Ear infections are no fun. They’re painful which makes your child irritable, and as a mom we all know what an irritable child is like! No fun…for your child or you!
It All Starts with Pain
In the majority of ear infection causes, pain is the first symptom and pain is a big deal. Especially to a child. Ear infections can range from mild to serious, and they can be few and far in-between or occur frequently. Either way, it seems that pain is the biggest problem for a child suffering from an ear infection. If there were no pain to deal with, then an ear infection wouldn’t be much of a problem, now would it?
The Real Cause of Ear Infection Pain
Even though pain is the main problem when it comes to ear infections, that pain is actually only a secondary issue. The primary issue is what’s causing the pain.
Inflammation
You see, when your child’s ear becomes infected, it’s actually bacteria that causes the infection in the first place. As that infection continues to grow, it causes the surrounding tissues to swell and puts a lot of pressure on the ear drum itself, which is where the pain comes from.
Now a lot of parents assume that they need to go to the doctor to get some antibiotics to help their child get over the ear infection quickly. Yes, antibiotics will kick your child’s body into high gear, kill the infection which in turn reduces the inflammation and swelling, therefore relieving the pain your child is feeling.
But, as we continue to see the overuse of antibiotics in children and learn about the harmful effects that frequent antibiotic use can have on a child’s body, we realize that there should be another way to deal with children’s ear infections… a more natural way.
The Solution is to Kill the Infection Naturally
In most cases, ear infections will go away on their own without any treatment. This is because your child’s body was designed to heal itself. When any sort of infections get going in the body, your child is going to develop a fever and their immune system is going to be stimulated. That means that their body is working to kill that infection off on it’s own. So really, you don’t have to do much of anything except help them through the pain, but that can be easier said than done.
As a mom, we hate to see our children in pain. Thankfully there are some great options for helping your child deal with pain from an ear infection such as a warm, moist washcloth to the ear, sleeping with their head elevated so fluid drains properly, chewing gum which opens the Eustachian tubes, and putting a few drops of warm olive oil in the ear. (Source) But beyond helping with the pain, we also want to also look for some natural ways to help the body rid itself of that infection going on in the ear.
Visit part 2 of this series to learn how to make an herbal ear infection oil you can use as well as a few other great natural ear remedies as well.
Has your child ever had an ear infection? What did you do to help them through it?
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We hope you’ll come back next Wednesday, as Meagan shares with us how to make an herbal infused oil to help your child with his or her next ear infection. She’ll also share some other natural remedies to help.Β
Megan Visser is a Registered Nurse turned SAHM to 3 small boys. She’s currently a family herbalist that is passionate about herbs. With her background, Meagan has delved into both worlds, the modern medical world and the traditional natural world, to find the best ways to work with a child’s body so that it can do what it was made to do. She teaches parents how to take charge of their children’s health naturally on her site GrowingUpHerbal.com. Connect with her on Facebook and Pinterest.
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jacquie says
we use tea tree oil. My oldest had tubes put in years ago and I wish i’d known then what i do now! My son had a lot of ear infections too until we started going to a chiropractor. Now they both rarely get them
Sara Elizabeth says
I feel the same way, Jacquie! Regarding the health of my children, I frequently say, “I wish I knew then what I know now.” The good thing is that we *do* know now and can make more informed choices from here on out. π Thanks for visiting. π
Carrie Wickens says
We grate a clove of raw garlic and mix it in a serving of salsa, and bring a huge plate of chips and salsa to them (to eat of course!). Last week my sons ear ache was gone in an hour! I also use coconut oil or olive oil in their ears.
Sara Elizabeth says
Those are a couple of my favorite things to do, too, Carrie. π Thanks for visiting. π
Aarron Suzanne Rudkin says
My little one is on antibiotics now for an ear infection. He was on them a couple weeks ago for the other ear. I have read a lot online about people using breaatmilk in the ear to trwat ear infections. What do you know about that? Does it work. I thought about giving it a try but dont want to make it worse.
Sara Elizabeth says
I’ve heard of people using it and it working! I’ve heard of folks using breastmilk to get rid of pink eye, too!!! It doesn’t surprise me–liquid gold indeed.
Aarron Suzanne Rudkin says
Well maybe I will give it a shot. Its a fight getting him to take the medicine anyway. Thank yoy!
Sarah D. says
If the medicine is the liquid kind, try mixing it with a little applesauce. My son, who got regular ear-infections (even though he was breastfed) when he was a baby/ toddler but doesn’t seem to since he learned to blow his nose, would fight me when trying to give him the medicine. I decided to mix it with a little applesauce. He loved it and thought he was getting a treat! =)
Megan says
My 8 month old has had four ear infections and I am nursing full time. We are suppose to be going to the ENT to put tubes in her ears. Very interested to read more!
Judy says
With five babies all four and under I have only ever needed garlic infused olive oil. Wipes it right out. But we don’t get very many ear infections. We don’t vax, use primarily raw dairy products, eat mostly organic and everyone has been breast fed. We have been very blessed to not have any serious health issues and I have never had to use a pharmaceutical medication for any of my children.
Wendy says
Two of our children had severe ear infections last spring. Both of them ended up bursting a drum and draining for days. We the 1st one to the doc and got an antibiotic. With the 2nd one, a friend suggested we try several herbal remedies and Colloidal Silver. We used ear relief drops (garlic, calendula, st johns wort w/ vitamin E in olive oil) and alternated every hour with several drops of colloidal silver drops. We also gave colloidal silver by mouth. Also when there was severe pain, we plugged the ear with a whole peeled garlic and used damp, hot compresses over that. It was AMAZING! The 2nd child was well before the 1st and had symptoms at least a week shorter. The recovery was also much shorter. Now whenever anyone complains of even a slight earache in our family, we immediately dose several drops of the silver in the sore ear and never hear anything else about it.
Meagan @ Growing Up Herbal says
Thanks for sharing your experience Wendy. Garlic cloves and heat can work wonders… and I’ve heard many great things about colloidal silver and it’s properties. I’m definitely going to have to look into it more and add it to my first aid kit!
Mike says
My daughter had several reoccurring ear infections and strep throat when she was four. Several rounds of antibiotics did not fix the problem. The ENT wanted to put in tubes. We opted for Cranial Sacral Massage. It took about 8 sessions to get everything aligned. After this no more ear infections or strep throat.
Meagan @ Growing Up Herbal says
Cranial Sacral therapy is a great option Mike. A lot of people don’t know about it, but my extended family has benefited from it in so many different ways! It’s definitely one of those things to keep in mind.
Katrina M. says
My son (age 10) just had his first ear ache. He came to my room after bed time with tears streaming down his cheeks, holding to one ear. I took a cotton swab and placed a few drops of mullein infused oil, (which I made) on it and put this in his ear. He ate a clove of garlic, with a glass of water and I then gave him a rice bunny (a small cloth pillow filled with rice) which I’d heated in the microwave for two minutes to lay on the achy ear. I tucked him back in bed and let him know if he needed me again I would be there. He fell asleep and never made another complaint. He woke the next morning and when I asked about his ear – it was better. π I take the flowers from the mullein plant and soak them in a top grade olive oil, on a sunny window sill for a few weeks. Strain and bottle. It works great. I make it fresh yearly.
Joyce A. Agiks says
I have a daughter 8yrs who had mumps which blocked her hearings. We have tried antibiotics but the child is still having hearing problems and the mumps healed but she is still having hearing problems. Please help me how I can help the child.