Ask Dr. H: Wax, in one ear but not the other

Question:

Can you explain why I always seem to get a lot of earwax buildup in my right ear, but not my left? What's the point of earwax, anyway?

Answer: The best explanation I can offer for a greater wax buildup in your right ear vs. the left is that you favor sleeping with the right side of your head against the pillow. Air keeps the left ear dry and gives wax a chance to dry up and disappear; moisture and heat created with your ear against the pillow favor a wax buildup in your right ear canal.

Earwax (cerumen) does have value: It repels water and traps dust and other small particles so they don't get farther into the ear. Also, earwax contains substances that help kill any bacteria that may find their way into the ear canal. The skin on the outer part of the ear canal has special glands that produce earwax. Those folks who don't produce enough cerumen have itchy, dry ears and may have more infections.

Most of the time, the ear canals are self-cleaning. Old earwax is continually transported from the deeper areas of the ear canal to the outside, where it dries up and falls out. If you're an overproducer of earwax, your ear canals will get blocked and hearing will be affected. The best ways to remove wax are by washing the ear gently with a vinegar/water solution or a hydrogen peroxide/water solution, or physician removal by suctioning, irrigation, or curette tool.

Don't ever probe your ear! I have treated numerous patients for infections of the ear canal caused by sticking cotton swabs, bobby pins, paper clips, or twisted napkin corners into their ears. The skin of the ear canal and eardrum is very thin, fragile, and easily injured.

Did you know that the type of earwax you have, wet or dry, is an inherited thing? Oddly, women who have the dry type have a lower risk of breast cancer.

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Q:

I know someone who is fostering twin infants who they believe may have different fathers. I never knew something like this could be possible. How rare is it?

A: It's very rare, roughly a one-in-a-million occurrence. There are just a few DNA-verified cases around the world. Closer to home, a couple from Dallas were perplexed that their twin infants had very different facial features. The mother's concerns that something wasn't right prompted DNA testing of the children. The results from Clear Diagnostics DNA Lab confirmed their suspicions: The twins were half-brothers from two fathers.

The mother had sex with another man, which led to a rare double conception in which two sperm from two men fertilized two eggs. The medical explanation is that there is a brief 24-to-48-hour period during ovulation when this can theoretically occur.