People’s Pharmacy: Physician objects to homemade swimmer’s ear drops

Q. You have given your readers some bad advice. As a practicing physician for 44 years, I advise my patients after they bathe, shower or swim to simply use a hair dryer to gently blow warm (not hot) air at a low speed for 20-30 seconds into their ears to dry them out. One can always find a hair dryer in hotels, gyms, health clubs and at home.

Instilling a cocktail of isopropyl alcohol and/or vinegar is much more complicated, not to mention messy. Furthermore, if you have a perforated eardrum, you risk additional potential complications. The hair dryer doesn’t introduce anything else into your external auditory canal.

A. Thank you for suggesting a hair dryer on low-power and low-heat settings. That is also the advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It should be kept about a foot from the ear.

The Mayo Clinic adds, “If you know you don’t have a punctured eardrum, you can use homemade preventive eardrops of 1 part white vinegar to 1 part rubbing alcohol.” Advice from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is almost identical.

Many of the over-the-counter swimmer’s ear preventive drops sold in pharmacies contain isopropyl alcohol and anhydrous glycerin. That includes brand names such as Debrox Swimmer’s Ear and Swim-EAR.

Q. I read that melatonin might relieve acid reflux. I have been taking Prilosec for several years for GERD. Would melatonin improve the effectiveness of a drug like Prilosec?

A. A randomized controlled trial compared omeprazole (Prilosec) plus melatonin to omeprazole plus placebo (Turkish Journal of Gastroenterology, December 2023). Heartburn pain and frequency were lower among those taking melatonin with omeprazole. There were no serious adverse effects.

Additional evidence suggests that melatonin might help protect the tissues of the esophagus (International Journal of Molecular Sciences, July 13, 2018). Since the development of esophageal cancer is the most serious potential consequence of long-lasting GERD, such protection might be valuable.

You can learn more about GERD along with the pros and cons of Prilosec and nondrug approaches to treating heartburn in our “eGuide to Overcoming Digestive Disorders.” This online resource may be found under the Health eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.

Q. Last summer, I got Rocky Mountain spotted fever from a tick bite while working in my yard under the pine trees. I don’t remember seeing any spots, but I felt lethargic and ached all over.

That’s why I went to an urgent care clinic. They drew a blood sample and later called to tell me I tested positive for RMSF. I took the prescribed antibiotic, but that fever really took the starch out of me for the rest of the summer.

I’ve read that permethrin-treated clothing can discourage ticks. How good is it? I’d rather be proactive than reactive.

A. Tick-borne diseases can sometimes be hard to diagnose. Even the blood tests are not always accurate. That’s why prevention is so critical at this time of year.

Wearing permethrin-treated clothing can significantly reduce the likelihood of tick bites (Journal of Medical Entomology, Sept. 1, 2020). Spraying shoes and socks with permethrin also can be helpful. Finally, it is always important to do a careful tick check when you come in from outside. RMSF can be life-threatening if left untreated.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, Fla. 32803, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.