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FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2024
timescolonist.com | TIMES COLONIST
ADVERTISING FEATURE
e xpl or e FA R M F R E S H / S HOP S / L O C A L E AT S / W I N E R I E S / WA L K I NG T R A I L S
Brentwood Bay Village Empourium
Are your ears due for a spring clean?
I
’ll admit, most of the stuff our bodies excrete grosses me out. Earwax, which you can call cerumen if you’re feeling fancy, is the exception. Generally, people don’t spend much time thinking about their earwax, but it’s actually pretty interesting stuff. Firstly, earwax isn’t wax. Cerumen is made up of a combination of sebum (an oily substance produced by your body’s sebaceous glands), skin cells from the ear canal, sweat and dirt. Secondly, cerumen has an important purpose. The ear produces it to clean and protect itself. It has natural antimicrobial properties to prevent bacterial infections. It also traps dust and other particles before they can get deeper in your ear canal and cause problems. When you chew or talk, the muscles in your ear canal push the cerumen, and the debris trapped in it, outward to exit the canal. Another interesting fact is that not all earwax is the same. It’s greatly controlled by genetics. Cerumen can be either wet or dry, with most people having wet earwax because it’s the dominant gene. The consistency of cerumen can change based on your environment and diet.
Donna Stewart
Despite how cool cerumen is, you can have too much of a good thing. Excess wax can cause issues such as earaches, temporary hearing loss, ear infections, and even a persistent cough if it happens to stimulate the branch of the vagus nerve that runs near the ear canal. If you have too much wax, sticking cotton swabs, bobby pins or paper clips in your ear is not a good idea. You’ll likely just end up pushing the wax in further, past the point where your ears can excrete it naturally. Generally, wax can be safely removed by your physician or you can contact your audiologist to set up an appointment to have it taken care of. At Hear Inc. our audiologists are certified to remove cerumen using irrigation (flushing the canal with water), instruments (stainless steel curettes or forceps), and micro-suction (a small vacuum specifically designed for this purpose). Call 778-351-1145 to set up your appointment at Hear Inc. for all of your hearing needs.
Martine Schlagintweit
S
pringtime is a wonderful time to take an outing to the Saanich Peninsula, where we all love to see the wild crocuses, cherry trees, daffodils and baby lambs in the fields. No trip to the area is complete without a stop at the Brentwood Bay Village Empourium, awarded the Times Colonist Readers’ Choice Award for Best Coffee Shop. Empourium has become a sought-after destination: a welcoming cafe and retail store where excellent coffee, delicious food, live music, arts and retail coexist. Relax indoors or out under an umbrella or marquis, and enjoy a latte, wine, beer or old-fashioned milkshake. Empourium’s food and beverage offerings feature an evolving menu with a great selection of freshly baked treats such as Apple Crumble Pullaparts, Triple Chocolate Cake and fresh fruit muffins, plus a delicious selection of panini, house-made soups, sandwiches and salads. Catering is available
Aisling Smyth
“As independent audiologists, we work for you, not a hearing aid manufacturer.”
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· Eat · · Drink · · Browse· 7 days a week empourium.ca
for special events, meetings and more. Live music and art are also a big part of the Empourium vibe. Friday nights feature local, professional talent, touring musicians and talented locals come out to Open Mic nights to share music, stories, spoken word and more. Th is family-owned, independent shop is also fi lled with beautiful and unusual merchandise sourced from local, regional and global makers. Whether you are shopping for yourself or looking for a gift , you are sure to find something amazing from the eclectic retail area. Empourium also boasts a five star ranking on Trip Advisor and other review platforms. As one recent reviewer raved, ‘’I absolutely love this coffee shop!! Their Malahat Mist/London Fog is so creamy and delicious and their breakfast paninis are HEAVENLY! They have a lovely range of sweets... they support local artists by carrying their art creations on their shelves and also host local musicians. I absolutely love the atmosphere and it truly shows that the employees love their jobs!’’ Find out what others already know with a trip to Brentwood Bay Village Empourium.
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