- Why I think my earwax is alive
- Revealed, a surprising link between hearing and cognitive decline
- Foods that improve your hearing
I think my earwax is alive!
And it is very upset.
My wife doesn’t agree with me on this but hear me out.
It was only a few weeks ago I wrote to you about the problems with using cotton buds to remove excessive earwax…
Within days I started to get really itchy ears myself.
I was desperate to get something like a cotton bud to stick down there to scoop it out, even though I had warned you against doing that very thing in this webpage.
Now, this doesn’t normally happen to me…
I write about a LOT of health niggles, pains, upsets and conditions.
Week in, week out, I’m constantly reading websites, research papers, newspaper articles and newsletters on all manner of health problems.
If I started experiencing symptoms of all the conditions I researched and wrote about, I’d be a total mess.
Writing the Good Life Letter would be a hypochondriac’s nightmare!
I doubt I’d have made it through one year of doing this, never mind fifteen!
But in this case, I did get a build-up of that oily waxy gunk in my ear for the first time in ages.
Maybe it KNEW I was writing about it.
Maybe it was taking its REVENGE.
Or maybe (as Lara said, with a sigh) it was just a coincidence.
Anyway, as I pointed out the other week, there is a natural cleansing spray that can deal with it really quickly, which is still available to try here if you have the same issue: safe, natural ear wax removal.
But look, here’s the reason I am bringing it up again…
An ear problem you might not have detected
Earwax, known as cerumen, is a really helpful oil that keeps your ears moisturised and free from fungal infection.
But it becomes a problem when there’s a build-up, as I have experienced recently.
You can usually tell it’s there because of itching, irritation or even dizziness.
However, not always…
Many older adults can have it without realising.
This is because our earwax becomes drier and harder than when we were younger, so it impacts into a plug.
This causes hearing loss, which can have a severe knock-on effect.
Recent studies in Italy have linked hearing loss with cognitive decline.
Dr. Maria Torroella Carney, chief of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine for Northwell Health in New York, told the website Healthline:
“If you become disconnected with loss of hearing, you’re not really building memories or retaining memories or exercising your brain. So, you can have cognitive loss or can make memory loss more profound.”
Hearing problems caused by earwax can also lead to depression and anxiety in elderly people.
This is particularly true of people with dementia, whose symptoms can be worsened by these hearing issues.
So it’s worth getting your ears checked – and at the very least, you can keep them clean with this ear spray, which can be used to prevent earwax build-up as much as it can remove it.
Click here for more details: Otosan Ear Spray
Foods that improve your hearing
If you want to optimise your hearing, there are some nutritional measures you can take:
- Leafy greens (spinach, kale) – these contain folate, which has been linked with a decreased risk of age-related hearing loss. There’s also a good dose of folate in kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils.
- Magnesium – as I’ve mentioned in the past, magnesium is crucial for so many processes in the body. One of them is related to hearing. One study has shown that its neuroprotective qualities can prevent and limit hearing loss, particularly after noise exposure (so that’s one for any rock musicians reading this!). Try our natural magnesium here: Magnesium supplement
- Nuts and seeds – these contain plenty of zinc which has immune-boosting properties and can help protect against ear infections, which can lead to hearing loss.
- Bananas – these contain potassium, which regulate the fluids in your inner-ear. Alternatively, melons, apricots, grapefruit prunes, raisins, and dates are also good sources, as are sweet potatoes and broccoli.
- A breakfast of mushrooms and eggs in the sunshine – both those foods contain vitamin D, while the skin turns the sunshine into your primary source. Vitamin D keeps your bones healthy and the ones in your ear are particularly delicate. You can also get a vitamin D top-up from this whole food supplement Vitamin D top-up.
- Omega 3s – foods like oily fish, as well as flaxseeds and walnuts, will give you a good dose of fatty acids that have been linked to a delay in the onset of age-related hearing loss.
- Kombucha – this is a fermented drink that contains vitamin B12. This vitamin has been linked to improvements of the symptoms of tinnitus. You can also get B12 in fortified vegan milks (like soya or oat, for instance), regular milk, eggs and chicken.
Hearing problems (and earwax issues that can cause these problems) often get relegated to the bottom of the pile when it comes to health matters.
But they shouldn’t, as hearing is crucial for the enjoyment of your life.
Being able to listen to music properly… not having to strain to hear people at social gatherings… feeling safer as a driver or pedestrian.
So if you do have any worries about your hearing, go get it checked out.
