Do you ever do this before you listen?

The ear wax removal kits are available in drug stores and elsewhere (put hydrogen peroxide based thick goo in ear, let it set for a while, and remove it with warm water injected by a rubber bulb squirting thing), and I've been using that method for decades (a doctor recommended this stuff when I was playing guitar in loud clubs many years ago). Works great and is safe.

Those do work well. I use Nivea body wash, and make sure to lather my ear really well, and rince with the shower head over 15 seconds per ear. That seems to, over time, keep my ears pretty clean.
However! That requires regular maintenance. The bulb works best for build up. 
Best,
E

Valsalva.......learned a new word today.  And that's always a good thing!  Thanks!

You guys are just so full of information. I LOVE it!  

I know exactly what it's called. For it to be suggested as something to do before listening to music is nuts if you don't know how careful you have to be to do it. You're better off holding your nose closed and swallowing (frenzel). I don't care what eh air force taught you. To do it without proper instruction from a doctor is careless. 

Thank you for your service. 

It was my privilege.

@pjcoughter 

Thank you for your service Sir. 

I think we have all cleared our ears at one time or another, and if you have ever done it you already know how to be careful doing so. This goes without saying. Not sure why now that it’s suggested doing it before listening to music will all of a sudden cause you harm.  However it does make sense to take care when doing it. 

@barnettk: I tried what you suggested upon reading your original post, and it immediately plugged up my left ear! I should have read the rest of your and other contributors’ posts before trying it. Now, if I gently occlude my ear canals with the soft pads of my thumbs, I hear a persistent low rumbling sound. Removing my thumbs one at a time, the rumbling is only in my left ear. I might say, "Thanks a lot, friend!", but it’s on me for being a suggestible idiot. Your further posts were all outstanding.

@markmendenhall, @pjcoughter, @erik_squires, @jrpnde, and others: Thank you for your contributions to this discussion. The Wikipedia blurb on the valsalva maneuver shows someone doing it while puffing out his cheeks, which acts as a natural deterrent to overdoing it. (Those of us using Mac computers can highlight a word like valsalva and right click to get a definition and illustration from Wikipedia without leaving this page.)

@geoffkait I remember your "Ortho Ears," which were written up in Stereophile if I recall correctly, for listening to live symphonic music performances after spending the day wearing earplugs. Except for invoking a few giggles from players in the violin section of the orchestra, the combination of a day of protection followed by wearing Ortho Ears to the concert produced a vivid and most enjoyable listening experience for the writer.

I had severe doubts about the brain-eating amoeba story, but unless USA Today has taken to spoofing itself, it’s an extremely rare but possible occurrence.

Speaking of ear protection, I got a notice yesterday from B&H that the MP•9-15 Music•PRO Electronic Earplugs for Musicians from Etymotic Research are temporarily on sale for $40 off their usual price of $299. I’ve been wanting to try them for awhile, primarily to protect my ears during the day before doing some critical listening in the evening. Be sure to pick up a supply of #10 hearing aid batteries as well if you decide to try them.

I sure hope my left ear clears up on its own soon!

With kind regards,

Mark H.

USA Today, Dec. 7, 2018: "A woman who was told by her doctor to rinse her sinuses twice daily to clear up a chronic sinus infection died from a brain-eating amoeba. The woman, 69 from Seattle, was using tap water filtered using a Brita Water Purifier in a neti pot, according to a report published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Infectious Diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that only distilled, sterile or cooled boiled water be used for sinus irrigation. After a month of clearing her sinuses with the non-sterile water, a quarter-sized red rash appeared on the right side of her nose. Her doctor told her it was rosacea and prescribed an ointment, according to the report. The rash didn't clear and she saw a dermatologist several times seeking answers, but biopsies didn't result in any definitive diagnosis. A year after the rash developed, the woman had a seizure. At that time, a CT scan showed a half-inch lesion on her brain. Doctors performed surgery to remove the mass, which they say had "unusual characteristics." A specimen was sent to Johns Hopkins University for analysis.

 

"Days later, her left arm and leg became numb and she had an "altered mental status." A consulting neuropathologist from Johns Hopkins suggested there might be an amoebic infection and later a drug for such infection was given to the patient. However, her condition didn't improve and her family ultimately decided to take her off life support. Tests after death showed the woman died of Balamuthia mandrillaris, an amoeba that lives in soil and the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionalso say it's possible it lives in water. Balamuthia can travel to the brain and can cause a deadly infection. Little is known about how people contract the amoeba and how to prevent it.

 

"She tested negative for Naegleria fowleri, another amoeba able to cause deadly brain infections that was linked to a death of a Louisiana manwho used a neti pot in 2013. The Seattle article authors warn that because cases such as this one are so difficult to diagnose, "it is possible that many more cases of Balamuthia have been missed." Around the world, more than 200 cases of Balamuthia infection have been diagnosed with at least 70 cases in the U.S., according to the CDC."

So I guess snorting water straight outa the tap is a no-no?

@mark_hubbard 

"I tried what you suggested upon reading your original post, and it immediately plugged up my left ear! I should have read the rest of your and other contributors’ posts before trying it. Now, if I gently occlude my ear canals with the soft pads of my thumbs, I hear a persistent low rumbling sound. Removing my thumbs one at a time, the rumbling is only in my left ear. I might say, "Thanks a lot, friend!", but it’s on me for being a suggestible idiot. "

oh my. Yeah its not for everyone I guess. I hate that happened to you. I had the same thing happen to me while flying. I tried to clear my ears and actually made them much worst. However I had a bad cold on that trip and probably should not have been flying in the first place. If you have sinus problems doing this during a flare up may not be the best thing to try (not saying you do) but that was my experience. Eventually my ears equalized on their own. So just an FYI. I am not telling people to do this. Im only sharing what works for me (thats my disclaimer). I can clear my ears in this manor and I typically do not have any adverse effects from it.

I have found several medical websites that discuss using this very process to clear pressure form the inner ear. However there are other methods mentioned as well so for those interested below are a few links. each of which by the way recommend using the Valsalva method. 

 
https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-unclog-ears#middle-ear

https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-get-water-out-of-your-ear#removing-the-water (see step 10)

https://www.webmd.com/allergies/stuffy-ears-sinuses#1

https://www.wikihow.com/Unclog-the-Inner-Ear-or-Eustachian-Tube

So I guess snorting water straight outa the tap is a no-no?

That's pretty much correct. Unless you are totally OK with your brain getting eaten by an amoeba.

Boil it properly or use distilled from the pharmacy. Distilled is best because if you use the salt packets you get the right mix. Tap water can contain enough minerals to throw that balance off.

Of course, having not quite the right amount of salts in the water isn't nearly as bad as giving amoeba's a very short path to your gray matter. Yum yum.
Best,
E

Just a little sarcasm Erik!   My brain is still intact......mostly....haha

Wish there was a Valsalva method for the eyes...we could then make have NFL refs do it.. Sorry Saints Fans. 

Too true, bro'. Apparently, Robey-Colman would have to have shot the receiver to draw a flag...