Tuesday, April 23, 2024

How To Use Breastmilk For Ear Infection

Don't Miss

How To See Inside Your Ear

Will expressed breastmilk cure a cats ear infection?

It used to be if you wanted to see inside your ear youd make an appointment with your health professional. Digital camera technology has improved over the years and made it possible for tiny video cameras to be inserted inside your ear canal to give consumers a clear view of their eardrums and canal. This makes it possible for people to examine their own ears, clean out their own ear wax, and also provide valuable information to their doctors during a telehealth appointment.

Can Breast Milk Cure An Eye Infection

One of the many healing properties attributed to breast milk is the ability to cure eye infections such as pink eye conjunctivitis or sticky eye a gooey discharge that often accompanies conjunctival inflammation. Conjunctivitis is a common condition that rarely requires treatment, usually clearing up by itself within a week or two. For newborns, however, it can occasionally be quite serious, so ensuring it is properly treated is very important. For everyone else, it can be irritating and unpleasant, so any way of reducing the length of the infection is naturally welcome. Can breast milk really provide any relief?

A study in a hospital in New Delhi, India, examined the effect that routinely applying colostrum to babies eyes had on the likelihood of them developing an eye infection1. On one hospital wing, mothers were asked to put a drop of colostrum in their babies eyes three times a day on another wing, mothers were asked not to apply anything. The infection rate was much lower in the babies who received colostrum: only 3 out of 51 babies in this group developed an infection, compared to 26 out of 72 in the control group .

Tested Home Remedies For Ear Infections In Adults

1. Salt Compress

Salt can be one of the easily available home remedies for the ear infections. Just heat a cup of salt on pan/double boiler or microwave. Then take out the salt on a cloth and tie from top.When some heat is released, place the salt filled cloth over the affected ear for 5-10 minutes. Repeat the procedure every day. Salt can be replaced with rice.

2. Heating Pad

Heat pad not only relieves pain quickly but also prevents micro-organism infestation. You need to use heating pad or warm water bottle to press against ear. Remember to apply heat for short periods. Start with 5 mins, and then remove. Apply few minutes later again.

3. Make the Best of Garlic

Naturally, garlic has the ability to relieve pain, especially earache. It can be used in different ways. You can prepare garlic oil by frying 2 cloves garlic in oil until blackish, strain and use as ear drops when slightly warm. Otherwise, just boil garlic in some water, crush and add salt, place in cloth piece and place over ear. The simplest way to apply garlic is to eat garlic daily.

4. Apply Basil Oil

Basil also works to relieve ear infections in adults. Minor earache and infections can be treated with basil. Extract juice of 4-5 basil leaves and apply on the ear and surroundings. Dont let it enter into the ear canal. You can also mix holy basil oil with carrier oil. Soak in cotton ball and wipe it inside the ear.

5. Apple Cider Vinegar in Cotton Ball

6. Olive Oil to Clean

7. Tea Tree Oil

Read Also: Baby Sign Language Hungry

Home And Natural Remedies

Doctors usually advise caregivers to watch their child for 2 to 3 days to give the babys immune system the chance to fight off the infection without the need for antibiotics.

During this time, doctors will probably recommend that caregivers treat the symptoms of the infection at home. Remedies may include:

  • Over-the-counter medication. In babies of 6 months or older, caregivers may consider giving the child acetaminophen to relieve pain or fever. Speak to a doctor before giving any medication to babies under 3 months of age.
  • Warm compress. Holding a warm compress to the childs ear may also help ease the pain.
  • Fluids. Giving the child plenty of fluids to drink encourages swallowing, which can help drain the middle ear and relieve painful pressure.

How To Use It

Top 10 Ear Infection Treatments
  • 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.

    Also Check: Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Hearing Aid Loss

    Read Also: Does The Veterans Administration Pay For Hearing Aids

    Don’t Hesitate To Call The Pediatrician

    If your child suffers from recurrent ear infections, her pediatrician might want to put her on antibiotics for an extended period of time to prevent future infections. Another treatment option for children with chronic ear infections is the insertion of a tympanostomy tube into the ear, which allows fluid to drain from and air to return to the middle ear. If ear infections seem to be hindering your child’s hearing or learning, consider discussing these prevention options with your pediatrician.

    Parents Magazine

    How To Get Rid Of An Earache Fast

    It doesnt matter how old you are earaches hurt. And since most earaches are not the result of a bacterial infection, antibiotics wont help get you better.

    But you dont have to take a wait-and-see approach.

    There are several earache treatment methods that can help to reduce your symptoms, including the pain and swelling youre experiencing.

    Also Check: How To Sync Hearing Aids To Iphone

    Preventing Middle Ear Infections

  • 1Investigate myringotomy tubes or ear tubes. These are surgically placed tubes in the ears of children with chronic otitis media. They are used to relieve the pressure, allow drainage, and allow reduced fluid build up in the middle ear to reduce the number of ear infections.XResearch source
  • Although the placement of the tubes is minor surgery, the procedure carries surgical risks that are related to the use of anesthesia, including harm to the vocal cords, trauma to the teeth or tongue, temporary mental confusion, heart attack, lung infection, and rarely, death.XResearch source The risks of anesthesia are low in healthy children and adults, but higher in people who have other underlying medical conditions.
  • 2Feed your baby in an upright position. Never put your child to bed with a bottle. Lying down and drinking from a bottle increases the risk that fluid will reflux up the Eustachian tube and create an environment for bacterial growth and a middle ear infection.XResearch source The lower the babys head during feeding, the greater risk there is for formula to reflux into the eustachian tubes and increase the risk of infection.
  • 3Reduce the exposure to tobacco smoke. Cigarettes and other smoking tobacco products increase the inflammatory response in the Eustachian tubes and therefore the risk of a middle ear infection. Limit your childs contact with people who smoke. If you have the infection, do not smoke and avoid enclosed spaces with those who do. XResearch source
  • La Leche League Canada

    5 Uses for Breast Milk | CloudMom
    Breastfeeding an Adopted Baby

    Public health organizations around the world affirm the importance, safety, and value of human milk for human baby. The World Health Organization, which conducts periodic reviews of research published on contaminants and human milk, states definitively, benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh toxicological disadvantages that are associated with certain POPs. Indeed, Nickerson states, WHO recommends breastfeeding in all but extreme circumstances. In its position statement supporting Breastfeeding, American Academy of Family Physicians concurs, explaining that certain components of human milk act to increase infants ‘ elimination of some toxins and to protect infants ‘ developing brain, central nervous system, and body as a whole.

    * Please keep in mind that all text is machine-generated, we do not bear any responsibility, and you should always get advice from professionals before taking any actions.

    * Please keep in mind that all text is machine-generated, we do not bear any responsibility, and you should always get advice from professionals before taking any actions

    Don’t Miss: Dr Lano Ent New Braunfels

    Can Breast Milk Cure My Childs Eye Infection

    Breast milk provides optimal nutrition for infants, and it gives them immune protection that no formula company has been able to replicate. How many other secrets does it contain? Many mothers claim that it is also an effective treatment for eye infections, or conjunctivitis. The anecdotal evidence for this practice is overwhelming, but is there any scientific evidence that it actually works?

    What is conjunctivitis?

    Conjunctivitis is an infection and/or swelling of the membrane that lines the eyelids. Symptoms include redness, swelling, and goopiness of the eyes. The most common cause of conjunctivitis is a viral infection, also known as pink eye. Pink eye is highly contagious and often passed around daycares and schools.

    Image via Wikipedia

    Viral conjunctivitis usually goes away without treatment within a week. Bacterial conjunctivitis is less common and is often treated with antibiotic eye drops . Allergies or irritation can also cause conjunctivitis in children .

    Babies can also have a blocked tear duct, which causes excessive tearing, sometimes with thick, goopy tears. A blocked tear duct can affect a baby off and on for the first year of life beyond that, the child should see an eye doctor for treatment .

    What is the research on breast milk and eye infections?

    Have you tried breast milk as a treatment for eye infections? Did it seem to help?

    REFERENCES

    1. PubMed Health. Conjunctivitis. A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia 2010 .

    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.

    You May Like: How To Pair Compilot With Hearing Aids

    Recommended Reading: Can You Make A Candle From Ear Wax

    Using Breast Milk For Eye Infections

    There is a rumor suggesting that squirting a small amount of breast milk into your infants eye could cure eye infections. Many mothers feel more confident using breast milk, a natural substance, in place of medical treatment, like antibiotics. However, is breast milk an effective medical treatment for eye infections?

    Keep in mind that goopy, drippy eyes affected by blocked tear ducts or cold symptoms go away on their own without any treatment or intervention. There is no need to use breast milk as a remedy in the case of a cold or blocked duct.

    Breast Milk Is Safe For Patients With Diabetes Patients

    16 Proven Home Remedies For Ear Infections

    Breast milk can be given to any person, without considering the age and problems. There are no effects because it is natural, produced from a human body. It gives your system more strength to fight against the infection. It has several more properties, which make it is an effective medicine to treat pink eye.

    You May Like: Does Warm Compress Help Ear Infection

    What Causes Ear Infections

    Ear infections are officially known as otitis media and are the inflammation of the middle ear. This is usually caused by bacteria that materializes when fluid builds up behind the eardrum, but it can also be caused by viral infections, which makes treatment more complicated because antibiotics wont help in this instance.

    Ways To Reduce Risk Factors For Ear Infection In Kids

    If your childs ear is hurting, it could be an ear infection, which is an inflammation of the middle ear. Five out of six children will have at least one ear infection by their third birthday. Ear infections are the most common reason parents take their children to see their doctor.

    Although usually not dangerous, ear infections can be very painful and disruptive to a young childs life, says Dania Lindenberg, MD, a pediatrician at Scripps Coastal Medical Center Hillcrest. Fortunately, there are treatments and measures that can be taken at home to prevent ear infections in children.

    Why are ear infections more common in children?

    Children are more likely than adults to get ear infections because their immune systems are still developing, which makes it harder for them to fight off infections.

    Young children are the most vulnerable also because they have shorter, softer and more level Eustachian tubes than adults, which makes it more difficult for fluid to drain out of the ear, Dr. Lindenberg says.

    The Eustachian tube connects the upper part of the throat to the middle ear. If the Eustachian tube is swollen or blocked with mucus due to a respiratory illness like a cold, fluid may not be able to drain. The most common ear infection is called acute otitis media, where parts of the middle ear are infected and swollen and fluid is trapped behind the eardrum.

    Ear infection symptoms

    Common ear infection symptoms in children include:

    Can ear infections be prevented?

    Recommended Reading: How To Adjust Volume On Signia Hearing Aid

    When Should I Call The Doctor

    • is less than 6 months old and has a fever,

    • is older than 6 months and has had a fever for more than 72 h,

    • has swelling behind the ear or the ear is tender,

    • isnt hearing well or at all,

    • is very sleepy,

    • has other serious medical problems, or

    • still has an earache after 2 days of treatment with acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

    Feed Your Baby In An Upright Position

    8 ALTERNATIVE Ways to use BREASTMILK!

    When a baby drinks from a bottle while she’s flat on her back, the formula tends to pool in her mouth, increasing the chance for liquid to flow into the middle ear and cause infection. Breastfeeding is thought to be less risky because the nipple is farther back in a baby’s mouth, which prevents milk from pooling, and the flow of milk is more controlled and slower than it is from a bottle.

    As a rule: When your child is drinking, her head should be higher than her stomach so the liquid can’t flow from the eustachian tube into the middle ear. If you’re bottle-feeding your baby, try to hold her as upright as possible while shes feeding and don’t allow her take a bottle to bed.

    Recommended Reading: How To Sign God In Sign Language

    Homeopathic Remedies For Dog Ear Infections

    You can use homeopathic remedies for acute or minor ear flare-ups. Choose the remedy below that best matches your dogs symptoms. Use a 30C potency.

    Belladonna Use Belladonna when the ears are very hot and inflamed. Your dog may be impatient and irritable.

    Pulsatilla This remedy is helpful for acute flare-ups. Often with sensitivity and redness, along with a yellowish discharge. Pulsatilla animals like to sit near open windows, hate getting their paws wet and wont go out in the rain. They also tend to have a very sweet disposition.

    Hepar SulphurisHepar sulph is useful for irritable animals who dont like to have their inflamed ears touched.

    Recommended Reading: How To Clean Cocker Spaniels Ears

    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.

    You May Like: How To Say Hungry In Sign Language

    Don’t Miss: Which Composer Experienced Severe Hearing Loss During His Lifetime

    Final Thoughts Home Remedy For Dog Ear Infections

    If your pet is suffering from an ear infection, there are many home remedies you can try to help fight it off.

    As you try some of these home remedies for your dogs ear infection, keep in mind that healing is a gradual process. Nothing gets cured overnight!

    Before going straight for the home remedies, however, you may want to get the problem diagnosed by your vet. That way, you will know what treatment is best for your dogs situation.

    Can I Treat An Ear Infection At Home

    Hydrogen Peroxide can clear ear infections and remove ear ...

    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.

    Read Also: What Is Poop In Sign Language

    More articles

    Popular Articles