Have you ever flown with a cold or allergies and lived with plugged ears? Fullness or ringing in the ears can make a person irritable, dizzy, and distracted! When you need to unclog your ears, but the yawn and chewing gum don’t help – what can you do? Use the EarPopper!
EarPopper Home Unit
Original Post from October 31, 2007 with minor updates:
There are certain products that I like to mention even before I get a chance to review them in case you have a flight coming up and want to try them out yourself.
This weekend, I attended the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference in San Francisco. I worked alongside Louise Stoll, promoting the CARES aviation harness. However, I also had a chance to speak with others at the conference who were representing products relevant to the pediatric population.
I was intrigued when I saw the booth advertising the “Ear Popper”. This device is designed for people who suffer from ear problems (rhinitis, sinusitis, effects of colds, allergies, elevation changes – on airplanes-or scuba diving). The Ear Popper clears the ear and alleviates that feeling of fullness in the ear.
In a 4 year NIH sponsored study, 85% of children who had a hearing loss as a result of persistent Otitis Media with Effusion (fluid in the middle ear) fully regained their hearing without antibiotics or tubes!
The device gently blows air through the nose into the Eustachian tube and clears plugged ears of pressure or fluid build up. I had a great conversation with Kevin Connelly, V.P. of Sales and Customer Service at Micromedics, Inc, the company that manufacturers the EarPopper.
How to use it?
He demonstrated the use of the device on me. First, he showed me how gentle the air blowing out of the unit is. I could barely feel a slight movement of air against my hand.
Then he instructed me to close off one nostril, place the EarPopper unit up to the other nostril making sure there was a good seal, press the button and swallow (while continuing to hold down the button). The EarPopper blew air up into the nostril. I couldn’t feel the air in my nose, but it was amazing what that little bit of air did when it reached my Eustachian tube! I could instantly feel the popping sensation.
He stated this is great for travelers of all ages to use when flying, to help equalize pressure on descent. For toddlers, he recommended having them drink from a sippy cup or a bottle and plug one nostril while you hold the device to gently blow air into the other nostril. The device has two settings to adjust for children. He also stated there is no danger of blowing too much air into the ear.
I will be testing this product in a couple weeks on our flights to Europe and will report back to you on it. However, since it is cold and flu season, this might be a product to purchase sooner if you or your children have any ear problems.
In the past, I have experienced firsthand the excruciating pain when flying caused by rapid descent and an inability to equalize pressure in my ears. This is exacerbated when there is congestion from a cold, flu, or allergies. Even grown adults have cried due to the pain – and we have all heard the screaming babies! (Although crying can actually help babies to equalize pressure as well!)
Insurance may help cover this device with a prescription and if it is not covered, they may cover a treatment at your physician’s office.
The Ear Popper is made by the same company that manufactures ear tubes which are inserted surgically by ENTs.
I like the product because:
1. Manufactured by a reputable company very familiar with ear, nose, and throat (ENT) issues.
2. Manufactured in Minnesota- my home state.
3. Clinically proven to work! The National Institute of Health conducted a 4 year clinical trial using the EarPopper on children and demonstrated the safety and efficacy of the medical device.
The patient information sheet is found here.
How do you order one? This is a prescription only product in the U.S. Print out the information sheet from the EarPopper site to bring along to your appointment with your Physician or Nurse Practitioner. The device can be ordered from your pharmacy or you can obtain it through drugstore.com or directly from Micromedics.
April 2009 Update:
I have used the EarPopper numerous times as well as witnessed the fantastic relief friends and family have felt with the EarPopper device. However, when I did my official review, I chose to demonstrate just how easy this device is to use by featuring my son (at the time only 3 years old) using the EarPopper in flight. As you can tell by his smile – he loves his EarPopper!
Did you enjoy this post? Subscribe to receive FREE updates!
You must log in to post a comment.