My ear sorted!!!
Posted , 56 users are following.
Hello,
after (i'm sorry but only) 2 weeks of prodding and poking and putting oil in and using every ear product under the sun except for the ear candles (cos I burnt myself last time) I am pleased to say I have sorted my ear.
After the doctor said there was nothing wrong with either ear I eventually came online and did a self diagnosis. I was suspecting that the problem was on the other side of my ear drum so a eustachian tube blockage made sense.
I felt like I had asparagus growing in one ear and had tinnitus of varying degrees and pitches.
Like the rest of you it was making me miserable, grumpy and it was hard to work and focus.
Yesterday my Osteopathic colleague worked on me and released tight neck muscles and scalp muscles.
This morning I woke up and the deafness and tinnitus was really bad.
Now, before I tell you what I did .. here is the theory.
The deafness and tinnitus is caused by gunk covering the inside of the ear drum... prodding, poking and closing the nose and blowing pushes the gunk upwards which clears the eardrum for a short time then the gunk comes down again. The gunk has to come out DOWNWARDS. How to we get the gunk to come out downwards? By breathing in. Breathing in takes air down to the lungs which will produce suction in the eustachian tube.
So what I did in bed was to lie on the side of the good ear.
I then closed the nostril with my finger on the good side only and breathed in through the nostril on the bad side. I then closed the nostril on the bad side and breathed out through the nostril on the good side. I repeated this several times and just knew it was going to work. I'm sure doing the same practise upright should work just as well.
It wasnt totally better immediately but I sensed an improvement. Now having been to work and been out in the cold I can tell you it is better!!! No more asparagus in my ear!!!!
So, blowing the nose is not a good idea. It makes things worse. When having to blow the nose try to do it gently and aim the air out of the good ear .. if you have one.
If you have ear wax, the procedure I prescribed could make this worse as it will be sucking the wax onto the outside of the eardrum.
I am now taking garlic tablets to reduce the catarrh and echinacea and golden seal tincture to clear infection and catarrh.
The procedure is described as a pranayama technique in yoga and is called Surya Bhedana when breathing in through the right nostril and Chandra bhedana when breathing in through the left nostril
The book \"Light on Pranayama\" by BKS Iyengar says that the effects of this technique are:
It soothes and invigorates the nerves and cleanses the sinuses. It is good for persons suffering from low blood pressure.
It also says never perform Surya Bedhana and Chandra bhedana on the same day.
So to recap:
To clear eustachian tube of bad ear
Close nostril with finger on side of good ear
Breathe in through nostril on side of bad ear
Close nostril with finger on side of bad ear
Breathe out through nostril on side of good ear
Repeat, always breathing in on bad ear side and out through good ear side.
If both sides are blocked I'm not sure what to recommend but I'm sure understanding that the stuff needs to be sucked down using the in breath you will be able to work something out.
Now, to monitor progress I used my sound healing experience. I covered my good ear and made an oooooooooooooo sound. The oooooo resonated really well in my good ear.
I then tried the same in my bad ear. No resonance at all.
After the clearing procedure, even though I still felt my ear was blocked the resonance was much improved so I knew things were changing.
It may return, but I am so clear that the theory is correct I know I will be able to deal with it.
I really hope this helps others out there. Good luck.
Treespirit.
6 likes, 75 replies
cindylouise Guest
Posted
maria39241 Guest
Posted
How are you now have your ears stayed unblocked I have the same problem and the full feeling and echoing sounds are awful.
Most sites on the net regarding etd are so negative so I wondered what were your exact symtoms and how you are now.
Both my ears are affected and sometimes one is worse then sometimes the other I can only ever partially unblock and it last seconds.
Thanks
Maria
carmel83758 maria39241
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carmel83758 Guest
Posted
I dont have a lot of dairy and have a good diet. I use a nose spray.
I am now at the stage where once again my right ear is sort of blocked - it is always the right ear. I have taken about four different types of antibiotics etc and none of it helps. I have tried the yawning type ideas and they do not help if it is properly blocked.
It is good to be able to do something like this as you can do it whenever it suits you, it is free, and it can do no harm. But most of all it makes us feel empowered and less helpless.
Yank Guest
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paula_09398 Yank
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Hi Yank, if you were here I would hug you. I've just tried your suction method of warm hands over ears, and can hear my own voice for first time since last August! I put in ear plugs at a Hozier concert and pulled the left one out too fast, my voice has been echoing, and mainly blocked on left side ever since. My doctor could see nothing wrong. This is this first technique that helped, I'll keep you posted! What a great helpful forum.
christina36404 Yank
Posted
Amazing suggestion about the warm hands but for 20 or so what? Sorry...
mikescape paula_09398
Posted
Other things I found helpful to look at when the ENT's were worthless was 1. GERD - recent research this year shows a link to ETD as well as may cause glue ear in many 2. TMJ causing ear congestion, ringing 3. Chiropractors with NUCCA certifications who understand the upper cervical structure and can realign
ilya62768 Yank
Posted
Yank, from what you said it sounds like you issues have vasomotor nature, just like mine.
I have vasomotor rhinitis which affects both sides of my nose, and I also have ETD on my left ear. I can confirm some of the things which you mentioned.
- Lovering your head below knees - I did this before, but I also turned my head to the affected side by about 100 degrees so I look over my knee. This helps to unblock the nose on this side and gives a relief to the ear. But I have found a better method for that which I will describe later.
Intensive physical activity helps as well e.g. running etc. I wonder if this is related to the OPs "breathing" technique? But more likely the effect is caused by vasoconstriction (body reaction to stress) and swelling reduction.
One thing which helps a lot to reduce swelling and unblock the nose/sinuses/ET: I lay on the side opposite to the affected ear/nostril, hands down along your body, and raise my head laterally. To give you an idea, originally I discovered this when I tried to look over my wife's shoulder from behind her back. Neck muscles have to be strained, it doesn't work well if you just tuck a pillow under your head or lean against your elbow. Nose starts unblocking on this side after about 30-60 seconds, so I just put my head down and wait until it unblocks completely. Nose unblocks, ear pops, head clears.. The downside is - the other side is now blocked, but it usually unblocks as soon as I get up.
There is another technique which I use in combination with a previous one if things are particularly bad. I put a head on a pillow, face down, so that a slight pressure is applied to a zygomatic bone on a side oposite to the affected side of the nose/ear. But this mostly helps with sinues, doesn't have much effect on ET, unless ET problems are caused by blocked sinuses (which is actually very common as far as I know).
I also use Oximetazoline - but only if this is really necessary, e.g. I have a completely blocked nose due to infection for a few days and I might end up with otitis if I don't use a spray for a temporary relief. The reason I don't use it much is because I've noticed that if I use it frequently, this may actually cause me to catch infection.
If I need to travel on the plane, I always take pseudoephedrine tablets (Boots nasal decongestand) - helps me to avoid barotrauma, especially in combination with Oximetazoline spray. Take it about 30 minutes before liftoff. I don't like them though because of the side effects - if I take more than one tablet per day, I start feeling pressure in my eyes - which is probably not good...
Pixie10 ilya62768
Posted
Hello,
You don't have ETD. Go see a Neurotlogist who specializes in TMJ. I suffered with what I thought were ear issues for years. Had tubes, used sprays, etc. Finally researched and saw a fabulous specialist in Phoenix, Arizona. John D. Macias. He diagnosed my TMJ and sent me to a dentist who specializes in this area. i wear special night and day splints now and my ears are fine. She ordered physial therapy for my neck pain. Go see a neurotologist. ENT doc's will take your money and mess up your ears and sinuses. I learned the hard way.
cindylouise Guest
Posted
There is some combinations that seems to be helping me tremendously. Taking pure Apple Cider Vinegar mixture a few times a day. 2 tablespoons mixed with 6 ounce water/juice/etc. Using silver colloid in your netty pot wash. They bottle should have the dilution instructions. Also dilute it. People have also used it as ears drops.
In my research, it can be causes by Candidas (fungus). If you have signs of years anywhere in your body. Acne/Vaginal - Stomach issues/gastritis, etc. It can be a factor. You sinuses can become infected with yeast and this will swell everything up. I've also read that allergies can be connected to yeast issues. Allergies cause a nasal drip, which causes sinus issues, which causes bacteria growth. Antibiotics clear infections up but cause more yeast issues.
Using Apple Cider Vinegar, and the silver colloid in your nasal rinse, this can help kill the yeast. Dropping silver colloid in the ear canal or using Hydrogen Peroxide will help kill yeast inside the ear.
cindylouise
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carmel83758 cindylouise
Posted
and this proves you have acid reflux. Lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda work in the same way. Antibiotics clear infections up but can cause harm in the long run because they also wipe out all of the good bacteria but if you make sure you eat proper live yoghurt daily it is not a problem, easily solved. I doubt you have yeast, think it is far more likely that you have silent reflux, in which case up your fibre intake a lot, decrease your liquids. People with yeast problems usually get ME.
Whosthatgirl cindylouise
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shaun66375 Guest
Posted