Now that I've finished the bulk of my work for the day I can respond to
your posting Boris. Firstly, I'm glad you're on the mend. Regarding the
"Brick" treatment I doubt the effect is due to heat killing of the
organisms. I believe this for two reasons: first, even if there was bacteria
in your middle ear you could not heat that part of your head enough to kill
(or even wound) the organisms. Most bacteria can tolerate more heat than
humans so anything that would heat up your middle ear enough to kill
bacteria would likely do you in as well. Second, in all likelihood the fluid
that collects in your middle ear due to your cold is sterile. In the normal
state the middle ear is isolated from the outer ear canal my your ear drum
and from the Inner ear by the Red Window ( a membrane similar to the ear
drum). Its only connection to the outside world is through the Eustation
Tube which allows for the passage of air between the Middle Ear and your
Nasopharynx. When you get a cold the virus infects the the respiratory
epithelium of the upper respiratory tract including the upper bronchial
passages, nasopharynx and sinuses. I don't know this for fact but I suspect
the virus doesn't actually get into the middle ear but instead causes the
soft tissue of the Eustation tube to swell, closing it off and trapping
fluid in the middle ear. When you heat up your head with a brick or electric
pad this may speed up the opening of the Eustation tube allowing the fluid
to drain. As far as the oil is concerned I have no idea.
As for Candling, and forgive me Chris if I'm goring your ox, but I don't
buy it. Surely excess wax in the outer ear can be a problem but for the life
of me this method as I have seen it done can not possibly generate enough
lift to bring even melted wax up out of the ear canal. As it is practiced I
consider it quackery. Much more here:
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/candling.html
Charlie
On Thu, Nov 4, 2010 at 5:28 PM, Willie Wonka <alienspecimen@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:
> > Hope you're feeling better Boris. Middle ear infections are no fun. At
> >least your granny was smart enough to use a warm brick and not a lit
> candle.
>
> Thanks Charlie and also using a lit candle sound kinky...:)
>
> I am feeling very good now. The virus came on Saturday and was gone by
> late Monday evening, I was stupid to go to work. My body was so weak, and
> thats when I got the ear infection, walking through that huge parking lot.
> I am prone to getting ear and sinus infections.
>
> I did my granmas trick with a technical touch. I used an electric heating
> pad.
>
> Watched a movie and that did it. Gone. No pills, nothing.
>
> Now I have a question for those who know a thing or two on this list,
> especially you, Charlie.
>
> How much water the theory behind grammas treatment holds?
>
> I have one and would like to know how wrong it is.
>
> My theory goes like this...The ear is infected with bacteria and it aches.
> By heating it up for a while, I am pasteurising it in a sense and it
> dies...Dont have theory about the role of the oil yet. One thing I forgot
> to mention was that gramma plugged my ear with a cotton ball to keep the oil
> inside. Dont have explanation for that either...
>
> How crooked does this simple theory sound? Please, keep it simple...I am a
> simple guy, as you well know.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Best
>
> Boris
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
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