Any updates on swimmers ear concoction?

[MarKon]

My understanding is Swimmer's ear is usually an overgrowth of norally present bacteria (or normally present bacteria have gotten past the skin's surface). Acetic acid should help kill bacteria, but if infection is present, a MD visit and antibiotic ear drops are likely in order. From personal experience, I'd be careful with the rubbing alcohol. After a nasty ear infection, I thought it would do the trick by drying the ear canal after showers. Wound up drying out the ear canal so much that the canal became irritated and little pieces of dry skin kept sloughing off into the canal. But it's great fun wondering what the hell is falling out of your ear - SURPRISE! It's your ear!
Solution for dry ear canal? Couple of drops of mineral oil before showering (from MD).

 

[jpassov]

I have used this for a couple of years now and I have not had any problems diving or swimming since. I use it in the shower every few weeks or so. The first time I used it, it was alarming what came out!! :shocked2:

!"Earwax Removal With A Self-Use Ear Irrigation Syringe"!

 

[VeryRusty]

This is what my ENT told me as well, water with a few drops of vinegar added. I have small ear canals and water won't drain well, so the water/vinegar solution works best for between ear infections. Don't use it if you have an infection. I have scar tissue on my ear drums from years of ear infections following dives.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

A good home remedy to use prior to the onset of swimmers ear is a 50/50 mix of White Vinegar and Rubbing Alcohol. This only works BEFORE a bad case of swimmers ear sets in.

IMHO ear beer works after the infection starts, because I ONLY use it for a couple days AFTER ear pain starts, and the pain goes away.

By the by, how will you know the bad case of swimmer's ear is coming in order to use it before?

 

[spectrum]

I don't know if there's anything new here but it's there for the reading.

Pete

 

[AceszHigh]

The old vinegar/rubbing alc. mixture works well for me. Can also add a drop or two of grapefruit seed extract (diluted, ie a drop or two of GSE in the whole bottle of ear drops, not directly in your ear!) for its antibiotic properties to prevent any infection. Similar to how people put GSE in saline spray for sinus infections...

 

[Pearldiver07]

I've always used a 50-50 water/Isopropyl Alcohol with 2 tbsp glycerin and 1 tbsp boric acid. I just put some of this into a small ear drop container and use (shake well before use).

The glycerin is to help prevent over drying and the boric acid (both on the shelf in most any pharmacy) to set the ph.

I know the vinegar works, but I dont' want to end up smelling like a tossed salad.

 

[Splash-X]

By the by, how will you know the bad case of swimmer's ear is coming in order to use it before?

Anyone who has had swimmers ear knows the signs. It usualy first starts with the feeling of an itchy ear. At that point, break out the solution.

If you wait until you have some fluid build up from the infection (hearing is lessened and it feels like water in your ear) its usually too late to use the solution without seeking antibiotics from a physician.

My wife gets swimmers ear ALL the time, even from just showering. She loves to clear the wax from her ears... all the time. She will know way before there is pain to break out the solution.

I myself had just one case of swimmers ear. I know the early feelings I got and I can say as soon as I see any of them after diving I get out the solution.



To explain to someone what swimmers ear feels like and what the early stages are like is hard. You really have to experience it and once you do you know what to look for. Not very helpful, I know, but it's all I got!

 

[Brewski]

Here is an excerpt from a very good article at DAN

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Make Your Own 'Home Brew' [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]So what's all this leading up to? You can make your own "home brew" to prevent ear infection, as many of our members have shared with us to share with you. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]White wine vinegar is 4-6 percent acetic acid, and if it is mixed with an equal amount of isopropyl alcohol, it would probably work fine. Using undiluted vinegar may make the solution too acidic and cause irritation. Using less alcohol may be wise if you find that the 50:50 mix provides too much drying. Too much drying can make your ear canal a bit sore after several days of use. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In principle, just diluting the acetic acid 50:50 with water might work since it appears that the acidic pH is more important than the drying effect of the alcohol. Adding propylene glycol or other moisturizers would seem either to be a waste of time in a home brew, or it might produce undesirable effects according to Dr. Jones' observations. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Terence M. Davidson, M.D., the Director of the Nasal Dysfunction Clinic at the University of California, San Diego, recommends another mixture with acetic acid (vinegar) using 1 part water, 1 part white table vinegar (approximately 5 percent acetic acid) and 1 part rubbing alcohol (70 percent isopropyl alcohol). "This works well, but smells like vinegar, so that most people prefer the Domeboro Otic," he noted. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Another option is using Burrow's solution or Burrow's tablets, which can be purchased as an over-the-counter medication. You can make can make Domeboro Otic by mixing 1 part Burrow's solution with 1 part water and 1 part 70 percent isopropyl alcohol, Dr. Davidson noted. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Could lemon juice, which contains citric acid instead of acetic acid, be used instead of vinegar, as some members have advised? In principle, if a solution was mixed to a pH of 3.0 it might, but whether other substances in lemon juice might promote bacterial growth is uncertain. For home brew, stick to what works: vinegar and isopropyl alcohol. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]No matter what solution you use, remember its effectiveness is drastically reduced unless it remains in the ear canal a full five minutes. Another caution: The above solutions are for use in the otherwise normal ear with an intact eardrum. If there is any hint that the eardrum may be torn, do not use these solutions as they may cause damage to middle ear structures. And if any solution causes irritation, stop using it. [/FONT]

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Anyone who has had swimmers ear knows the signs. It usualy first starts with the feeling of an itchy ear. At that point, break out the solution.

Just wondering; what was the size of your study group?

As stated before, I have been living with swimmer's ear for decades, and nearly a decade as a full time dive instructor. With this long training period I do know the early symptoms I feel, and I have never thought to myself "oh, my ear itches, I must be coming down with swimmer's ear."

When the ear pain gets annoying I soak each ear twice for ~5 minutes, for two consecutive nights. If there is significant ear wax I will do hydrogen peroxide a couple times before the first nights ear beer.

I do not ear beer before every dive and I do not ear bear every time I feel the slightest twinge of ear pain; I prefer to let my normal bodily functions deal with it as long as I can. I believe my body has learned/adapted to protect me better, but that would not have happened if I ran to the doc for drops every time I had a little pain.

This is my personal experience. The only consultations I have had have been from general practice and ent doctors. The last one I talked with works on the North Shore of Oahu and has many ocean people as patients, as well as being an ocean person himself.

Every one is different; some say I have a higher pain threshold than most. Find something that works for you, but do it with sound advice to chose from.