Thursday, March 28, 2024

How To Remedy An Ear Infection At Home

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How I Treat Ear Infections Naturally In My Home

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The first thing I do when I suspect an ear infection is grab the hydrogen peroxide.

For the first and second days, I administer peroxide up to four times daily.

I also rub lavender oil behind the ear and down the neck to provide pain relief since we dont have over-the-counter pain killers in our house.

If my child isnt back to her old self by the end of the second day, I call the chiropractor and schedule an adjustment for the third day.

I still continue the peroxide 3 or 4 times a day.

If Im on the third or fourth day of the infection and it shows no sign of improvement at all, Ill pull out the garlic oil and colloidal silver and alternate them, while still using essential oils for pain relief.

Ear infections are VERY rare in our family, but this is the protocol Ive used each time; and neither of my kids have taken an antibiotic in over 10 years.

These 5 natural home remedies for ear infection work quickly for adults and children! I hope youll feel empowered to reduce antibiotic use in your home and give some of these remedies a try next time youre faced with an ear infection!

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

Diagnosing A Middle Ear Infection

A doctor will generally be able to diagnose a middle ear infection by considering a person’s symptoms and looking for specific signs. Using an otoscope , a doctor will be able to look into the ears, throat and nose for any signs of infection. While the area around the eardrum will most likely be red and swollen, this will normally only be noticeable upon examination with an otoscope. The ear itself will generally not be red or swollen.

In some cases, especially when the condition is predicted to have taken the form of otitis media with effusion, a pneumatic otoscope may be used to confirm a diagnosis. This instrument pumps air into the middle ear and measures the resulting pressure changes. If little response is felt, this indicates the presence of fluid in the ear.

To further confirm a middle ear infection diagnosis, a doctor may order a number of further tests, including:

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Earache Remedies You Can Try

1. Hot or cold compress

The skinny: Grab an ice or heat pack and put it onthe affected ear to help with the pain.

Doctors advice: The temperature you use is up to you. Wrap it in a towel tomake sure its not too cold or too hot. You dont want to cause any burns.

2.Over-the-counter pain relievers

The skinny: Pain relievers work as advertised, helping take the edge off the pain.

Doctors advice:Both adults and kids can rest easier when they take acetaminophen or ibuprofen at the right dosage. These medications reduce pain and fever, making you feel more comfortable.

3. Sleep position

The skinny: How you sleep can affect ear pain. Rest with your head on two or more pillows, so the affected ear is higher than the rest of your body. Or if the left ear has an infection, sleep on your right side. Less pressure = less ear pain.

Doctors advice: It could be effective, though a few inches may not make a big difference in pressure measurement. But if it makes you feel better, go for it.

When To Contact A Medical Professional

10 Quick Home Remedies for Ear Infections (with Step

Contact your provider if:

  • You have swelling behind the ear.
  • Your symptoms get worse, even with treatment.
  • You have high fever or severe pain.
  • Severe pain suddenly stops, which may indicate a ruptured eardrum.
  • New symptoms appear, especially severe headache, dizziness, swelling around the ear, or twitching of the face muscles.

Let the provider know right away if a child younger than 6 months has a fever, even if the child doesn’t have other symptoms.

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Ear Infection In Children:

Ear infections are one of the most common illnesses in childhood stage besides the common cold. Many children with ear infection experience a ruptured eardrum. It can easily heal in one or two weeks. But parents can undertake a few home remedies.

How to deal with it:

  • Place a warm compress over your childs ear for 10-15 minutes to reduce earache
  • Check whether there are fluids draining from the childs ear. If there is nothing, then put a few drops of warm olive or sesame oil to the affected ear
  • Help your child to sleep at an elevated crib. You can replace putting pillows under your childs head. Instead, put the pillows underneath the mattress
  • Homoeopathic eardrops are safe for children. While purchasing one, look out for ingredients like garlic, lavender, mullein, calendula, and St. Johns wort oil to relieve from pain and inflammation
  • Protect your children from second-hand smoking
  • When you are bottle-feeding your baby, hold the child in a semi-upright position preventing the fluid from entering Eustachian tubes
  • If someone is suffering from cold or flu, then they should wash their hands to keep the germs away from the child
  • Check with a paediatrician to know if flu shots are necessary

Easy Ways To Cure Ear Infection

Ear infections are relatively common in both adults and children. Indeed, one in ten adults gets an ear infection at least once in their life, with more women getting it than men. The problem is estimated to affect nine in ten children before their third birthday. Also known as otitis media, ear infection is caused by bacteria or viruses in the ear canal. The infection causes pain due to fluid buildup and increased pressure against the eardrum. How to deal with it?

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Sleep In An Upright Position

Sleeping in an upright position can actually reduce your ear pressure. You can use several pillows or wedge pillows and place between the bed mattress and box springs.

What you need:

  • Wedge pillow or several pillows
  • Woodblocks
  • Prop your head using several pillows to clear off Eustachian tubes
  • Sleep in an upright position. Lie down straight to reduce ear pressure
  • Also, place five to six-inch wood blocks under your bed feet

How it works:

Keeping an upright position using pillows can help to clear Eustachian tubes.

Note:;Lying down straight can increase ear pressure, and by sleeping in an upright position, you can reduce middle pressure.

Warm Water Bottle Or Compress

3 Best EAR INFECTION HOME REMEDIES Natural Treatment & Removal

Whenever a person suffers physical pain, treating it with a hot substance often becomes the first option as an effective remedy.

Generally, using a warm water bottle or a warm compress works most of the time. Applying a warm cloth on the infected ear for a few minutes and then repeating the process can help in reducing the pain in the ear.

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Homeopathic Earache Relief Ear Drops

Homeopathic earache relief drops;with herbal extracts, such as Similasan, are popular for earache treatment and have been in use for decades. Similasan earache relief dropsactive ingredients include:

  • Chamomilla 10X for sensitivity to drafts, soothing
  • Mercurius solubilis 15X relieves fullness, sensitivity to cold
  • Sulphur 12X reduces itchiness, sensitivity to water

Neck Exercises For Arthritis

Setting your neck straight

We put a lot of impact on our joints over the years. Eventually they start to show the signs of wear and tear. With age, arthritis can cause the joints in our knees, hands, wrists, and feet to become stiff and sore.

Arthritis also affects the vertebrae in our neck, which get worn down from years of supporting our head. After age 60, more than 85 percent of people have arthritis in their neck, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons .

If your neck is sore, see a doctor to find out exactly whats causing your pain. You can visit your family doctor or see a specialist like an orthopedist, rheumatologist, or osteopathic doctor. Your doctor can also advise you on therapies to help relieve the pain such as postural changes, physical therapy, yoga, or Pilates. And your doctor may recommend pain relieving medication or steroid injections.

You can also try basic exercises at home. Though you might be tempted to keep your neck still when it hurts, staying immobile will only increase the stiffness. It will also cause you to lose even more movement. Stretching and strengthening exercises will help keep your neck limber and reduce your arthritis pain.

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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.

Safety Tips For Treating An Ear Infection At Home

Natural Remedies For Ear Infections

For very young children, warm compresses and steam are the safest earache remedies. You may also use plain, warm drops of olive oil or coconut oil.;Never use ear drops or oils inside the ear if a child has ear tubes or there is a chance of eardrum perforation.

Older children and adults may use any of the treatments. Do not stick anything deep into your ears, which may cause hearing loss. Please see your healthcare practitioner if pain is extreme, or if your child has a fever over 100.4°F or discharge coming from the ears.

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What Type Of Ear Infection Is It

There are two common types of ear infections:

  • Otitis media: This ear infection affects the middle ear . Middle ear infections are common in kids and tend to cause trouble hearing, fevers, and pain without much outward signs such as ear drainage or swelling.
  • Otitis externa: This infection affects the ear canal, and is commonly known as swimmers ear because water exposure is a risk factor for it. Swimmers ear is painful, too, and tends to have more visible signs such as a swollen ear canal or pus drainage.

There are several home remedies for earaches, says Dr. Nguyen-Huynh. Try these for the first two or three days if symptoms are mild.

Minimize Pharmaceuticals And Other Chemicals

Dogs who live a more natural lifestyle are less likely to develop ear infections. Try to minimize;exposure to chemicals in your dogs environment, indoors and outside.

Vaccines, antibiotics and other medications, and chemical pest preventives all harm your dogs gut health and disrupt her immune system. Make sure you only give the vaccines your dog really needs to protect her. ;Use natural alternatives to antibiotics and other medications when you can, and use natural pest prevention to keep the bugs off your dog.;

You can also reduce toxins by minimizing chemicals at home and in your yard. Choose natural shampoos to bathe your dog, avoid toxic cleaning products in your home, including your own body cosmetics and other products with artificial fragrances.;

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Can I Treat An Ear Infection At Home

You can treat some outer and middle ear infections at home with remedies and over-the-counter medication for symptoms like pain and inflammation.

Swimmers ear home treatment

Usually, prolonged and recurrent immersion in water causes outer ear infections. The primary treatment for swimmers ear is to avoid getting water in the ear canal until the ear pain is gone.

An outer ear infection may take several days to heal, but the pain usually is gone within one week. Moreover, the warmer the water, the higher the likelihood of getting swimmers ear, for example, people who swim in the summer are more likely to develop an outer ear infection than wintertime surfers.

Middle ear infection home treatment

Numerous studies have shown that viruses cause middle ear infections. Pain management for ear pain for two or three days will allow the bodys natural immune system to fight and cure the infection, much like the common cold. However, some people with middle ear infections may need to see a doctor or other health-care professional for medical treatment.

Inner ear infection and labyrinthitis home treatment

Inner ear infections and labyrinthitis usually treat inner ear infections in adults and children.

Antibiotics and outer ear infections

Antibiotics and middle ear infections

Antibiotics and inner ear infections

  • Inner ear infections are rare, and usually need to be treated by an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist.

Echinacea To Treat Ear Infection At Home

Ear Infection Home Remedies – Fast Relief

Also known as purple coneflower, echinacea is one of the popular herbs that cleanse the internal body systems and prevent an ear infection. It can soothe the pain and inflammation related to an ear infection.

What you need:

  • Pour water to a vessel. Put over a flame and bring it to boil
  • Once the water starts boiling, add both the herbs
  • Strain the mixture
  • Sip on the mixture slowly when warm

How it works:

Echinacea can prevent the formation of an ear infection when taken at an early stage.

Note:;You can drink the mixture three times a day to see effective results.

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Is It Really An Infection ^

According to Dr. Allan Lieberthal, pediatrician and lead author of the American Academy of Pediatrics new guidelines for diagnosing ear infections, the medical community has contributed to the over-diagnosis of infection.

How does this happen? Dr. Haggerton, a pediatric and family chiropractor, explains:

Many of us have gone through this in the past: Weve taken our child to the pediatrician because they are obviously in pain, acting funny, or pulling at their ears, and the doc looked in their ears with the otoscope and said, Yep, its red. Little Johnnys got an ear infection. Ill write you a script for an antibiotic.

Think about that for a minute. How did the doctor know, just from the color of the tympanic membrane , that your child had an infection? He didnt. The only way to truly diagnose an infection in the ear is by doing a swab of the ear and culturing the area. Then they can see for sure whether or not your child actually has an infection. If they dont do that, the problem more than likely is fluid buildup behind the eardrum.

Hot Salt Wrapped In A Cloth

Salt is one of the most readily available home remedies for dealing with pain in the ear. All you have to do here is take a small cup of salt, heat it properly, then wrap it in a cloth and seal the end of the cloth by tying a knot.

Now, lay down and place the cloth with hot salt on the affected ear for a couple of minutes .

Repeat this process a few times daily to relieve you from the pain and swelling in the ear. Alternatively, you could also use rice in place of salt for the same purpose.

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Causes Of A Middle Ear Infection

Middle ear infections are caused by viruses and bacteria, often resulting from other conditions that can cause blockage and swelling of the eustachian tubes that connect the throat and the middle ear. When this happens, a vacuum is created, allowing germs and fluid from the throat to enter the middle ear. A middle ear infection develops when bacteria or viruses grow in this fluid.

Children are more susceptible to middle ear infections than adults, partly because their eustachian tubes are narrower, so they are more easily blocked. Children also have relatively larger adenoids than adults. These are masses of tissue situated at the point where the nose bends into the throat that are vulnerable to infection, swelling and inflammation ââ¬â when this happens, they can block the eustachian tubes and cause a middle ear infection.

How To Use It

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  • Apply about half an ear dropper full of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution into the ear canal.
  • Let it bubble and fizz.
  • Allow it to drain properly by turning your head to the side and pulling back on the top of your ear.
  • Use drying drops or a hairdryer to eliminate any moisture that is left behind in the ear.
  • If using OTC drops, follow the directions on the label.

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    My Favorite Home Remedy For Ear Pain Warm Compresses

    When I was a little girl, I remember having an ear infection accompanied by one very sore ear. To help me feel better, my mom took a small throw pillow and warmed it up in the oven. She left it in a bit too long, though, and it started to singe. She put the fire out, and I rested my head on one slightly charred pillow and the pain went away.

    Nowadays most houses have microwaves, which make it easier to heat up a warm compress for earache treatment. You can buy or make a compress.

    We recommend hot packs from Core Products, a small business located in western Wisconsin. They make;soft covered hot/cold packs;that we use as;foot warmers;at night and for;treating headaches and earaches.

    To make a simple warm compress for ear pain relief, place popcorn or rice into an old sock or small pouch. Seal the end and heat in short bursts until warm.;Hot water bottles;are a great option if you don’t have a microwave just make sure you don’t get the water too hot.

    How To Treat An Ear Infection At Home

    Ear infections can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or rarely yeast. There are three areas in the ear where ear infections can occur in adults and children.

  • Outer ear infections : An outer ear infection most commonly experienced is often known as swimmers ear. This infection usually is due to bacterial infection of the skin tissue covering the ear canal. Excessive immersion in water or injuring the ear canal by putting things in it makes you more likely to develop an outer ear infection.
  • Middle ear infections: A middle ear infection is an infection just behind the eardrum with pus trapped in the adjacent hollow cavity of the facial bone. Middle ear infections frequently are a complication of the common cold in children. Most middle ear infections are caused by viruses and will resolve spontaneously. Bacterial infections cause some middle ear infections, which requires antibiotic treatment.
  • Inner ear infections: Inner ear infections are very rare, and usually are caused by a virus. These infections are more accurately characterized as inflammation of the structures of the inner ear . Since these structures affect hearing and balance, inner ear infections cause symptoms such as ringing of the ears or dizziness and balance disruption . Usually, inner ear infections in adults and children need medical treatment.
  • Which parts of the ear can become infected?

  • The outer earincludes the cartilaginous structure and ear canal ending at the eardrum .
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    How To Use Warm Oils For Earaches

    Straight-up olive oil:;Warm the olive oil to body temperature and put a few drops into the ear. It works by soothing the inflamed eardrum.

    Homemade garlic oil:;Crush a clove of garlic and heat in olive oil to infuse. Cool the mixture to body temperature and place;a few drops into the ear. The addition of garlic adds an antimicrobial property which can help fight infection.

    Garlic Mullien oil:;This special and potent oil is A MUST for a child who is susceptible to ear infections! . Mullein;oil is an analgesic, anti-inflammatory,;antiseptic,;tranquilizer, anti-microbial, and a;muscle relaxant.;If youre not convinced just read the reviews:

    Causes Of Inner Ear Infection

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    Infection in the inner ear or otitis interna is mainly caused by bacteria or virus that dwell in our surroundings. But the most common cause of an inner ear infection is a virus.

    It is less possible that the cause of inner ear infection maybe bacteria.

    Viruses associated with inner ear infections include influenza, herpes viruses, Epstein-Barr virus, and polio. The inner ear consists of fluid-filled semicircular canals, cochlea, vestibular nerve, and auditory nerve. The virus affects these parts and it leads to the inflammation of the inner parts. This causes inner ear infections.

    Sometimes, an infection may also be caused due to water being trapped inside the ear, or due to the excessive buildup of earwax for quite a long time.

    Apart from these, the other types of causes may include smoking and having allergies, which are either seasonal or year-round. These may also put you at risk of developing an infection in the ear.

    It is often seen that many swimmers are prone to this type of infection because of the water getting accumulated inside the ears and staying there for longer periods of time, with no action of drying or draining them out or perhaps, cleaning the ears properly after swimming.

    The same goes with individuals who have a bath or shower and do not give proper care in cleaning the ears off of the accumulated water.

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    Relieving Ear Infection Pain

    At-home ear infection remedies can help to ease an earache, but a hearing professional should always be consulted when you suspect you or your child has an ear infection.

    • Amoxicillin is a penicillin antibiotic that fights bacteria.
    • Even if youre on antibiotics, consider taking pain medication.
    • Anesthetic eardrops can also help.
    • Keep your head elevated to relieve the pressure.
    • Apply a warm, wet cloth to your face near the ear.
    • Know what youre dealing with; ear pain doesnt necessarily point to an infection.

    When To See A Doctor About An Earache

    Dr. Nguyen-Huynh recommends seeing a doctor if:

    • Yoursymptoms remain after twoor three days, even if youve tried over-the-counter or home remedies.
    • Yourear is very painful, oryou have other symptoms that bother you.

    Other common conditions, such as temporomandibular joint dysfunction , can masquerade as earache infections. TMJ causes ear pain because the ear canal and the jaw joint share a nerve. If you have ear pain along with trouble chewing, talking or yawning, then you should see a dentist or TMJ expert to be sure youre treating the right condition, notes Dr. Nguyen-Huynh.

    The good news? Hot and cold compresses and OTC pain relievers can also help relieve TMJ pain until you sort things out.

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