LONG seen as somewhat of a nuisance in terms of making it hard to hear, scientists have discovered a key use for earwax in the diagnosis and management of several mental health conditions.
Researchers from the University College London's Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience said their new home-based earwax test enables easy measurement of the stress hormone cortisol, which can be used to track anxiety and depression.
"Cortisol sampling is notoriously difficult, as levels of the hormone can fluctuate, so a sample might not be an accurate reflection of a person's chronic cortisol levels," said lead researcher Andres Herane-Vives.
In contrast to testing of blood, urine and saliva, "cortisol levels in earwax appear to be more stable, and with our new device it's easy to take a sample and get it tested quickly, cheaply and effectively," he said.
The testing gadget resembles a cotton swab but is fitted with an added "brake" to stop it going too far into the ear.
Herane-Vives said his team was also looking at other applications for the device, such as potentially measuring glucose levels from earwax samples which could be a breakthrough in the management of diabetes.
The study was published in the Heliyon journal, with the team now setting up a company called Trears to bring the sampling device to market.
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