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In a Business Insider video about a procedure for removing excess earwax, the subtitles claim:

Doctors recommend getting your ears checked annually.

I've never heard of this before.

BCLC
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    General wellness checks should include a look in each ear to discover any impactions or infections. Such wellness checks are recommended annually. If accompanied with credible sources, would that work as an answer for you? –  Jul 27 '20 at 01:25
  • Getting them checked annually and having them cleaned are two different things. Your doctor likely checks your ears during your annual physical. – PC Luddite Jul 27 '20 at 06:06
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    I'm not a doctor, but my suspicion is that there probably isn't a general recommendation to have your ears cleaned annually. Your doctor will likely only recommend that if you are complaining about excess wax build up or they see an issue themself. – PC Luddite Jul 27 '20 at 06:10
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    Note also that these kinds of recommendations tend to vary by country, so it would be helpful to specify whether you're talking about the US or somewhere else. – Dave Sherohman Jul 27 '20 at 07:43
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    @fredsbend Annual wellness checks are very much an American thing. There are a number of countries where annual doctors visits are not recommended for the general public. The benefits of going to the doctor when you feel fine are disputed. – user141592 Jul 27 '20 at 10:26
  • @Johanna Probably greatly depends on a lot of things, namely, what they actually inspect and how well that correlates to common risk factors. –  Jul 27 '20 at 18:30
  • @frеdsbend well i'd upvote. not sure i'd accept. or maybe i'll accept but then unaccept if something better comes along. thanks! – BCLC Aug 01 '20 at 09:29
  • @DaveSherohman Thanks. i've emailed some local ent clinics, but then again, humans are humans wherever they are. even if you bring someone to mars, it's not gonna change their physiology. either they need the checks or they don't. am i wrong? – BCLC Aug 01 '20 at 09:30
  • @Johanna Oh yeah that is such a nassim nicholas taleb thing to say. nice. but still it's just an annual check up. what's the big deal? maybe if it were once a month but once a year... it's not like the kind of overmedicalising in going to doctor when you're a little sick but essentially functional or being prescribed a medication when perhaps, oh say, learning sleep hygiene or watching a time management course by dave crenshaw, in the case of ADHD or something, could have been helpful (either instead of the medication or before but not replacing the medication)...i think? – BCLC Aug 01 '20 at 09:32
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    @BCLC - I wouldn't go so far as to say you're "wrong", but routine checks in the absence of any indication of problems are essentially a risk/reward proposition, not something that's truly "needed", and different societies will draw the line at different places regarding what they believe to be a reasonable payoff. If 99.999999999999% of checks show no problems, then you're wasting your time and resources doing those checks. If it's 99.9%? That's debatable, and some societies will go one way, while others go the other way... which is why this needs a location specified. – Dave Sherohman Aug 01 '20 at 10:51
  • @DaveSherohman Wait so even this dentist thingy of once every 6 month varies? (wait i'll look it up) ok soooo i just looked this up and it kinda varies but do we expect that dental associations or whatever of the US, the UK, germany, france, whatever, have like official unanimous recommendations or something? – BCLC Aug 03 '20 at 11:19
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    I've heard ads where the American Podiatric Medical Association recommends a foot exam on an annual basis. Which is ridiculous, of course... It's easy to dismiss that as just marketing, but I think that podiatrists (acutely aware of foot issues) truly believe in and advise yearly checkups. I also think that nearly every professional service feels the same about their field.. – Ask About Monica Aug 05 '20 at 16:07
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    @Johanna at least, I've never heard of screening programmes against earwax buildup :-D. – cbeleites unhappy with SX Aug 06 '20 at 08:11
  • @AskAboutMonica Oh interesting. Links please? – BCLC Aug 06 '20 at 11:13
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    I have a quarterly checkup because of my diabetes for the last 5 years already. Not once has the doctor suggested I get my ears checked. So maybe "doctors" (as in "some doctors") recommend it, but it's far from all doctors. – jwenting Aug 07 '20 at 10:58

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From consumer reports (Levine, 2019):

While there are no official evidence-based guidelines on how often to get your hearing checked in adulthood, most medical providers—including audiologists—recommend a screening every three years beginning at age 50, says Sarah Sydlowski, Au.D., Ph.D., audiology director of the Hearing Implant Program at the Cleveland Clinic.

And you might consider being screened every 10 years before that, she adds. (See Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations on hearing screenings for children.)

Reference:
Levine, H. (2019, November 25). Do You Need a Hearing Test? Consumer Reports. https://www.consumerreports.org/hearing-ear-care/do-you-need-a-hearing-test/

SeanC
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  • mind that those recommendations come from people who have a stated interest in drumming up more business for themselves... With each consult netting them hundreds of dollars, I'd be surprised if they took a different stance. – jwenting Aug 07 '20 at 10:56
  • @jwenting on the other hand, i imagine they have alota patients to handle. adding more patients unnecessarily would seem to just increase workload. idk. maybe the more busy a clinic is then the more credible is advice that you need a check up....but then the less busy a clinic is then the more credible is advice that you don't necessarily need a check up.... idk. i just like to believe in accredited professionals or whatever. guess i'm naive. – BCLC Aug 08 '20 at 07:52