8 Things About Earwax You Should Know

Human body is full of wonders. There are hundreds of systems working simultaneously in human body. Some of them are controlled by us voluntarily while others are without our will and effort. They carry on working on their own. The objective of all these systems is to keep the body in the best of form, shape and abilities.

Earwax does not sound a good topic to discuss. People often avoid discussing it publicly because it does not sound interesting and mostly it is considered a private affair to take care of the cleanliness of one’s ears. The objective of the article is to convey useful information to the readers about how the wax is created in the ear and how it is beneficial for us. It might look a minor thing but it is one of the under-appreciated protective device of the body. Other devices include our skin, body hair, tears and sleep.

As we all know, human ear is made of three sub parts, outer ear, middle ear and inner ear. Earwax is a secretion made in the outer ear. There are special glands in the outer ear that secret earwax. Technical name for this stuff is Cerumen. After it has been secreted, it moves outward. Most of it falls off, or is removed during washing. The glands continue producing earwax all the time.

Here is the list of benefits earwax has for all of us that we never knew.

1. It keeps the ear canal moist, thus preventing ears to be dry and itchy.
2. Earwax is made of chemicals and dead skin cells. These chemicals are able to fight infections in the ear canal. These infections could hurt the ear canal in the absence of earwax.
3. It is a delicate but strong shield between the eardrum and the outside world. When dust, dirt or other foreign particles enter the ear, they are easily trapped in the earwax and do not travel any further towards the eardrum.
4. It works as a natural cleanser as it brings out all the trapped material out of the ear when it falls off or is washed away.
5. Earwax has antibacterial and antifungal properties. Any bacteria or fungi trying to enter the ear are trapped in the earwax and is killed. It is then thrown out of the ear with the wax.
6. It needs a let-it-be attitude. We do not need to make extra efforts to remove it. It is there when required and when the function is finished, it just falls off.
7. Cotton swab should not be used to clean ears as it pushes the wax further inside instead of bringing it out of the ear. Too much wax pushed inside might affect hearing and could cause earache.
8. In some people, excessive earwax is produced resulting in clogged ear. The best way to clean ears is either by dripping a few drops of plain water, simple saline solution or hydrogen peroxide in ears to remove wax.

Earwax thus is a unique system to protect our ears, given to us by nature. We should be thankful for all the blessings bestowed upon us by the Creator. We might not know certain things but they are there for our benefit.