Swimmer's ear.

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Re: Middle Ear Fluid
From: Catherine A Hensley <hensley.lims1.lanl.gov>
Date: 2 Aug 1995 22:06:41 GMT

> I read this ear drop in a booklet:
> 1:1 vinegar & alcohol
> i use distilled white vinegar & ethyl(?) alcohol.

White vinegar and isopropyl alcohol work, too. This is a specific for a condition commonly known as "swimmer's ear." It's a painful condition caused by some bug (a fungus?) that grows in a moist, alkali environment, like an ear canal that is constantly washed out in chlorine water. The vinegar acidifies the site, and the alcohol dries it out. Once the swimmer's ear is cured, you can simply use the alcohol without the vinegar.

My brother and I used to make this treatment almost a ritual when we were competitive swimmers, years ago, and after the first instructive bout, almost never suffered reinfections. It has not worked with the chronic middle-ear infections I have been suffering with for the past three years, though. It just can't penetrate to the real infection.