Bin the Cotton Buds!
For many, digging around in your ear canal with a cotton bud to scoop out satisfyingly large clumps of wax is as habitual as cleaning your teeth or washing your hair. For some, it also feels good - because the inner tunnel of your ear is loaded with nerve endings, cleaning your ears can often simulate the pleasure of an orgasm, or so they say!
But, even if it gives you pleasure and the feeling of cleanliness, cleaning your ears with cotton buds is not a good idea, and you should stop immediately, because:
- Regularly cleaning is another common cause of earwax build-up as removing the wax can stimulate the body to produce more than it needs, so you’re just making things worse.
- But there are other good reasons too. Cotton buds can push earwax further into the ear canal, causing a blockage and resulting in temporary hearing loss.
- It’s easy to scratch the inside of your ear with a cotton bud which may lead to infections.
- However, the biggest concern about using cotton buds (or any other objects) to remove earwax, is the risk of damage to the ear canal or eardrum and the potential to cause permanent harm to your hearing.
There’s only safe and approved way to remove ear wax, and that’s by microsuction, so book an appointment today!.
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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85.1% Yes
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13.8% No
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
Cleaning a heat pump
Hi everyone. Can anyone recommend a reliable and reasonable company to clean our heat pump. We used it on cold for a couple of days and when turning it back to warm it has a smell. We get it serviced yearly but the firm we use is expensive.
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.