What did you do to fix your earwax buildup?

Leave the environments that stimulated it.

Stop eating the foods that stimulate it.

I now have visible production on a tissue or cotton swab once a week or fewer.

There’s no real evidence linking specific foods with ear wax production.

Also, for anyone getting reading this, cotton swabs in your ears is a bad idea and usually makes the problem worse (pushes wax in and compacts it).

> There’s no real evidence linking specific foods with ear wax production.

That’s not what’s being discussed.

They asked what I did.

This is anecdata.

and anecdotally:

I no longer make enough wax to see in a month.

You’re free to share your anecdata.

But you also shouldn’t be surprised if someone challenges the implications or merits of your anecdata, for the benefit of others that might take it as good advice.

Yes, it’s no longer good advice to

checks notes

consider switching up environment

or diet/things you’re ingesting,

if you’re generating excess goo known for waste-carrying,

and protection from environmental debris...

Are you serious?

Feel free to struggle until a peer-reviewed study gives you permission not to,

but don’t be surprised if others continue making basic observations and improvements for themselves.

I didn’t refute a link between environmental factors and ear wax production. Nor did I say improving diet isn’t a good thing in general.

But changing your diet won’t help with ear wax. And cotton swabs are a bad idea.

You seem upset; this is just a discussion on an internet forum. It’s ok for people to have different opinions and share them in a thread :)

You changing YOUR diet may not help your earwax.

Changing mine does - and I can reliably show it - and I’m what was asked about.

Also, cotton-swabs or a tissue aren’t a bad idea (again, anecdotally for me - what was asked about)

unless one has build-up,

and/or the ear opening has become smaller as a protective measure,

ensuring one rifles the gunk in from the walls,

instead of going past it in the center,

and then pulling out and around the walls.

Most have ear-openings too-tight to even know what I’m referring to.

Anyway, not upset, just steadfast that words matter.

and that individuals don’t need the permission of peer-reviewed studies (or you!) to make basic improvements in their lives.

Like I said, wait your whole life for permission of peer-reviewed mass studies to make basic adjustments.

Some people can do better.

Cotton swabs were/are the problem. Using them can cause impacted earwax.

If there's enough earwax in there to get pushed around and compacted, then it seems like there is some other issue going on? Is having small mounds of wax per permanently living in the ear canal normal for some people?

I have been wearing ear plugs every night for over a decade and cleaning my ears with cotton swabs at least every other day for my whole life and never once had ear wax build up.

One group simply cannot understand the other.

Network effects at play, here.

What we consider normal is informed by the people we spend the most time around.