How Does This Happen
The typical scenario involves an upper respiratory infection such as a cold or the flu. This may produce some discomfort in the ear or even more subtle signs such as tugging at an ear. A quick trip to a primary care provider prompts a peek into the ear and a diagnosis. In some cases, the child actually experiences an earache, but in many others, this “infection” is asymptomaticit does not produce any noteworthy symptoms.
More often than not, this diagnosis results in a prescription for antibiotics, usually a broad spectrum second or third generation antibiotic . The prescription is taken and within a few days, symptoms subside.
While this scene plays out all over the country, many parents dont realize that this standard practice is in direct conflict with evidence-based medicine, AAP guidelines, and the standard of care for ear infections across the world. Even fewer parents realize that this standard practice may be causing our children more harm than benefit.
Symptoms Of A Middle Ear Infection
A middle ear infection generally develops very rapidly.
Signs and symptoms in children may include:
- Ear pain
- A child may excessively pull, tug or touch their ears
Symptoms of a middle ear infection in adults may include:
- Ear pain
- Partial hearing loss/muffled hearing
- Fluid in the ear or yellow, clear or bloody discharge from the ears
It is important to consult a doctor when:
- Symptoms develop in a child of six months or younger
- A child displays symptoms for 48 hours or more and has a temperature of 39 C or more
- Symptoms show no sign of improvement after two or three days
- Symptoms become worse rather than better over the first few days
- Discharge presents itself
- Symptoms are experienced by a person with an underlying health condition, such as cystic fibrosis or congenital heart disease, which could make complications more likely
Warm Garlic Oil For Ear Infection Treatment
Warm garlic oil is another form of using garlic for ear infection as well. The process is also easy as follows:
- Stir a bowl of garlic oil with a bowl of hot water and heat the solution for a few minutes
- Pull the ear back and up while dropping few drops in the affected ear
- Keep your ears for 5 to 10 minutes then cover them with small cotton balls.
- Apply this method daily.
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Benefits Of Garlic For Ear Pain
Garlic for ear pain is one of the most used herbs that not only add flavor to your dishes but also serves numerous health benefits. This herbal ingredient has the potential to naturally heal your body of many ailments and maintain optimal health and wellbeing. This herb serves a very important role in treating pain related to the ear, joint pain, tooth pain, etc.
When To See A Doctor For An Earache
Sometimes no amount of self-care or over-the-counter medication can help an ear infection. Knowing when to see a doctor can help further complications from developing.
If your earache is severe or accompanied by other symptoms such as a fever or hearing loss, you should see a doctor. You might be referred to an ear, nose, and throat doctor.
In some cases, people with a chronic ear infection may need to have surgery. Doctors can put small tubes into the eardrum that will help prevent ear infections. The tubes allow air to flow into the middle ear and fluid to drain.
Leaving an ear infection untreated can cause the infection to spread or cause permanent problems with balance and hearing loss.
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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.
Whats The Evidence That Natural Treatments Can Work For Ear Infections
In one study, an herbal ear drop containing extracts of garlic, calendula, St Johns wort and mullein flower herbs which have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties was found to be as effective in reducing ear pain compared with an anesthetic ear drop. Another study found that the same herbal ear drop along with lavender and Vitamin E were more effective in reducing ear pain than when those same ear drops were given with amoxicillin!
Individualized homeopathic medicines have also been shown to be effective in reducing pain and the need for antibiotics, and at least as effective as conventional treatments. One study found that an individualized homeopathic medicine was effective in controlling pain in 39% of patients after 6 hours, and another 33% of patients after 12 hours thats nearly ¾ of kids with complete pain control within 12 hours! There is NO antibiotic that is going to work as fast!
What are these natural treatments, you ask?
Natural remedies work best when individualized to your childs specific symptoms, and there are too many specific medicines to list.
In the meantime, here is my top list of natural remedies that I recommend to treat kids with ear infections safely and effectively.
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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.
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Olive Oil And Garlic For Ear Infection Pain
Ear infections can hurt! Topical drops can ease the pain while watching to see if antibiotics are necessary. And if antibiotics are needed, while waiting for antibiotics to take effect.
A study in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine evaluated prescription anesthetic ear drops versus an herbal product from Israel. Otikon Otic Solution in olive oil augmented by herbal extracts including garlic, mullein, and St. Johnâs wort. In this study of about 100 children, the herbal drops worked as well as the prescription drops. This is great news, except the study is from July 2001 and Otikon Otic Solution is no longer available, or at least not in the United States.
From my perspective, eardrops of some type should play a large role in the management of ear infections. My favorite would be to use garlic oil for ear infections, in a potent high-quality extra virgin olive oil as a base. They would include mullein and other key organic and wild foraged herbs.
Many ear infections can be safely managed without antibiotics if children are given pain relief while their bodies fight off the infections. Those infections that do require antibiotics generally cause enough pain that pain-relief drops should be used as well.
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What Not To Do
If your dog is indeed suffering from an ear infection, avoid letting him go for a swim. Infections caused by yeast and bacteria thrive in warm, moist environments, so try to keep the ear clean and dry. Do not use any cotton-tipped swabs as they are likely to push any debris farther into the ear canal, compounding the problem.
Olive Oil And Tea Tree Oil Concoction
While olive oil has many properties that make it a great home remedy for ear infections, there are a few things that can be mixed with it to give it an added boost. In this recipe, you use olive oil, tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar, and a dash of colloidal silverall of these are well known for their antibacterial and antiseptic properties.
Mix together two tablespoons of olive oil, three drops of tea tree oil, one teaspoon of colloidal silver, and one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Warm the mixture slightly. Lie down with the infected ear facing the ceiling. Using an ear dropper, drop a few drops of the mixture into the ear and allow it to seep in. Leave it for five minutes before you flip over and allow the infected ear to drain . Repeat this two or three times a day.
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Garlic Olive Oil For Ear Infection
Traditional Garlic Olive Oil is a remedy that has been used for dozens, if not hundreds of years for ear infections. Unlike many other conventional remedies, garlic can work with the body and provide relief quickly with long-lasting results.
Antibiotics are often prescribed for ear infections, even though the AAP has not recommended this as a general practice since 2004. Many ear infections are caused by viruses, which are unaffected by antibiotics.
Thousands of children unnecessarily get antibiotics each year for ear infections when the antibiotics are not even effective for most infections. This has potential long-lasting side effects as antibiotics can permanently alter gut bacteria and many types of bacteria are becoming antibiotic resistant due to overuse of these drugs.
Additionally, research has shown that most children fight an ear infection on their own within 24-72 hours without the need for antibiotics or other intervention.
That said, just hearing that your child will be better in 1-3 days is not comforting to a mother who is holding her toddler as he or she screams from the pain of an aching ear. Fortunately, there are remedies, like this garlic ear oil, that our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used to ease the pain of ear infection and speed the healing process.
Why it Works:
Important Note:
How Do Essential Oils Work For Ear Infections
Ear infection, or otitis media, is an infection that occurs in the middle ear. The middle ear is the empty space found behind the eardrum. It contains tiny vibrating bones and transfers vibrations to the inner ear. Although ear infections are most commonly found in children, you can have an ear infection at any age.
You can use essential oils topically or inhale their fumes after vaporizing them. For ear infections, you can use essential oils in the ear canal to alleviate symptoms such as pain, ear discharge, and swelling. Some studies suggest that essential oils could also be used to help kill the bacteria that cause ear infections.
You can treat your ear infection with just one essential oil, but some research suggests that using a blend of different kinds will increase the efficacy.
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Ear Infection Home Remedies
Ear infections are very common, especially in children, and can often cause discomfort and pain.
The most common type of ear infection is called a middle ear infection, or otitis media, and almost half of children will have three or more middle ear infections before their third birthday.
A slightly less common type of infection is otitis externa, an infection of the outer ear that is often called swimmers ear.
Not all ear infections, whether they are middle or external ear infections, require antibiotics. Depending on the cause of your infection, your doctor or pediatrician may recommend home remedies that can help soothe your symptoms.
In this article, Ill describe different home remedies for ear infections.
Ill also discuss whether or not ear infections require antibiotics, and when you should reach out to your doctor or pediatrician for further evaluation.
How To Use Garlic Oil
Garlic Oil needs to always be highly diluted! While most oils can be distilled in the air for benefit Garlic oil is not one of them. All that causes is a very potent smell. Garlic oil is best applied to your body.
But this is what you need to remember. Essential oil of garlic is strong and potent and can be very caustic! Just Two drops of garlic essential oil, undiluted, in the ear would burn sufficiently to possibly require medical assistance. So why am I writing about it and claiming it is amazing? Because it truly is if used properly! But you must exercise great caution with it!
It is used for particularly nasty viruses or bacteria because its antimicrobial action is so strong. To achieve the proper dilution you need 2 drops of garlic essential oils in 1 ounce of carrier oil Often you will find just using a toothpick dipped in the Garlic oil then added to the regular dose of Carrier Oil in your palm before application is all you need.
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Bonus Used For Skin Conditions
It is also worth noting that the mullein flower can also be very helpful for treating skin conditions and any general skincare. When mullein flower oil is applied topically, it can treat burns, bruises, hemorrhoids and in some cases gout too. When the mullein is in an oil form it is very good for treating any internal and external inflammation.
Some have even reported using the flowers leaves on their skin to make it softer and more moisturized. If you are to use mullein oil, always patch test skin first before large application as some people have been found to be sensitive to the plant and can have allergic reactions or skin irritation with topical use.
The Wait And See Approach
Mamas, I understand, it can still be difficult making the decision to treat your child from home. When I start to worry and wonder if I can trust myself to treat my child at home, I like to turn to my online functional medical doctor, Aviva Romm. She has the sweetest way of comforting a weary mama right from a computer screen. You can check out her articles on ear infections here and here and be reminded that our bodies have an amazing ability to heal.
If you hop on over to Avivas website, youll see her recommendations for when to visit a doctor, when antibiotics are needed, and when a wait and see approach is best.
My daughter fell into the wait and see approach. I felt comfortable to treat her at home and see if we could get her earache to subside and her fever to break within 48-72 hours.
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Apple Cider Or White Vinegar
Soak a cotton ball in a solution of one part vinegar with one part water or alcohol. Put the cotton ball in the ear and leave for five minutes.
If you or your children often have ear infections, or if these remedies dont work, Dr. Bruce Jones and the staff at the Ear, Sinus & Allergy Center, PA can help! Call 438-1930 today!
Garlic Clove & Garlic Olive Oil For Ear Infections
As Im writing this article, were dealing with 1) ear ache, 2) water trapped from wax build up and 3) an ear infection. Im not sure what exactly prompted the string of ear issues, but when I reached for the same natural remedy for everyones issue, I knew I needed to share my not-so-secret, yet simple elixir.
Watching your little one suffer from an ear infection and ear pain, is really disheartening. So, before I reach out to any doctor, I always whip up this garlic olive oil because it works well, it works fast and its not a pill or antibiotic.
Plus, while antibiotics are often readily prescribed for ear infections, many ear infections are caused by viruses, which are unaffected by antibiotics.
When it comes to natural herbs and remedies to keep in the home for illness, garlic is at the top of my list.
I keep a container of fresh, organic garlic in our pantry because of its antiseptic powers, ability to treat ear issues faster than anything else Ive ever tried, and of course, it tastes delicious in every pasta dish my family begs for.
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Red Light For Ear Pain & Otitis Media
The infrared radiation from red light lamps works wonders for chronic ear pain. The warmth of the lamp stimulates the blood circulation and thus the metabolism of the problematic ear. In this way, inflammatory secretions can flow out of the ear canal, which leads to pain relief. Red light also relieves pain in middle ear infections.
How long and how often red light is used for ear pain depends on the severity of the symptoms. However, make sure that the ear is exposed to the lamp for a maximum of ten minutes and at a minimum distance of 50 centimeters to avoid burns.
How Garlic Is Effective In Ear Infection Treatment
Garlic has many medicinal uses. It is one of the super plant consisting of antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties. It is proven to be one of the super immune booster foods. It can provide pain relief to the infected area which proves to be valuable when needed to apply in sensitive areas. The important thing is it doesnt have any serious side effects contrary to many prescribed medicines.
Topical application of garlic oil or garlic paste can provide comfort when applied in the inflicted areas. In one study of 103 children, Allium sativum or garlic mixture with other herbs was found to be more effective in managing ear infections than other OTC drugs.
In another study done on naturopathic ear drops, which had 170 child patients with ear pain, found that using alone garlic oil mixed with other essential oil drops is more effective in anesthetic ear-numbing drops.
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