Home Remedies For Ear Infection
Certain home remedies can be used by people at home to relieve earaches that are less severe and less painful.
How Does Olive Oil Help Ear Infections
Olive oil contains fragile polyphenols, which are antioxidants that protect us from cell damage and help control inflammation. When the oil is heated, these polyphenols are greatly reduced, or even eliminated. Olive oil has antibacterial and antiviral properties when raw that directly help attack ear infections. This is why it can be used to avoid using antibiotics and the gut damage that follows.
Olive oil is also mildly acidic and astringent. It greatly helps to soften ear wax which can contribute to ear pain.
In addition to these benefits, olive oil lowers the risk of cancer, arthritis, diabetes, depression and other diseases. It also helps to lower blood pressure. It is a great cooking oil to use for salads, sauces, sandwiches, etc.
When you use olive oil for ear infections, these properties help to control inflammation and fight the infection.
Otitis Media: Which Home Remedies Help
Children between the ages of six months and six years are particularly often affected by otitis media. The reason for this is, among other things, their short ear trumpet, which swells when there is inflammation, which means that pressure equalization and the outflow of liquids cannot take place as usual. But adults can also be affected by the spontaneously occurring disease. The use of a red light lamp and onions have proven themselves as home remedies for middle ear infections. But even a drained and cooled chamomile tea bag has an anti-inflammatory effect.
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How Garlic Can Fight And Cure Ear Infections
I discovered the true power of fresh garlic a little over 15 years ago. My oldest son had chronic ear infections starting from a very young age, and he was on prescription antibiotics almost constantly. He ended up having drainage tubes surgically placed in his ears about 5 or 6 times.
I of course, got very frustrated with the constant medications and surgeries. They just weren’t doing the trick and my son was losing his hearing too. So I started investigating alternative medicine options. At the time I figured I had to try something, so even though some things sounded really weird, I was willing to at least give it a whirl.
Not long after starting this search for alternative remedies, I happened upon some information about using garlic to kill ear infections. Now this is the weird part, but stick with me for a minute here: It really does work.
How to use fresh Garlic to kill ear infection pain within about 15 minutes, and clear up the infection completely in about 48 hours:
It’s best to do this right before bed, and leave the garlic in the ear all night. It will likely fall out sometime during the night, but it should stay in there for at least a few hours. And that’s plenty long enough.
Recurring Ear Infections: One Mom’s Struggle And Triumph
Kaleb is a 13-year-old boy who is a current patient at Natural Choice Pediatrics. He struggled with chronic ear infections starting around six months of age.
The family was new to Texas at the
time and hadnt found a pediatrician they liked, so they bounced from one to another with no success.
With each new pediatrician and new ear infection, Kaleb was prescribed more antibiotics. The antibiotics cleared the ear infections, but the infections kept recurring. It clearly was no cure it was simply a temporary fix. Additionally, with each new diagnosis, there was discussion of tube surgery for Kaleb.
After further searching, the family found Natural Choice Pediatrics. The practitioner offered a unique recommendation, garlic oil ear drops. They suggested the use of garlic ear drops at the onset of an ear infection. Mom had never heard of this remedy, but liked that it was natural and she was willing to give it a try. Mom reported noticing results after a few days of using the drops. It completely cleared up that first ear infection and every one after that. Now when Mom suspects an ear infection in any of her kids, she begins the drops a few times a day and the issue always resolves.
Mom shared, I am happy to say that my first son , nor any of my next seven children, have ever used an antibiotic to treat an ear infection! Garlic drops are simply amazing. I literally tell every mom I know.
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Garlic Can Provide Effective Relief From Sinus Try It Now
Written by Bhakti Paun Sharma | Published : July 27, 2015 1:57 PM IST
Is your sinusitis giving you a tough time? Using medication to treat it every time isn t a very good idea. Garlic is one of the wonder foods and has been used since time immemorial to treat not just cough and cold, but also to keep other infections at bay. Read about 15 other health benefits of garlic.
How does garlic help?
Compounds like Allicin present in garlic exhibit antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Other compounds like alliin and ajoene present in garlic have a healing effect on your circulatory and immunological systems.
Fact Or Fiction: Garlic Oil Helps Cure Ear Infections
You know the drill: a red, uncomfortable ear, crying in the middle of the night, and probably a fever. Its another ear infection.
If your child is prone to getting painful ear infections and you spend some time on the Internet looking for home remedies, youre likely to run across references to garlic oil as a curative for ear infections. But is there any truth to it?
Garlic and garlic oil have been used for centuries as a remedy for naturally relieving the pain of ear infections. In fact, an active ingredient in garlic is allicin, which studies say has antibacterial and antiviral properties that can help an ear infection resolve more quickly.
Garlic and garlic oil have been used for centuries as a remedy for naturally relieving the pain of ear infections.
Two clinical studies evaluating the use of an herbal mixture of mullein and garlic in children with ear infections showed that the treatments were effective in reducing pain and discomfort. However, the researchers stated that the garlic oil may have had little effect on the infection itself since the eardrum creates a natural barrier to reaching the infection site. As a result, the infection resolved on its own.
Some experts say that herbal extracts may be beneficial and offer new options in the treatment of the ear pain associated with infections. These extracts can also be much less expensive than some prescription pain medication drops.
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Can I Substitute Another Type Of Oil
I highly recommend using extra virgin olive oil because of the properties it has inherently. However, you can also make garlic oil for ear infections with a good quality sesame oil or coconut oil.
I would not use vegetable oils such as canola, corn, rapeseed, etc to make this garlic oil remedy. These vegetable oils can cause or worsen inflammation. I would personally choose the coconut oil for ear infection relief if I could not access olive oil.
How To Make Home Remedy Ear Infection Drops
It’s extremely easy AND affordable! Have you ever purchased prescription ear drops? You could buy an old used car for the same price. However, a bottle of the ear drops our ENT prescribed is $160. Um, that’s a lot of money. When you can make home remedy ear infection drops for $5.
The most expensive part of these ear drops is the therapeutic grade tea tree oil, which is $19 at wholesale price. And that’s the entire bottle, which has so many more uses.
To make these, you simply cook two raw cloves of garlic in two tablespoons of olive oil or fractionated coconut oil until fragrant. Strain and pour it in a sterile dropper bottle, and add 6-8 drops of pure tea tree oil. That’s it!
I store this ear oil in the fridge for up to one week, and then make a new batch as needed after that.
To reheat, place the bottle of ear oil in a bowl of hot water for 1-2 minutes. Ensure the oil is not too hot by testing a drop on your hand. You can also use a thermometer to test the temperature of the oil.
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Other Treatments For Ear Pain
Garlic isnt your only option when it comes to treating an ear infection.
Middle ear infections often go away without medication, and symptoms can be relieved using over-the-counter pain relievers. Applying warm or cold compresses may also offer some relief, along with other home remedies for earaches.
If you or your child have ear pain that persists or is accompanied by a fever and face pain, see your doctor.
The Claim: Garlic Removes Ear Pain Ear Infections And Headaches
Treating an ear problem is as simple as putting garlic in your ear, according to a popular social media claim.
“Did you know? Garlic helps remove pain in ears, ear infections, and headaches quickly and effectively,” reads the text of a Facebook post . “Simply, put a cleaned garlic clove in your ear it fits perfectly in ear, as an earplugs until you feel relief!”
The post generated close to 1,500 interactions and 1,700 shares in less than three weeks. Several social media users
But the claim is false.
Garlic won’t do anything to help with earaches, ear infections or headaches, doctors say. It can also pose hazards when placed in the ear canal.
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook users who shared the claim for comment.
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Garlic & Mullein Oil For Ear Infections
Crying, pulling on red, irritated little ears, boogery noses & cold symptoms that go along with it. Uhg. The dreaded ear infection. Fortunately we have not dealt with ear infections with our children yet, but I like to be prepared with the knowledge and supplies to treat things as they come up. That I why I am sharing my newest recipe, garlic & mullein oil, to add to your stash of natural health boosters! Though my children havent had to deal with an ear infection yet thankfully, I did try mullein oil myself when I was experiencing absolutely excruciating pressure and pain in my ear one night. It would not even let me lay down in bed comfortably, let alone get a bit of sleep, and I was miserable. To treat myself, I warmed up the mullein oil, put some drops in my ear, and laid on my side to keep the oil in my ear. After hours of being in excruciating pain I comfortably relaxed on the sofa and fell asleep watching a movie within 35 minutes. I call that a success!
These Home Remedy Ear Infection Drops Actually Work
I’ve used every ear infection support available. Antibiotics, costly ear drops, ear tubes, warm compresses, decongestants… EVERYTHING.
The first time I used these drops on my five-year-old at his initial complaint of an ear ache due to congestion from a cold, he immediately felt better, and didn’t have any symptoms the next day.
That first-hand experience right there gives me everything I need to continue using these beautiful plant medicines. For which I am immensely grateful. And I hope these can support and educate you in your wellness journey for your family, too!
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Garlic Olive Oil And Calendula Petals For Ear Infection
Now is the addition of calendula petals to the mixture of olive oil and garlic for ear infection treatment. Calendula petals, in fact, have relieving properties to ease the pain and infection as well.
- Take an oven dish then place 1/2 oz of crushed garlic cloves with 1/2 ounce of calendula petals into and cover it with olive oil stirring well.
- Heat them in the oven to 200 degrees for a few minutes then turn it off but still let it stay in the oven for 8 hours
- Strain the oil, store it in a jar, and keep it in the refrigerator
- Drop 3 to 5 drops of this oil into the infected ear to get relief.
- Repeat regularly.
Read more: Natural home remedies for clogged ears
Garlic And St Johnswort Oil
St. Johnswort oil is known as a herbs oil that is softly sweet, earthy, and helpful for balancing and comforting the skin, muscle, and circulatory channels. This herb oil is also combined with garlic for ear infection treatment as follows:
- Make a mixture of half Johnswort oil, half garlic, a little of mullein oil, and a few drops of grapefruit seed extract.
- Use an ear dropper to drop the mixture into your affected ear.
- Repeat twice a day.
Learn more: How to treat ear infection at home naturally
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How Can Garlic Help With Ear Infections
Garlic shares many of the benefits that olive oil offers, including being full of antioxidants. It is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and helps protect against cancer.
This member of the allium family is high in sulfur compounds which aid the body in detoxification. It even helps our bodies to avoid forming carcinogens from overcooked meat! Garlic helps with iron absorption and is a good source of Vitamin C, manganese, selenium, and other important vitamins and minerals.
These are only some of the wonderful benefits that garlic has to offer, and unfortunately many of them are quickly destroyed by heat. For this reason it is often recommended to add garlic when a dish is done, or very close to being done. This way you can take advantage of all the health benefits it has to offer.
Garlic is important for ear infection remedies because it is potent and helps stop ear infections and the associated pain fast.
Health Benefits Of Garlic
Research has shown that garlic offers many health benefits. Although the mechanism is not widely known, studies have shown that consuming garlic or garlic oil extract has antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiprotozoal properties:
- Antiviral: Garlic has shown to be helpful in the fight against various strains of flu viruses and other viruses such as cytomegalovirus and rhinovirus.
- Antibacterial: Garlic may be effective against many types of bacteria, including salmonella, E. coli, and staph infection. Its thought that garlic can be beneficial to gut bacteria as well.
- Antifungal: Fungi that have been shown to be sensitive to garlic include Candida,Aspergillus, and Cryptococcus. Garlic extract is thought to reduce the growth of fungus and damage its membranes.
- Antiprotozoal: Studies have shown that garlic can effectively treat protozoa, small organisms that can cause illness. The compounds allicin, ajoene, and organosulfides in garlic are thought to be the reason for their antiprotozoal properties.
Although garlic contains these properties, it doesnt mean that it can fight off infection without any other medical intervention.
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Fever In Young Infants
If a baby younger than 3 months old has a rectal temperature or forehead temperature of 100.4 F or higher, they need to go to the emergency room, even if there are no other symptoms.
For infants age 6 months or older, toddlers, and older children: Acetaminophen or ibuprofen are options.
Never give children aspirin, as it puts them at risk of a rare but serious condition known as Reye’s syndrome.
For adults: Acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen can help. Neither aspirin nor naproxen should be given to children unless directed by a healthcare provider.
Garlic Is Not Effective Treatment For Earaches
Dr. Spencer Payne, an ear, nose and throat physician at University of Virginia Health, told USA TODAY there is no scientific proof to back up the claim.
Garlic cloves, depending on how far they are placed in the ear, have the potential to damage the eardrum, cause infection and leave rashes or irritation.
“The other possibility is that you can’t get it out,” Payne said. “Specifically organic material, you’re at much increased risk if you can’t get it back out. We do generally recommend not putting anything in your ear.”
Experts told USA TODAY many factors can lead to earaches, ear infections and headaches, and patients should be evaluated by their health care provider.
Dr. Douglas Hildrew, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Yale Medicine, said chronic ear pain tends to come from an inflammation of the jaw joint.
“A really nice way to test that you put your finger in your ear canal and pull forward towards your jaw joint and open and close your jaw,” Hildrew said. “If you feel like popping or clicking or grinding, that’s a pretty sure conclusion there’s some instability of that joint.”
Warm compresses, decreased activity and avoiding hard to eat or chewy foods can help manage jaw joint pain, Payne said.
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Upper respiratory viral infections or bacterial infections from the sinuses can also cause middle ear infections, called otitis media, according to Stewart.
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