About 2 weeks ago I was feeling a little congested in my ears and decided pop them by holding my nose and blowing out, like I have always done in the past with no problems.
Well, I had my first episode of vertigo and it totally freaked me out. The room rocked back and forth for about 2 minutes. I was in shock for about 10 minutes after it stopped and then broke out in a sweat all over my body.
It's 2 weeks later and I am clogged even more. I have tried, tomato tea, hydrogen peroxide in the ear, inhaling hp (Bill's method), grapefruit seed extract/neti pot, acv, hot showers etc etc etc. It's only on my right side and it starting to get me very depressed that I cannot shake this thing.
Replied by Bobby (Thousand Oaks, Ca) on 10/31/2011
Don't give up on the Hydrogen Peroxide!!!! . Use a ear bulb / syringe with Very WARM/hot water after the H. P. Soak. It's just wax. Be persistent. 20 min soak and wash the ear out with the hottest water you can stand using the ear bulb or syringe. Might take days, but the H. P. will bubble and pop as you lay on your side, not to worry. A Doctor or a trip to a clinic will charge you lots of $$$$. You can do it yourself!Replied by Alexandra (Cheshire, England) on 10/31/2011
Hi Zeninfinity, sorry to hear about your congestion, I know how you feel because I used to get very bad sinus congestion, and often had earache and deafness. Once when I visited the doctor he said it was ear wax, and that I should put olive oil in my ear then go back and have them syringed by the nurse. I went back a few days later, still totally deaf, only to be told by the nurse that there was no wax in them to clear! She brought another doctor in who gave me a prescription for catarrh (can't remember the name of the medicine sorry) but it cleared it in a couple of days. I used this medicine quite a few times, but gradually it didn't seem to be as effective.
I did find out (years later), through some other problems I was having, that I have an intolerance to milk. After giving up milk (sad because I love cheese) my catarrh and blocked ears vanished. I have had cattarrh very occasionally since then but I can usually pinpoint it to something I have eaten which contained milk.
I should mention that earlier this year a friend persuaded me to try raw milk. I was very nervous about doing this, but I found I did not have a reaction to it. So I have it occasionally on cereals, but never cooked or in hot drinks.
I also found that eating garlic and vitamin C is useful for clearing catarrh. Putting your head over a bowl of hot water and covering with a towel for a few minutes may help, then blow nose - gently.
I hope you find something that works for you soon. Do post if you find a solution. Alexandra.
Replied by Robert (Houston, Tx) on 11/01/2011
I too suffered from hearing loss recently due to ear congestion and tried numerous remedies to no avail - even some otc drugs like Afrin nasal spray & Mucinex-D that an audiologist who cleaned the wax from my ears recommended. The otc drugs didn't really seem to help either. I came across a reference to a homeopathic nasal spray containing capsaicin called Sinus Buster in a thread about candida yeast. I began using it and in a few days the ear congestion started to clear after I would spray my nostrils with it and then hold my nostrils closed while trying to push air out through them to make my ears pop. I heard all kind of snap, crackle and pop going on in my head as the congestion broke down. Even people near me could hear the popping. The pepper spray burns slightly for several seconds due to the capsaicin spray but the relief definitely makes the mild discomfort worthwhile.
I later read somewhere (perhaps here) about applying milk of magnesia to the inside of the nose. I didn't have any on hand so I tried using magnesium oil in my nostrils. It too seems to help a lot in breaking down congestion, especially when I hold my nostrils closed to make my ears pop. Best wishes. I hope that these remedies will work as well for you as they did for me. I know very well what an ordeal you are going through.
Replied by Sandra (Atlanta, Georgia) on 11/01/2011
I've also experience ear aches when I have milk (even organic milk or goat milk) as well as other dairy products. I would experience congestion and sinus problem that cause my teeth to ache as well as ear pain that felt like pin pricks all the way to what I can only describe as a sharp zapping pain in my ear canal and along my ear lobe (almost like the shock/zap you get when you have static built up and touch something or some one and they say "Hey you shocked me"; but instead of a hand this pain is inside the ear canal) I used to go to the doctor to get antibiotics before I learned better. Now I try to avoid dairy but when I don't, I use N-------tics Ear Drop with Grapeseed extract. Just place 3 or 4 drops directly in the ear so it runs down inside the ear canal; I only use it when needed when I start feeling the stuffy nose and get the feeling where my ears start to feel itchy or clogged. I only use it for 2 or 3 days in the morning and at bed time. This works for me so well that I haven't had to take any antibiotics since I started using it.Replied by Androushie (West Bloomfield, Mi) on 11/03/2011
I did earcandling to remove earwax! Very effective.
