Earwax can be a good indicator of how stressed a person is

Collecting earwax

In a small pilot study, the researchers took blood, hair and earwax samples from 37 participants in two separate studies. At each collection, they used a syringe to collect earwax from one ear and a new self-collecting swab from the other ear. The researchers then compared the reliability of cortisol measurements collected by the two methods.

They found that the concentration of cortisol in earwax was higher than in hair, which was easier to analyse. Analysing earwax collected from a swab is also faster and more efficient than using a syringe, which people need to wait for the wax to dry out before analysing it.  In the end, earwax levels were more consistent than in other ways, and were more sensitive to cortisol fluctuations such as those caused by recent drinking. Participants also reported that self-collecting swabs were more comfortable than using syringes.

The researchers published their findings in the 2nd Nov issue of the journal “Heliyon”. Herane-Vives has also created a company named Trears to market the new approach. He hopes earwax could also be used to monitor the activities of other hormones in the future. The researchers also need to carry out further studies on Asian individuals, who were not included in the preliminary study because many Asians have dry, brittle earwax rather than moist, waxy wax.

He said in a statement, “After this successful pilot study, if our device can stand up to further testing in large trials, we hope to transform the diagnosis and treatment of millions of patients with depression or cortisol-related disorders, and perhaps contribute to many other diseases.”