Your child may even be asking for them long after their ear infection is gone. Most health food stores offer a wide selection of kid-friendly probiotics and supplements. Support your child’s body while it’s working hard to fight off the infection, by increasing your child’s daily vitamin C and probiotics. Be careful when using heating pads with children. Warm compresses such as a warm washcloth or heating pad placed over the ear are often a soothing and calming way to treat the pain of an ear infection. This is a good option to confirm your suspicions.Ĭhiropractic treatment has the added benefit of boosting your immune system. Your chiropractor can also take a look inside your child’s ear to diagnose the ear infection. One study found that 90% of the participants experienced improvement from an ear infection after receiving chiropractic adjustments, and 43% of them after just one or two adjustments. Several studies show that chiropractic care is an extremely safe and effective ear infection treatment option. Given the fact that most ear infections are caused by trapped fluid, a chiropractic adjustment usually provides the movement necessary to help the fluid to drain down the eustachian tube as it was designed. Chiropractic TreatmentĬhiropractic treatment involves gently adjusting or moving joints that are locked up or fixated, restoring motion and increasing blood flow to that area. Over-the-counter pain medicines such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen are typically recommended to relieve pain, but use them sparingly as all medications have side effects. Save the trip and expense to your medical doctor’s office and try these options instead: 1. Since ear infections are often caused by a virus, medical doctors can only offer treatment for the symptoms. What are the Most Effective Ear Infection Treatment Options? Only look into the ear of a child who is calm and relaxed, and enlist the help if another adult to keep them calm or occupied, if necessary, so that you can safely see inside. (Read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.) Choose the smaller, shorter head for a small child and be careful not to put it too far into your child’s ear. Most otoscopes come with more than one head. If you decide to purchase one of these look in your child’s ear when it’s healthy so that you can more easily identify a change later if it becomes infected.Īn ear infection will be pink, while a healthy ear will be gray. Most parents don’t realize that they can purchase an otoscope that will allow them to gently look into their child’s ear.
#HOT COMPRESS FOR EAR ACHE HOW TO#
How to Know If Your Child Has an Ear Infection Earache or ear pain (Younger children may pull on their ear.).The following signs can indicate a possible ear infection (This is where the extra fluid comes from.) If your child’s earache begins while they still have a runny nose, sore throat or fever, it’s likely an ear infection. Symptoms of an Ear InfectionĮar infections usually happen during or immediately after a head cold.
As the child matures, the tube begins to angle downward where gravity pulls fluid down to allow it to drain.Ĭhildren usually start having fewer ear infections after the age of 5 or 6 when their eustachian tubes are three times as long and positioned more vertically, allowing fluid to drain. Why Don’t Adults Get Ear Infections?Ī child’s eustachian tube has less of an downward angle, making it almost horizontal when they are an infant.
Ear pain results when fluid becomes trapped behind the eardrum in the eustachian tube (circled in the figure to the right.) This provides the perfect breeding ground for viruses and bacteria to grow. What Causes an Ear Infection?Īn ear infection is most often caused by swollen or infected portions of the middle ear, also known as acute otitis media (AOM). Statistics show that 70% of ear infections are caused by a virus, and antibiotics (bacteria-killing drugs) have no affect on viral infections. Why? Ear infections almost always go away on their own. In fact, the latest guidelines suggest that doctors should focus on pain management, not antibiotics, for ear infection treatment. In fact, 5 out of 6 children will have at least one ear infection by their third birthday.īut an earache doesn’t always warrant a round of antibiotics. If you’re a parent of young children, you’ve heard these words more than once.Įar infections are one of the the most common childhood illnesses.
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