs are vesselly in your ears, you know, 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:04.560 your moss. I thought about that, you all right? And 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:08.320 number four finally is um, your ear wax is gonna 0:15:08.320 --> 0:15:12.320 trap some dead skin and hair cells and basically all 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:15.200 of that junk to carry it back out to keep 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:18.120 it clean. So it sounds sort of counterintuitive to trap 0:15:18.200 --> 0:15:21.640 that stuff, but it's trapping it so it can carry 0:15:21.680 --> 0:15:23.360 it out. And if you didn't have your wax, it 0:15:23.400 --> 0:15:25.360 would just go in there, right, And if you chew 0:15:25.440 --> 0:15:29.560 things like celery and you talk, then that your wax 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:31.880 is going to work its way out in a slow 0:15:32.000 --> 0:15:34.520 process where all this stuff is cleaned out and you 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:38.280 don't ever have to do anything with it under ideal circumstances. 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:42.880 Not always are circumstances ideal, And we'll talk about how 0:15:42.920 --> 0:16:01.680 things can go wrong after this, Okay, Chuck's so ideally 0:16:01.680 --> 0:16:03.800 you don't have to ever think about ear wax or 0:16:03.840 --> 0:16:05.880 anything like that to brush it off your shoulder, right. 0:16:06.840 --> 0:16:10.360 But um, for some people, ear wax can build up 0:16:10.360 --> 0:16:13.480 and become impacted, a lot of times it's because people 0:16:13.520 --> 0:16:16.680 mess with it, like with cotton swabs on a stick. 0:16:17.640 --> 0:16:20.360 You know, you may have seen the advertisement on the 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:24.080 Big Game. You're just called cotton swabs, right, yeah, okay, Um, 0:16:24.160 --> 0:16:28.840 so when uh, if you use that, a lot of 0:16:28.880 --> 0:16:31.360 people use those to clear out their ear wax. Right, 0:16:31.600 --> 0:16:34.920 you're supposed to know it's doing the exact opposite, because 0:16:34.920 --> 0:16:39.960 your ear wax is um created and moves from the 0:16:40.000 --> 0:16:44.720 outside third of your inner ear um. When you rub 0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:48.520 cotton swab on it, you're actually pushing it in further 0:16:48.600 --> 0:16:51.680 than it's supposed to be and it it can't get 0:16:51.680 --> 0:16:53.680 out is easily there. So what you're going to do 0:16:53.720 --> 0:16:56.920 eventually is have ear wax build up. Yeah, And it's 0:16:57.000 --> 0:16:59.640 it's so hard to get people to not do that 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:03.920 because is it's so um rewarding when you get out 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:05.880 of the shower and use that swab and you get 0:17:05.920 --> 0:17:07.560 that orange kunk and you're like, oh man, I'm so 0:17:07.600 --> 0:17:10.480 glad that's out of my body. But it's it's got 0:17:10.480 --> 0:17:12.880 a purpose. Leave it there. You're supposed to leave it there. 0:17:13.200 --> 0:17:16.159 Plus there's I mean, using cotton swabs can lead to 0:17:16.200 --> 0:17:19.440 other kinds of dangers, like you can push too hard 0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:23.200 and prefer your ear drums. I think it really is true. 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:25.479 You're not supposed to put anything larger than the end 0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:29.879 of a football in your ear um. You can also 0:17:30.840 --> 0:17:34.480 clean it too much. It can result in something called 0:17:34.480 --> 0:17:37.880 swimmers ear. We're basically for people who spend a lot 0:17:37.920 --> 0:17:42.920 of time in pool. Their ears are constantly irrigated and 0:17:43.000 --> 0:17:47.919 the canal becomes basically free of um of ear wax, 0:17:47.960 --> 0:17:51.320 and as a result, bad things can happen. Yeah, And 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:54.080 they say, if you do have swimmers, ere um, put 0:17:54.119 --> 0:17:58.240 a few drops of an acidic slightly acidic, not acid 0:17:58.840 --> 0:18:03.960 like hydrochloricas. Let's put a gallon drome. What is a 0:18:04.040 --> 0:18:08.240 slightly acidic fluid? I wonder, Uh, lady, lemon juice, that's 0:18:08.240 --> 0:18:10.040 what I would guess, That's probably what I would do. 0:18:10.440 --> 0:18:12.520 I hope we're not advising something that's really nat. No. 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:14.480 As a matter of fact, maybe you should go look 0:18:14.560 --> 0:18:16.960 up what you should put in there or go to 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:20.240 your doctor. Yes, but they advised some slightly acidic fluid 0:18:20.240 --> 0:18:23.280 in the ear after you swim, and that established re 0:18:23.440 --> 0:18:27.280 establishes what should be a normal acidic environment. Yeah, because 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:29.359 you when you strip out that ear wax, you lose 0:18:29.400 --> 0:18:31.760 those big four benefits and all of a sudden, your 0:18:31.760 --> 0:18:34.600 ear is dry and cracky, and you've got fungus and 0:18:34.720 --> 0:18:37.439 bacteria growing in there, and you get ear infections and 0:18:37.480 --> 0:18:41.960 it's not fun. The big four um you and back 0:18:42.000 --> 0:18:44.720 to creating a build up of ear wax, you get 0:18:44.720 --> 0:18:48.679 what's called ceramon impaction, and that is when like you 0:18:48.720 --> 0:18:51.960 have a bunch of ear wax pressed against your ear 0:18:52.040 --> 0:18:55.719 drum and it can result in all sorts of stuff 0:18:55.760 --> 0:19:01.840 like headaches, nausea, ear aches, coughing for some reason. Um, 0:19:01.920 --> 0:19:04.880 and that can be from using Q tips. People who 0:19:05.119 --> 0:19:07.879 use hearing aids run into this a lot. Uh. And 0:19:08.000 --> 0:19:11.760 when your ceremony becomes impacted, you have to go to 0:19:11.800 --> 0:19:14.800 the doctor. That's right. Which my sweet wife had to 0:19:14.840 --> 0:19:16.520 go to the doctor when she was a little girl 0:19:16.560 --> 0:19:22.080 because ear wax impaction. Yeah, and uh she said it sucked. Well, 0:19:22.119 --> 0:19:24.280 when you go to the doctor if it comes to that, Um, 0:19:24.320 --> 0:19:27.840 they're gonna have quite a few techniques that could use. Um, 0:19:28.000 --> 0:19:31.840 you're syringing is one of them. And then comes painful. 0:19:32.040 --> 0:19:33.520 It does. I don't think it is, though. I bet 0:19:33.560 --> 0:19:37.240 it's actually quite a relief. Yeah, that's not how I 0:19:37.280 --> 0:19:39.960 hear it. Really is it painful? Yeah? Umi says it 0:19:40.080 --> 0:19:42.399 really is not fun. Well, I didn't know if that 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:44.920 was like a five year old Umi or well yeah, yeah, 0:19:45.119 --> 0:19:47.320 but even as an adult she remembers it as not 0:19:47.359 --> 0:19:51.359 being very fun. Is Paddington Jumi? Maybe that's why she 0:19:51.440 --> 0:19:55.560 had such a reaction. Maybe, Um, they'll use other instruments. 0:19:55.560 --> 0:19:58.199 Sometimes you use a microphone or I'm sorry, a microscope. 0:19:58.240 --> 0:20:01.000 That'd be weird to magn to find the ear canal. 0:20:01.240 --> 0:20:07.359 They shout into it to shatter your ear ax. Um, 0:20:07.400 --> 0:20:11.720 and some people have a more narrow ear canal, or 0:20:11.760 --> 0:20:13.879 if you have a perforated ear drum or something that 0:20:13.880 --> 0:20:17.119 can be a problem. Um. Basically you want to go 0:20:17.160 --> 0:20:19.639 to a doctor. You could try some home methods like 0:20:20.320 --> 0:20:24.639 peroxide or maybe mineral oil. Yeah, apparently warm mineral oil 0:20:24.760 --> 0:20:26.480 kind of breaks it up a little bit. Yeah, I 0:20:26.560 --> 0:20:28.800 used to. That's one of my most pleasing memories as 0:20:28.800 --> 0:20:30.439 a kid when I had ear aches, as my mom 0:20:30.520 --> 0:20:33.720 would like heat up mineral oil and put in my arrows. 0:20:34.080 --> 0:20:36.560 But that was nice, felt really nice. It's very warm. 0:20:36.600 --> 0:20:40.840 And when for some reason, I like the feeling of 0:20:40.920 --> 0:20:44.040 water closing my ear, like when I get into a pool. 0:20:44.560 --> 0:20:47.119 Oh yeah, I'll but probably because of that. Yeah maybe, 0:20:47.119 --> 0:20:49.560 so I didn't think about that. Do you like that 0:20:49.680 --> 0:20:53.080 or what? I just you just like crawling into the field. 0:20:55.480 --> 0:20:58.880 Why is Chuck just floating in the pool like a baby? Um? 0:20:59.800 --> 0:21:01.840 I no, I've never had much of an affinity for 0:21:02.000 --> 0:21:04.359 water in my ears because some people hate it. I 0:21:04.400 --> 0:21:06.760 don't hate it. I don't like it. Yeah, And like 0:21:06.840 --> 0:21:08.560 you know, I'll bang on the side of my head 0:21:08.600 --> 0:21:10.840 if it feels like there's like a drop of water 0:21:10.920 --> 0:21:14.680 in there. Does that work? Uh? It can not always. 0:21:14.840 --> 0:21:18.560 I think normally the water just has to dry. Sometimes 0:21:18.560 --> 0:21:21.520 I get dizzy in my head, hurt. I used to 0:21:21.520 --> 0:21:23.679 see when I lifeguarded. I would see swim team members 0:21:23.680 --> 0:21:25.520 do that though, and I was always like, I don't 0:21:25.560 --> 0:21:27.680 know if that just doesn't seem right. Once in a 0:21:27.720 --> 0:21:30.760 while it does and it just goes and all of 0:21:30.800 --> 0:21:34.640 a sudden you can hear normally. Again. Interesting. I didn't 0:21:34.640 --> 0:21:36.600 see the reason for this though, but they did. Um 0:21:36.640 --> 0:21:41.240 in this one article I saw have caution people against 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:47.760 ear irrigation if you had diabetes. What? Yeah? Why? I 0:21:47.760 --> 0:21:50.919 have no idea. I meant to follow up on that. 0:21:51.000 --> 0:21:53.560 So we don't know what drugs cause an increase in 0:21:53.600 --> 0:21:56.280 ear wax build up, and we don't know why if 0:21:56.280 --> 0:22:00.879 you have diabetes you shouldn't do ear can irrigation. I 0:22:00.880 --> 0:22:03.439 don't know. They said not to use irrigation if you 0:22:03.520 --> 0:22:06.520 have a perforated ear drum. Yeah, I get that tube 0:22:06.520 --> 0:22:11.600 in the ear drum A weekend immune system or diabetes. Huh, 0:22:12.000 --> 0:22:14.280 have no idea. I don't have to follow up on 0:22:14.680 --> 0:22:17.840 social media and let people know. Um, But they do 0:22:17.920 --> 0:22:19.560 say if you do want to clean your ear. It's 0:22:19.560 --> 0:22:22.760 not like you can't clean your ears, but just wash 0:22:22.800 --> 0:22:25.400 your external ear with a cloth. But you should never 0:22:25.800 --> 0:22:29.680 stick something into your ear canal right, it's just no good. 0:22:29.680 --> 0:22:34.360 But it's interesting that the cotton swab businesses huge. I mean, 0:22:34.359 --> 0:22:37.040 they've made a if you think about it, they made 0:22:37.600 --> 0:22:41.199 I don't want to say it's they shouldn't be selling 0:22:41.240 --> 0:22:44.040 these things now, I know what you mean, though, you know. Yeah, 0:22:44.280 --> 0:22:48.119 apparently that I couldn't find out how much um people 0:22:48.160 --> 0:22:50.800 spend on cotton swabs every year or how many are produced. 0:22:50.920 --> 0:22:54.280 We couldn't find out that either. But for two thousand eleven, 0:22:54.480 --> 0:22:58.399 apparently Americans spent sixty three million dollars on ear cleaning stuff, 0:22:58.400 --> 0:23:01.160 home ear cleaning stuff, and I am doing a lot 0:23:01.280 --> 0:23:04.359 of that went to cotton swabs, but also like home 0:23:04.400 --> 0:23:07.399