kind of a newbie/lurker...need help...please

June 19, 2003

hi,

so i am wondering if i can bug you for some much needed advice. for

quite some time i have been trying to find my own solution for this

annoying clogging of my left ear--usually about three or four solid

hours a day of it being clogged (during this time i can pop it by

yawning etc. but it will immediately clog back up again)...and i did

find many holistic solutions...the problem was i was never really

sure what was causing the clog(fluid in the ear, candida, wax build-

up) and so didn't know what methods to use. so i after much debate

with myself i went to an ent today (yes she used that horrible scope

again) just to see if i could get a better sense of the cause of this

symptom so i could then try to find a solution on my own. as always

things were fairly inconclusive. it is def. not being caused by wax

build up or the candida. it is def. a pressure problem--my

eustachian tube is closed off too much and this is causing a bubble

of air behind my ear drum. it's the reason for this pressure that is

a bit unknown. she said it def. could be lingering from an adenoid

infection i had a year ago and this could also be affected greatly by

my allergies...she said both in my nasal passages and looking with

the scope there is much evidence of allergy problems. she also said

it could be aggravated by my tmj (inflamation and muscle spasms

around the jaw). she also said my adenoids are still a little bigger

than normal (though on both sides) and the tissue almost looks like

it covers the opening of the eustachian tube a little bit.

so she is suggesting i get a ct scan to rule out anything that she

couldn't see...but other than that can only suggest treating the

allergies and the tmj unless i want tubes to regularize the pressure--

which i DON'T. i have a mouth guard for the tmj and don't really do

anything for the allergies b/c i'm not often bothered by " normal "

symtoms...really bad runny nose--and when i am i tend to just ignore

it, which i guess might not be the best thing (sometimes i take an

herbal allergy supplement if it's really bad). now i def. don't want

to take the crazy amount of advil that she is suggesting or the

allergy meds. does anyone have any herbal suggestions for either of

these two issues? or any other suggestions now that i have more info

about what is going on. it seems like a good idea to go ahead with

the ct scan but i also know that there are many negatives for any x-

rays too...so thoughts on this would also be helpful. while trying

to deal with possible candida i already did a two week detox and was

off sugar, wheat, dairy, fermented foods, alcohol and fruit for a

month...i am now back on these things but in very small amounts. any

advice is so appreciated as i do not want to put myself in the hands

of this doctor!!!

luv laura

June 21, 2003

My husband had that problem after a nasty ear infection.

Unfortunately, he didn't use a natural solution. Our doctor

prescribed a steriod nasal spray, to be used 3 times a day for a

week. My husband said after the first use, it was immediately

better. Good luck. My ears do that, both of them. Mine is caused

by scar tissue from when I had such a bad ear infections, and there

is nothing they can do.

Good luck finding a treatment that works.

Lori Goltl

June 21, 2003

In a message dated 6/20/2003 10:48:43 PM Pacific Daylight Time, laura_e23 writes:

i have been trying to find my own solution for this

annoying clogging of my left ear--usually about three or four solid

hours a day of it being clogged (during this time i can pop it by

yawning etc. but it will immediately clog back up again)...

You might want to explore ear candling. The supplies and instructions are available at all health food stores and you can have a friend do it for you. (You need someone to do it, you can't really do it alone.) Also, there are practitioners who do this for a fee. I've had it done and the results are remarkable. If you mention it to your MD it will drive him/her nuts, but I have never found any harm in it.

Jay

a site for ear candling is at:

http://www.arden.net/earcandle/