Curing Recurring Ear Infections in Your Child

Children commonly suffer from ear infections. Pediatricians are less likely to prescribe antibiotics for nowadays, as most infections are viral instead of bacteria. Antibiotics will have no affect on an ear infection caused by a virus. There are several natural ways to treat these infections.

Firstly, you need to know what causes an ear infection. The Eustachian tube links the pharynx to the middle ear and when someone has a virus, such as a cold, helps drain fluids. Children have Eustachian tubes of smaller diameter compared to adults, so it is harder for the fluid to drain. If the tubes become blocked, fluid can accumulate in the middle and cause an infection.

If you leave an ear infection untreated, it could cause damage to the eardrum, which could cause deafness or associated speech and developmental problems in young children. While ear infections can be painful, they are not contagious. Helping the excess fluid to drain can alleviate the pain and reduce the infection.

You may prefer to find an all-natural and permanent solution to the problem. If your baby has an ear infection, the pain will keep your baby awake, depriving the entire family of much-needed sleep. Did you know that many babies who suffer from ear infections might have a condition that a chiropractor can help with?

You might be thinking that chiropractors can have nothing to do with healing ear infections, but many chiropractors have successfully treated children, preventing future infections as well as providing relief for the current ear infection.

Chiropractic treatment is conservative, drugless, and a natural therapy that could cure your child with a history of chronic ear infections. For more than 100 years, chiropractors have been able to help children with a variety of upper respiratory infections, such as ear infections, with a series of chiropractic adjustments. This treatment is far less invasive than surgery to drain the middle ear, which ear, nose, and throat specialists often prescribe.

Pediatric chiropractors undertake specialized training to treat babies and children. You will find that your chiropractor provides safe and painless, gentle manipulations that help your child to heal naturally, increasing the immune system by allowing the nervous system to function as it should.

If a child has a spinal maladjustment, even the tiniest bit out of alignment, it can cause all sorts of problems. Often the trauma of birth can cause slight misalignments in the child's spine and neck. These misalignments or subluxations in the musculoskeletal system and can cause problems in the communication of the nervous system, causing a variety of illnesses. A chiropractor can gently manipulate the child, even a baby, to ensure the nervous system is able to work properly

For a child or a baby, the chiropractor will gently manipulate the upper vertebrae, focusing on the occiput, or the back of the skull, to enable the middle ear to drain properly. It may take a several visits to prevent further infections, but most children will not need more than eight visits. A chiropractor may use a painless tympanogram to check that the middle ear is draining properly and that no recurrence is likely.

Some of the favourite home remedies will alleviate the pain of an ear infection, but will not necessarily prevent a recurrence. Common home remedies include:

• A cup of salt or rice placed in a sock or piece of material and warmed gently in the microwave. Ensure the material is not too hot to touch. Place it on the outside of your child's affected ear for 10 minutes.


• You can use a warm compress or a hot water bottle applied to the outside of the affected ear for 10 minutes.


• Use a dropper to place two or three drops of warm onion juice in each ear. (Onions have properties that increase immunity).


• Place one or two drops of warm olive oil in each ear.


• Elevating your child's mattress to help with drainage of excess fluid from the ears as the child sleeps.


• If you are still breastfeeding your child, place a couple of drops of breast milk in the ear. Breastfeeding increases the baby's immune system and helps to reduce the incidence of infections.

The warmth and oils can help break up the infection and blockage of fluid. The fluid can become waxy when cold, which is why warmth could help to alleviate the pain.

If your child suffers from chronic and recurrent ear infections, you should consider whether chiropractic care could help. Providing a way for the middle ear to drain fluid efficiently could prevent further ear infections and save your child from many weeks of pain throughout his or her childhood. Natural and home remedies can assist with the immediate pain of the ear infection, while chiropractic care can provide natural, drug-free therapy that can prevent future infections.

By Dr Maria Ananakis (Chiropractor)