Ear wax and beer foam?!
Answers: I hear its a cure for a foamy beer. Why?
I once had a roommate so obsessed with excess earwax that he shoved cotton swabs in his ear every day. I didn't think his behavior was such a big deal until one day he asked me to remove a wad of cotton that got lodged against his eardrum. Not only did I not have the proper tools, my hands weren't insured.
I sent him to the hospital. His daily routine was based on a combination of being aware that too much earwax could be a problem, and being unaware of how much that was. Earwax is a protective substance, and its value is underappreciated. So reach for your Q-tips, because it's time to talk about everyone's favorite orange goop.
Well, mine is orange. Cerumen, or earwax, varies in color and composition across different ethnic groups. Asians and American Indians tend to have grey and flaky wax, while Caucasians and Africans tend to have moist, yellow to brown wax. Earwax composition has even been used by anthropologists to study human migrations!
The cerumen is secreted by two types of glands in the ear canal. The sebaceous and ceruminous glands together secrete a combination of long-chain fatty acids, alcohols, cholesterol, sugars and the antibacterial enzyme lysozyme. Together, this thick mixture lubricates your ear while repelling water and preventing infection from bacteria and fungi.
Here's a little-known fact about earwax: get some on your finger and just touch it to a frothy soda or beer. It will eat away at the bubbles and make them disappear! So now, armed with this knowledge, you can fill those fountain drinks faster without spilling the suds over the brim. Earwax contains an unknown anti-foaming agent -- do I smell a fun undergraduate research project for a chemist?
Now, I know what you're thinking -- earwax is gross. In fact, you probably think that good hygiene involves removing however much of this gross goop as you can. Actually, there is such a thing as too little earwax. Removing too much can damage the ear canal and also cause infections.
If you are worried about earwax buildup leading to blockage and hearing problems, logically, shouldn't your first thought be: "Hmm, a medical problem? I should talk to my doctor"? Your doctor might then remove it during a routine procedure using licensed hands.
Your first thought should not be: "I'll do what the ancient, dead Egyptians did and put a waxed paper cone in my ear and light it on fire." The fact that black grit appears in the wax removed from your ear during the candling procedure should be a hint as to why shoving a burning brand in your ear canal is a bad idea. Even Q-tips are not supposed to go in there.
Ear candles are considered by the FDA to be a medical device that comes with certain restrictions. Namely, the DFA has to substantiate its effectiveness with science rather than mythology. Supposedly, the flame creates a vacuum that sucks wax out. Actually, independent tests have suggested that not only is the vacuum very weak, but earwax-looking stuff strangely appears even when the candles aren't inserted into ears!
If you come across any ear-candle product that makes medical claims (e.g. this is effective at clearing your ear of wax), it is probably in violation of the law. The FDA declares that these "representations and suggestions are contrary to fact." Many ear-candle products now tell you what ear candles used to be used for, and that they are selling them "for entertainment purposes." Whose entertainment?
The FDA even went on to suggest that because many people have been injured by the proper use as defined by the manufacturers, there is no proper use for an ear candle. You can wash out your ears with eardrops or peroxide or clean the outer portion with a Q-tip, but please, don't shove anything in there to remove wax. That is, unless your root beer float is about to fizz over and you need cerumen fast!
put ear wax in the beer, and no one will drink it... problem solved
not sure..sounds funny!
I don't know why, but a much less disgusting cure is nose grease.
Eeeeewwwwwww! That's gross! Are you sure beer foam isn't supposed to be a cure for ear wax? I'd rather think of putting beer foam in my ears, than ear wax in my beer!!!
bc it oxidises the prothol in the foam and disperses into atmosphere
ear wax, eww...
just stick your finger in it. The oils from your skin will help dissipate the foam like grease in the Dawn detergent.
Our beer is called 'courage' Now I get it. Take courage and drink it, it has some wax in it!
Someone is yanking your chain
You are Shot Out, I Double Salute You for thinking that up, You have a lot to think about....
actually ive seen the skin oil from the forehead do it but never ear wax. have you tried it?
I'm not sure if this is someone trying to trick you, or something that actually works, but it sounds really weird to me!