The odd thing is that articles on the topic and seemingly all medical doctors assume that there is only a single way in which Q-tips can be used for ear cleanin

The odd thing is that articles on the topic and seemingly all medical doctors assume that there is only a single way in which Q-tips can be used for ear cleaning purposes. I think that there are several possible ways besides simply inserting the Q-tip in a straight motion and thereby pushing earwax towards the tympanum. Personally, the way I use Q-tips is to insert them from below the ear at a 45 degree angle, constantly rotating the Q-tip and then performing a swipe around the ear canal while keeping up the rotating motion (resembling the precession movement of a gyroscope). Using this technique, I never had any issues with pushing earwax towards the tympanum or irritating the ear canal. The advantages are less itching in the ear canal caused by ear wax, and having no visible crumbles of ear wax falling out of my ears. I seem to have the "wet" ear wax type. It seems like this is a common and weird instance of problems that re-occur when medical professionals give advice to patients and the general public: * Lack of insight into why people are exhibiting the behaviour. For me at least, the natural buildup of ear wax produces itching, and using Q-tips is a significant relief. In the re-occuring advice to the public by medical professionals this seems to be ignored. * Lack of understanding of the importance of aesthetics. Yes, it might be natural to have large crumbs of ear wax visibly protruding from your ear canal, but that does not make it irrational to dislike how it looks. Ignorance of such social factors leads to 'unexplained' lack of compliance with medical advice, which in turn leads to a decrease in the quality of doctor-patient relationship and ineffective public health interventions. * Lack of interest in harm reduction approaches. For several decades articles like the OP have been published, seemingly with minor or no effect on actual practices. It might be more reasonable to accept that people are very keen on cleaning their ears, and to find strategies to reduce the potential harm while still letting people do what they want. Simple advice on HOW to use a Q-tip without harming yourself (don't push in too much, don't push in straight if you really can't do without it) might have more overall positive impact.