Not sure if ear pain means a simple wax blockage or a true infection? Learn the key symptoms that set them apart—and know when it’s time to watch and wait or see a doctor.

That satisfying feeling when you twist a cotton swab in your ear? It might be setting you up for months of spinning rooms and unsteady walking. Millions of people have an ear cleaning habit that’s ...

Ear wax, medically known as cerumen, serves as your body’s natural cleaning and protection system for the ears. While some odor is normal, understanding when that smell signals a problem can help ...

Cotton swabs “really weren’t made to clean your ears — all they do is just push the wax deeper down into your ear canal and this causes an impaction,” Dr. Tonia L. Farmer, who goes by Dr. Nose Best, ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. You've probably used cotton swabs to clean your ears. Here's why ENTs say you shouldn't. (Getty Images) (LaylaBird via Getty ...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When ear wax builds up to the point of causing symptoms, people should turn to their doctors rather than the old-fashioned cotton swab, according to new guidelines. About ...

Earwax — or cerumen, as it’s officially called — serves an important purpose. It helps keep your ear canal safe and protected. Earwax probably isn’t something that you spend a lot of time thinking ...

• Specific physical features: deformed ear canals, dense hair growth, etc. • Spontaneous resolution (at least partial) is common, as is recurrence of impaction. • Conductive hearing loss resolves with ...

Earwax is, well, pretty gross, so it’s no wonder most of us reach for cotton swabs on a regular basis. But here’s the rub: There’s a good chance you’re putting your ears and your hearing at risk with ...