Health Gazelle: Earaches

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Earaches

This was originally a post about earaches in children that I wrote for a public forum. It has been edited a few times, so I suspect that it doesn't flow as well as it could since it is somewhat piecemeal.

There is a lot you can do to avoid antibiotics. My kids are both teens now. Me and both kids have serious histories of ear infections. One of my kids has been on antibiotics only once in the past 8 years or so. The other child has not been on any antibiotics for anything in more than 8 years. He has a compromised immune system (i.e. CF). They both used to routinely take antibiotics for ear infections.

A friend of mine, who happens to be a massage therapist, recently referred me to a book called "No More Amoxicillan". I haven't gotten around to checking it out. She spoke highly of it.

Some of the important things we do: One child has a problem with waxy build-up. Keeping the ears clear of this will reduce the odds of an ear infection developing.

Treat any allergies or sinus problems: decongestants, anti-inflammatories like advil (not tylenol) and antihistamines can help. The vast majority of my ear problems are directly due to drainage from my serious sinus problems. (Also see the Saline Solution and Xylitol Solution pages.)

You can use a bulb syringe to help clear the clogged sinuses of an infant. That can make a difference.

At the first sign of earache in one of my kids, I make up a mild solution of diluted hydrogen peroxide (at least 3 parts water to 1 part peroxide) and use a bulb syringe to put it in his ear. It can help to just irrigate the outer ear and kill what germs are there but, if the child is old enough to cooperate, it is far more effective to leave it in for 30 to 45 minutes. It takes that long to drip through the ear membrane and treat the middle ear, which is often where recurrent ear infections originate. I have the kid lay down, put the solution in the ear, cover it with a washclothe (so when he sits up it has someplace to drain) and watch TV or videotapes for 30 to 45 minutes. Then do it again on the other side. If you catch it early, this can kill the germs before it becomes a full blown infection.

Update:These days, we routinely use diet tonic water with peroxide. Tonic water contains quinine, a powerful alkaloid and natural anti-parasitic which comes from the Cinchona tree. It powerfully boosts the effect of the peroxide without being excessively harsh on the skin and other tissues the way pure peroxide can be. If you routinely treat your ears in this manner, you should also periodically buy a kit for cleaning out ear wax or for treating "swimmer's ear". Constantly irrigating the ears with a medicinal solution eventually causes a build-up of residue inside the ear and this residue can both interfere with your hearing and also tends to promote infection.

Warm baths and wrapping the child up in a blanket for 15 minutes afterwards can work like a "mini-fever" to help kill the germs before it becomes a full blown infection. Give the child lots to drink and a salty snack so they don't become dehydrated from this. Orange juice or a banana is also recommended if you do it for several days in a row. Use this method conservatively: it can be hard on the body (but so are antibiotics). When this method stops being effective, sometimes hot and cold treatment works better. It works because all organisms have an optimal range of temperature to live in. If you use heat treatments a LOT, the organisms which survive can eventually become resistant to the heat. At that point, they are then more vulnerable to cold treatments. A hot bath followed by a cold shower

Treat the diarhea from antibiotics with organic yogurt, acidopholus milk, or other sources of pro-biotics so the child can recover from what the antibiotics have done to them. Repeated use of antibiotics can weaken the body if the side-effects they cause are left untreated. I know this oh-so-well: I and one son have serious health problems. If you do not support the body under the assault of antibiotics, it can become a vicious cycle where the body becomes too weak to fight infection any other way.

For a child with chronic problems, cranberry juice or cranberry supplements can be helpful. Scientific research now shows that the reason that cranberry can be an effective treatment for urinary tract infections (a very old home remedy) is that cranberry makes it harder for germs to stick to mucous membranes. I and the son with health problems take cranberry extract daily.

Chamomile tea is a natural antibiotic as well. It is slightly bitter. No biggie: if you use the damp teabags as a poultice directly on the skin, taste is not an issue and it is more effective than drinking it. Be sure to use an old towel to cover it: you will NEVER get the tea stains out!

The ears, nose, mouth, and throat are ALL interconnected and you need to clean ALL of these areas if you want to effectively treat any one of them. When I am sick, I soak my toothbrush in peroxide overnight every night, brush, floss, gargle and then irrigate my ears.

See if the kid is allergic to something: a constantly stuffy nose draining into the eustachian tubes can be a huge factor in chronic ear problems. To address allergy issues, see also A Clean Bed and Food Allergies Et Al.

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