The Best Home Remedies For Ear Infections
I did extensive research about the natural remedies most popular among moms who prefer a holistic approach to health and wellness. Most moms used some variation of natural ear drops for ear infection relief for their little ones and found that this treatment choice was effective for pain management.
Additionally, many discussed using homemade remedies with their Pediatrician, and were pleasantly surprised that most were on board with trying garlic oil with or without additional herbs, whether homemade or bought at a pharmacy.
These were among holistic moms favorite home remedies for ear infections. Any product linked is available on Amazon:
How Do I Use It
While theres no clear evidence about the effectiveness of olive oil on its own for common ear problems, its also not associated with any serious health consequences, so you can still try it to see for yourself.
To apply drops to your ear, use a glass dropper or you can dip a cotton swab in olive oil and allow the excess to drip into your ear. Dont put the cotton swab or any other object in your ear.
You can use room-temperature olive oil, though some people prefer to warm it up in a pan over low heat. Make sure to test the temperature on your skin first. The oil should be just slightly warm, not hot.
Follow these instructions to safely apply olive oil to your ears at home:
Tailor the application to your need, and contact your doctor if you arent seeing the desired results:
Use Garlic Oil In Your Ear
Lets start with garlic oil for your ear infection. Garlic is one of the best natural remedies for any infection. It holds antibacterial properties that will kill any bacteria found in your body. It also has antifungal and antiviral properties, helping to improve infections that arent necessarily bacterial. Nothing has been able to gain a resistance against this natural remedy.
You can put garlic cloves into your ear, but you can use garlic oil. Opt for the health store varieties rather than from your local grocery store. You want to make sure that the garlic oil is raw and hasnt had other ingredients placed inside it. The other ingredients can limit the garlic from working.
Most childhood ear infections will be viral based and not bacterial. Garlic oil is safe for use in a childs ear in moderation.
The garlic oil will also help to reduce inflammation within the ear. This helps to speed up the process of healing while preventing the infection and inflammation from getting deeper into the ear.
There shouldnt be any pain when using a few drops of garlic ear. You dont want to massage the oil into the ear, either. Just let it sit and do its work and allow it to drip back out naturally.
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Best Natural Remedies To Get Rid Of Earache And Ear Infection
Sravia Sivaram
Ear pain is an annoying condition that can mess with ones life. If it becomes an ear infection, then it just gets more worser from there.
Are you one of those who does not wish to consult a doctor for this? Then, this article is for you. Here, we have presented a list of top natural remedies that will cure ear pain in a jiffy.
The remedies are completely natural and you do not require any medicine that comes with other side effects. The cure for your ear pain is right there in your kitchen, so why not just take a look at these?
Some of the main factors that lead to an ear infection are wax buildup, upper respiratory infections, food allergies, nutritional deficiencies and internal injuries.
Some of the symptoms that occur as part of an ear infection are ear pain, headache, sleeping issues, tugging at the ear, weak response to sound, fluid drain from ears, vomiting, diarrhoea and many more.
Ear infection can occur in any of three parts of the ear namely, the outer, middle and inner ear. It is necessary to treat ear infection so as to prevent grave complications to the ear drums.
Read this article to know more about the best natural remedies for ear pain.
Foods High In Efas Omega
Essential fatty acids such as EPA and DHA are known for their anti-inflammatory effect. It is probably less known that these fatty acids can help prevent or delay hearing loss.
The fish species with the highest levels of omega-3 FAs and lowest levels of contaminants are anchovies, Atlantic herring, salmon, trout and sardines
Fiorini, Costa Filho & Scorza Can you hear me now?
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Pain Relievers For Earaches
If you or your child is experiencing an infection, youll likely want relief from the pain fast.
For quick relief, your doctor may also suggest reaching for an over-the-counter pain reliever, with or without the addition of antibiotics.
Acetaminophen or ibuprofen could help, though youll always want to check with your doctor to be sure.
Preventing A Middle Ear Infection
There are several ways to help children avoid a middle ear infection. They include:
- Breastfeeding rather than bottle feeding
- Avoiding a childââ¬â¢s exposure to tobacco smoke
- Ensuring a child is up-to-date with their routine vaccinations ââ¬â particularly the pneumococcal vaccine and the DTaP/IPV/Hib vaccine
- Avoiding situations where exposure to bacterial infection is a risk
- Avoiding use of a pacifier
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How To Prevent And Treat Ear Infections Naturally
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Did you know you could treat ear infections naturally without antibiotics? Learn all about ear infections here.
This is a guest post by Sheila Kilbane, MD. She is a board certified pediatrician who also trained with Andrew Weil, MD at the University of Arizona in integrative medicine.
As an integrative pediatrician, I have built my current medical practice upon real food. I have seen the affects of synthetic processed foods on children and anything I can do to help spread the word about whole food nutrition makes me over the moon excited!
Baby Ear Infection Home Remedies
According to WebMd:
Ear infections occur in the space behind the eardrum, which is called the middle ear. Ear infections are more likely to occur after a cold or other upper respiratory infection has been present for a few days.
During a cold, throat infection, or allergy attack, the tube that connects the throat and the middle ear swells and prevents air from entering the middle ear. This can create suction, which pulls fluid into the middle ear space. The fluid becomes trapped in the middle ear, allowing viruses or bacteria to grow and cause infection.
Ear infections are a common occurrence in childhood because the eustachian tube is still developing and is more horizontal than vertical, which means it doesnt drain efficiently. The middle ear infection occurs because bacteria or a virus, most likely from allergies or a cold, create congestion in the eustachian tube. As the fluid builds, the inner ear infection grows and has a difficult time draining. The good news is that they are not contagious and only 1 in 8 children needs antibiotics. The other 7 out of 8 will recover with a little R& R and some simple treatments you can do right at home using common household items like face oil, garlic, and hot water!
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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.
If None Of This Is Cutting It For You
If you’ve been trying out your home remedies, or popping the OTC-painkillers, and you’re not seeing an improvement in your ear pain after three or four days, its definitely time to go see your doctor for extra help .
You can also pay a visit to your chiropractor, Dr. Kim says, for a circulation-boosting neck adjustment. She also recommends acupuncture. “Acupuncture helps to break up that stagnation and allows qi to flow smoothly in the body, Dr. Kim says. It also treats the root cause of why someone might have an ear infection based in Chinese medicine diagnostics that are completed by the doctor to figure out a patient’s individual unique imbalances.
So next time your ears are burning , take heart in knowing that there are a few easy DIY remedies to ease the achy, angry feeling.
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Sleep Without Putting Pressure On The Ear
Some sleep positions will aggravate pain from ear infections, while some can help relieve it. Sleep with the affected ear raised instead of having it faced down toward the pillow. This can help the ear drain better if necessary.
You can also sleep with your head elevated by using extra pillows. This can also help the ears drain faster.
Cold Or Warm Compresses
People often use ice packs or warm compresses, like a heating pad or damp washcloth, to relieve pain. The same can be done for ear pain. This method is safe for both children and adults.
Place the ice pack or warm compress over the ear and alternate between warm and cold after 10 minutes. If you prefer either cold or warm, you can use just one compress.
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Home Care To Relieve Ear Pain
If you have ear pain, itâs a good idea to talk with your doctor about it.
Thereâs little research to say whether or not home care works, but most doctors agree these treatments are safe to try yourself:
A cool or warm compress. Soak a washcloth in either cool or warm water, wring it out, and then put it over the ear that’s bothering you. Try both temperatures to see if one helps you more than the other.
A heating pad: Lay your painful ear on a warm, not hot, heating pad.
Over-the-counter ear drops with pain relievers. If they help at all, itâs only briefly. You shouldnât use these drops if your eardrum has a tear or hole, so check with your doctor first.
Pain reliever. Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen can often relieve the pain of an earache. Ask your doctor which is right for you.
Chew gum. If youâre on an airplane or driving at high altitudes and your ear pain is from the change in air pressure, chew some gum. It can help lower that pressure and ease your symptoms.
Sleep upright. While it may sound strange, resting or sleeping sitting up rather than lying down can encourage fluid in your ear to drain. This could ease pressure and pain in your middle ear. Prop yourself up in bed with a stack of pillows, or sleep in an armchair thatâs a bit reclined.
Can I Stop Recurring Ear Infections
Over 50% of children will experience an ear infection by their third birthday, and a large portion of these will have recurring ear infections.
Having to deal with an ear infection yet again can be so annoying! Thankfully there are multiple ways of healing ear infections naturally and putting a stop to recurring ear infections. Lets look at some of them.
These are ways of dealing with recurring ear infections that research shows actually work:
- removing adenoids and using ear tubes
- reducing or eliminating the use of pacifiers
- avoiding cigarette smoke
- washing hands often
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Why The American Academy Of Pediatrics Now Recommends The Wait & See Approach ^
Even if an infection is present, according to CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton most ear infections are viral in nature and wont respond to antibiotics anyway.
So what will that course of antibiotics really do to help? If the earache has been misdiagnosed absolutely nothing. Or worse, according to Consumer Reports it may actually cause future ear infections!
The AAP Guidelines now state that antibiotics should not be prescribed unless there is an obvious ear infection a very bulging tympanic membrane. If fluid is present some parents might insist on a swab culture to confirm it is bacterial rather than viral before considering antibiotics. If they do, chances are the earache will resolve on its own before the results come back. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, that may be for the best anyway. Most ear infections whether truly an infection or not clear up without any treatment.
According to a Cochrane Review which reviewed earache treatments for several thousand children, researchers found that antibiotics did not decrease pain within the first 24 hours. About 60% of children recovered on their own by this point.
There was no difference in pain between treated and untreated children three to seven days and 11 to 14 days after assessment, and researchers found that there was also no difference in the long-term outcomes they examined.
How To Use It
If using OTC drops, follow the directions on the label.
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What Are The Signs Of Ear Infections In Dogs
Ear infections can be painful or itchy, so here are some common signs youll know something is wrong with your dogs ears.
- Head tilting towards the side with the infection
- Head shaking
- Scratching or pawing at ears
- Rubbing ears
- Crusty, scabby or red, irritated skin inside the ear flap
In severe cases your dog may experience
- Hearing loss
- Dry eye, nystagmus
- Drooping of eyelids or mouth, drooling
- Dropping food, difficulty eating or drinking
If you see any of these serious symptoms, you need to see your vet.
Here’s What I Tell My Patients
Most ear infections are self-limiting that means they go away with time, patience, and supportive therapies.
Amazingly, approximately 80% of kids with acute otitis media get better without antibiotics in 2-7 days! Not only that, they have no increased risk of hearing problems, ear infections in the other ear, or need for more invasive medical intervention. Also, they do not have any of the adverse outcomes that kids who received antibiotics experienced including the development of antibiotic resistant pneumonia. Those who went on to need antibiotics did just as well as kids who had received them from the onset of infection.
So a watch and wait attitude with some comfort measures is often all thats needed. But if your child doesnt recover in 48 or so hours, or worsens, an antibiotic can still be prescribed. Lets check in in 24 hours and see how things are going. You can speak with my nurse, and if she feels things arent improving, shell put you through to talk with me and well figure out the next steps together.
In the meanwhile, you might want to consider natural therapies and comforting treatments. Ive used natural remedies for kids ear infections for 3 decades and have not been disappointed! Herbal treatment can work quite well to relieve earache symptoms and infection. These are the first-line treatments I suggest to my own friends and family in addition to my patients.
To Reduce Pain
Natural Antimicrobials
Garlic-Mullein Earache Oil
In general:
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How Do You Treat A Minor Ear Infection
Treatment
Lemon For Bacterial Infection
Lemon is another home remedy that treats many infections caused by bacteria, especially respiratory infection. Lemon can help to remove the mucus accumulated in the respiratory tract. Moreover, drinking lemon juice also gets rid of the bacteria trapped in the mucous. Therefore, lemon is indispensable on the list of tips on how to treat bacterial infection.
Besides, let us remind you of another important health benefit of lemon, which is its ability to combat allergy and asthma thanks to the significant amount of vitamin C it contains. If you want to investigate deeper, you can follow this link.
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It Might Not Cure Cancer But
Some research suggests that eating garlic may help prevent certain kinds of cancer, reports the National Cancer Institute. For example, studies have found a link between a diet rich in garlic and lower risk of stomach, colon, esophagus, pancreas, and breast cancers.
While this research is promising, no clinical trials have explored the potential cancer-fighting perks of a garlic-rich diet, warns the
NCCIH . It can thin your blood, which may be risky if you have a bleeding disorder or upcoming surgery. It can also interfere with saquinavir, a drug used to treat HIV. Ask your doctor for more information about potential risks and side effects of taking garlic for your health.
Although the strong garlic flavor can be wonderful in food, you may not love its effects on your breath. To help ward off bad breath from garlic, eat it with an apple or a mix of apple vinegar and water with honey. A lemon wedge may also do the trick.