Changing Your Diet Can Remove Earwax Buildup.

It's a lubricant. It's an antibiotic. It's a vacuum cleaner.
It's earwax, a very humble and very helpful substance produced by glands in the ear canal. This multipurpose goo lubricates the skin; helps keep bacteria and other microorganisms from taking up residence, and traps dust and dirt, moving that tiny debris away from the sensitive eardrum.
Some people, however, produce too much of this good thing-wax so plentiful that it clogs the canal, reducing hearing or causing pain, itching, or ringing in the ear. Conventional doctors don't know why certain people produce more than the average amount of wax, although genetics is one possible factor. Alternative practitioners, however, say that the foods you eat are a possible cause of earwax buildup. Here are their natural remedies to clear your ears.

OLIVE OIL: Loosen the Wax
Putting a few drops of olive oil in your ear will help loosen the wax so that it can flow out naturally, says Elson Haas, MD., director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, California. Here are his instructions.
"If you're trying to remove wax from your left ear, for example, lie on your right side and gently pull the top part of your ear up and back to straighten out the ear canal. Then, using a dropper, put three drops of olive oil in your ear, letting it ooze down the canal. Simply rest on that side for the next 10 to 15 minutes. Do this three or four times a day. The wax will gradually loosen and move out of your ear."
Although you won't actually see the earwax coming out of your ear, you'll know the oil is working because your impaired hearing and other symptoms should improve. If the earwax doesn't clear up within a few days, Dr. Haas suggests that you see your doctor.


FLAXSEED OIL: Reduce Inflammation
Traditional Chinese Medicine considers excess earwax a type of inflammation, says Janet Zand, MD., a doctor of Oriental medicine and licensed acupuncturist in Austin, Texas. Since fatty acids are helpful in reducing inflammation, she recommends a supplement of flaxseed oil, which is rich in them. Take a 1,000milligram capsule two or three times a day or have 1 tablespoon of oil with lunch and one with dinner, she suggests. (Keep the oil refrigerated because it can go rancid quickly.)

VITAMIN C WITH BIOFLAVONOIDS: A Natural Anti-Inflammatory
Another way to reduce inflammation is by taking a supplement of vitamin C with bioflavonoids, Dr. Zand says. Take 500 milligrams three times a day. But don't expect less wax tomorrow. "Reducing earwax with an anti-inflammatory supplement like vitamin C takes about 6 months," she says.

FATTY ACIDS: Cut Back on Wax
Eating too many "junky fats" -the saturated fats found in animal products such as meat and dairy foods and the hydrogenated fats found in packaged baked goods and many other processed foods can create thicker, more copious earwax, Dr. Haas says.
Minimize those fats and increase your intake of the "good fats"-the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that are found in fish, nuts, and seeds, says Steven Bock, MD., a family practitioner, acupuncturist, and codirector of the Center for Progressive Medicine in Rhinebeck, New York.