Page 18 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, January 31, 2025 Like us on Facebook advocate newspaper Facebook.com/Advocate.news.ma Savvy Senior by Jim Miller The Surprising Dangers of Earwax Dear Savvy Senior, I’ve heard that excessive earwax can cause serious health problems in elderly seniors. What can you tell me about this? Caregiving Daughter Dear Caregiving, It’s true! Excessive amounts of earwax can indeed cause problems in elderly seniors including hearing loss or ringing in your ears. Some people experience vertigo, which increases the risk of falling. And there’s also a correlation between hearing loss and cognitive decline and depression. Earwax – which is not really wax at all, but a substance called cerumen that binds with dirt, dust and debris – is normally produced by the body as a way to clean and protect the ears. In most people, the self-cleaning process works fine. But in others, including more than 30 percent of elderly people, the wax collects to the point where it can completely block or impact the ear canal. Those that are most affected are elderly seniors, especially those living in nursing homes or assisted living centers that provide substandard hygiene. And those highest at risk are hearing-aid users because the devices push wax down into the canal. Earwax Removal Usually, earwax moves up and out on its own so the best way to control it is to leave it alone. But that advice can backfire for those who accumulate excessive amounts of earwax. The symptoms of an earwax problem can include an earache, a feeling of fullness in the ear, hearing loss, tinnitus, dizziness, an ear infection, ear itchiness, or cough due to pressure from the blockage stimulating a nerve in the ear. If you or your elderly loved one’s experience any of these symptoms, try using a softening agent to help the wax leave the ear or to remove it more easily. If you prefer the natural route, try baby oil or mineral oil. Using an eyedropper, apply a drop or two into your ear, tilting your head so that the opening of the ear is pointing up toward the ceiling. Stay in that position for a minute or two to let the fluid flow down to the waxy buildup. Then tilt your head in the opposite direction to let the fluid and wax drain. Or try an over-the-counter earwax removal solution or kit, which are sold in most pharmacies. Solutions may contain oil or hydrogen peroxide, and some kits include a bulb syringe that you squeeze to flush your ear with warm water, if needed. You may need to repeat this wax-softening and irrigation procedure several times before getting rid of the excess earwax. If, however, the symptoms don’t improve after a few treatments, you need to see an audiologist or ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor to have the wax removed. Earwax removal is one of the most common ENT procedures performed. They have a variety of tools that can remove hard, stubborn earwax. It might be tempting to poke a cotton swab, bobby pin, pencil or finger into your ear to get the gunk out, but don’t go digging. Yes, it’ll remove some of the wax, but it may also push the rest deeper into the ear canal and increase your risk of injuring your eardrum and making the problem worse. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. MUSINGS | FROM PAGE 7 02148. He also got me my first grown-up job at Digital Equipment Corp. way back in 1985. But that is beside the point (insert smiley face). I heard from Danny when my piece about him ran a few weeks back. It was a pleasure to reconnect with him once again: “Great hearing from you!! I always love reading your columns…the names, the events, and places always bring back wonderful memories! I recently retired after 34 years in the pharmaceutical industry and am volunteering as an assistant basketball coach at Mashpee High School. I am a bit rusty, but the kids are great to work with…we are 4-5 with a tough game at Middleboro this week. I hope to get up to Malden very soon. Maybe for lunch. Take care, Happy New Year, and my best to all. I look forward to meeting that budding young hoop star grandson of yours!!” We get letters...I take great joy in hearing from readers (as long as it is full of praise for my writing and me, pledging unwavering fealty to moi going forward). One of those missives hit all the right buttons recently and was from Malden’s brother from another mother, Meffa! Eddie Serino, this is your world... “Hi Peter, I’m an East Medford kid who used to go into Malden to Devir Park to dominate you guys in basketball! We’ve met before, I went to high school with Susanne Nasson – the fifth member of Extreme and I used to own racehorses with Steve Bellavia aka Eddie Bain! “ I read the Malden Advocate every week and I always turn to your column first. It was very nice to see a shout out to Eddie. You must’ve known Mike Moriarty also; may he rest in peace. I used to sell Budweiser to Mike’s dads bar in Somerville on Broadway, and he would always call me a “limey” then I’d go across the street to Patsy’s and buy him bread. Keep up the good writing. Wishing you health and happiness, Ed.” Thank you so much for writing, Ed! Your high school classmate Susanne Nasson is one of the nicest human beings to ever walk planet earth and her daughter Chloe is following directly in her mom and grandmothers’ sainted footsteps. Also, I really hated when you and your boyos would show up at Devir and spank us good on our very own court. You, (Bobby) Serio, (Mike) McCormack, (Dana) Cresta, (Jay) Sweeney, (Bobby) Maloney, (Ray) Buckland and (Mike) Hodnett were hard to handle. On the court, and off. But all we have of those days, Ed, are great memories of some serious ball as well as some serious friendships made, my friend. Stay well and thanks again for writing. As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say “Just one more thing sir” – the passing of Ronny Luke last July brought much sadness throughout Maldonia. Who didn’t know Ron?! Whose life wasn’t touched one way or the other by Ron?! Yeah, I agree, too many to recount. Former Malden Police Officer with roots firmly planted in the old West End of Boston, Frankie Spinale, now living the life he so richly deserves in sunny Florida had these wonderful words about our friend Ron Luke: “Malden and the rest of the world lost another great one recently – Massachusetts Court Officer Ronnie Luke – who I’ve known since childhood. Ronnie had a huge heart and was one of the kindest men I’ve ever met. He’d drop anything to help his fellow man as he truly cared about people, wanting nothing in return. Ronnie could bring laughter to a crowd of people without even trying, just a naturally funny man. Ronnie was respected in the community and to honor him his name and photo were displayed in big bright lights on Broadway at Mix 360 [the former Town Line Lounge and Bowling] where we all gathered remembering when Ronnie held court tending bar. Fortunately, I got to speak with him via telephone a week before he passed. He’ll certainly be missed. God bless and rest in peace my brotha. You certainly earned a spot up there with the Lord.” —Peter is a longtime Malden resident and a regular contributor to The Malden Advocate. He can be reached at PeteL39@aol.com for comments, compliments or criticisms.
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