Are your ears troubling you? Do you have pain, itch or noises in the ear? Does your hearing seem to change periodically? You could have an ear wax problem. Ear wax is a natural substance produced by the body.

Inside the ear the cells lining the canal produce this wax to act as a lubricant and to prevent the ear from dirt and sediment, buildup and from harboring bacteria. The shape of the ear canal and the sweeping action of fine hairs in the canal remove the excess wax and any dirt and bacteria with it.

In some people especially as they age the effectiveness of the sweeping declines or the wax hardens and begins to build up. This buildup can irritate the ear and cause pain, pressure, itching, a blocked sensation and hearing loss. You can have the wax removed by a doctor using a stream of warm liquid that loosens and washes the excess wax out.

For many people though there are simple home treatments that often prove to be all that is needed.

The simplest is to use olive oil. A few drops of oil in the ear will soften wax and lubricate the ear canal. The wax will then remove itself naturally.

To apply the wax lay on your side with the ear to be treated up. Gently pull the top of your ear up, this will open the ear canal and allow the oil to penetrate better. Using a dropper place 2-3 drops of olive oil into the canal and jiggle the ear slightly. You should be able to feel the oil ooze into the ear. Remain in this position for about 15 minutes. You can repeat the process several times a day. Within a day or so you should notice the symptoms are improving and there might even be a ball of wax fall from the ear.

In order to prevent the tendency to buildup of wax you may find that some diet changes or herbal supplements are of benefit.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine the Kidneys have a strong relationship to the ear. So foods and herbs that support Kidney Yin are often helpful. This can include foods such as walnuts, pomegranates, mussels or oysters. Or herb formulas such as Liu Wei Di Huang Wan. When Kidney Yin is deficient there can be a relative excess of yang which stimulates the activity of producing wax but can also produce harder dryer wax and less lubricating effect.

Today we can say that there is an increase of inflammation in the cells that the foods or herbs can help reduce. Other anti-inflammatories like fish oil, flaxseed oil, vitamin C and other anti-oxidants can be of benefit. These changes need to be applied for several months at least for best effects.

Finally remember never push things into your ears in an attempt to remove the wax, you may well make the problem worse. And if your ears are still symptomatic after these tips you should seek the help of your health care professional.