Chronic Ear Infections

[Guest guest]

My 2 year old grandson keeps infected ears & has been on antibiotics

constantly. Any recommendations appreciated!

 

RJ

http://www.herbalsoapsbyrj.com

Supplies for the soapmaker

 

GeorgiaSoapmakersandCandlemakersGathering2004

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

RJ,

In August look for 2nd year mullein that has a good flowering stalk.

Gather the yellow flowers and infuse them into olive oil.

Put a few warm drops of that oil on a bit of cotton and put it in the ear.

It will do wonders for ear infections.

C-M

[Guest guest]

Hi RJ

I have had problems with chronic ear infections with each

of my four boys. This is a bit of what I learned with them.

The tubes in their ears are too small to let fluid drain properly

causing a back up which then becomes infected. My children

started with a pattern of sniffles, colds or allergies, then an ear

infection would almost always follow. One of my children had

so much fluid backed up in his ears that it hardened, he could not

hear and had to have surgery to remove it and tubes put in.

My oldest is almost 13 and has had to have many surgeries including

reconstructive surgery.

My youngest had so many frequent ear infections that most antibiotics

became ineffective. The last straw was antibiotic injections that he had

to get every 2 days for a week until it finally cleared up.

My pediatrician gave me a prescription for some kind of decongestant

that my son refused to take when he got any kind of sniffles.

Since he wouldn't take the meds (which I didn't really want to give him

any way) I started to diffuse eucalyptus globus to help keep the fluid

moving and massage his sinus' with lavender in jojoba oil.

So far, this seems to get him through with out turning into an ear

infection.

My younger two have not had to have surgery. I really believe that

this has helped them.

BTW, I read a study that said that most ear infections will clear up on

their own with out antibiotics, the childs own immune system will handle

it.

And that doctors are making it much

worse by giving antibiotics to children who come in with a cold to

" prevent " a possible ear infection. (duh!)

Hopefully he will just outgrow it, many children do by that age.

Laura

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 20:54:46 EDT rjwhiggins writes:

> My 2 year old grandson keeps infected ears & has been on

> antibiotics

> constantly. Any recommendations appreciated!

>

> RJ

>

 

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[Guest guest]

Allergies, allergies allergies! Many, if not most, kids who have chronic

ear infections have allergies. I'm going to post some more info on this

ASAP!

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

 

http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

 

 

 

Laura T Sarbach [macbach]

Wednesday, June 02, 2004 10:14 PM

 

 

Hi RJ

I have had problems with chronic ear infections with each

of my four boys. This is a bit of what I learned with them.

The tubes in their ears are too small to let fluid drain properly

causing a back up which then becomes infected. My children

started with a pattern of sniffles, colds or allergies, then an ear

infection would almost always follow. One of my children had

so much fluid backed up in his ears that it hardened, he could not

hear and had to have surgery to remove it and tubes put in.

My oldest is almost 13 and has had to have many surgeries including

reconstructive surgery.

My youngest had so many frequent ear infections that most antibiotics

became ineffective. The last straw was antibiotic injections that he had

to get every 2 days for a week until it finally cleared up.

My pediatrician gave me a prescription for some kind of decongestant

that my son refused to take when he got any kind of sniffles.

Since he wouldn't take the meds (which I didn't really want to give him

any way) I started to diffuse eucalyptus globus to help keep the fluid

moving and massage his sinus' with lavender in jojoba oil.

So far, this seems to get him through with out turning into an ear

infection.

My younger two have not had to have surgery. I really believe that

this has helped them.

BTW, I read a study that said that most ear infections will clear up on

their own with out antibiotics, the childs own immune system will handle

it.

And that doctors are making it much

worse by giving antibiotics to children who come in with a cold to

" prevent " a possible ear infection. (duh!)

Hopefully he will just outgrow it, many children do by that age.

Laura

 

On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 20:54:46 EDT rjwhiggins writes:

> My 2 year old grandson keeps infected ears & has been on

> antibiotics

> constantly. Any recommendations appreciated!

>

> RJ

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I can't find the credits for this article. If I do I'll post them ...

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Ear Infections

 

MOST PARENTS of young children know more than they would like about ear

infections. Too often babies and small children develop recurring cases

of ear infections that cause them and their parents sleepless nights.

One of the worst aspects of ear infections is that they always seem to

occur in the middle of the night when there's nothing at hand to soothe

the child.

 

Antibiotics are the routine treatment, but there is now some controversy

about whether antibiotic use actually does any good: A number of studies

have found that children who were given symptomatic relief but no

antibiotics recovered completely from ear infections and had less

recurrence than children who were regularly treated with antibiotics. In

fact, in some countries children are never treated with antibiotics.

 

Even as I tell you this I know there are parents who would find it cruel

and inhumane not to treat their child who is in the throes of a painful

infection, particularly when they have learned through experience that

the symptoms normally subside within twenty-four hours of the initial

dose of antibiotics. If you or your child has all occasional painful ear

infection, you'll probably elect to visit the doctor and get antibiotics

prescribed. On the other hand (and this describes most of the patients

who see me for tills problem), if you or your child has regular

recurring bouts with ear infections and is therefore taking antibiotics

almost constantly during the winter months, you should probably look at

a natural program of treatment and, more important, prevention of the

infections. I have had great success, as many grateful parents can

attest, in discovering hidden food allergies in children who suffer from

recurring ear infections.

 

Prevention also avoids the possibility of a myringotomy in which a small

hole is cut in the eardrum so that tubes can be inserted to drain

accumulated pus. These tubes are as controversial as antibiotics, with

some researchers claiming that they are of no benefit in preventing

subsequent infections and may, in fact, promote them.

 

Ear infections are really inflammations of the middle ear or otitis

media. They are more common in children because the eustachian tube,

which normally adjusts the pressure in the middle ear and drains the

fluid from it, is affected. In children this tube is much shorter than

in adults and more likely to get clogged. The most common predisposing

cause for a blocked tube is food allergy. Then, infection caused by

either a virus or bacteria sets in. Because the tube is short, the

infectious agent can easily travel along it into the middle ear where it

collects, producing a sticky fluid that prevents the eardrum and middle

ear bones from vibrating freely, thus inhibiting hearing. Usually if a

middle ear infection is caused by a virus, it will clear up of its own

accord, but if it's caused by bacteria, it will require antibiotics. The

problem is that when a child is examined by a doctor who finds red,

irritated ears, antibiotics are usually prescribed as a conservative

measure.

 

There are some steps you can take to help relieve the immediate pain of

an ear infection, one of which is to give acetaminophen. (Remember never

to give aspirin to children.)

You can raise the head of the bed or crib to help the tubes drain

naturally. (You'll notice that children rarely complain of pain in their

ears during the day because they're upright and distracted and the tubes

are draining freely. When they lie clown at 'night, the tubes fill,

causing pain.)

 

It's helpful to get your child to drink some fluids: The very action of

swallowing helps the tubes to open and drain, and fluids will help fight

an infection.

It's also helpful to use a vaporizer in the room at night. This will

help to keep the air moist and encourage the thinning of fluids in the

ear.

 

A warm, moist compress can relieve pain and can stimulate circulation to

the area to fight infection.

 

There is an herb called echinacea that you can get in health food stores

that can be helpful in fighting ear infections. Children can drink a

glass of water containing a dropperful three times daily. This is safe

for children over twelve months of age.

 

There is a natural supplement that can help reduce the severity of ear

infections. N-acetylcysteine, which is derived from an amino acid, has

been shown to be helpful in keeping mucus fluid and thus helping the

ears to drain, it should be taken only during the acute stage of an

infection. It's available at health food stores.

I don't like to recommend medications when something else will work, but

this is one case where it really can be foolish to avoid them. Use a

decongestant when you or your child suffers from a cold. Many ear

infections begin with a cold. If you treat the cold vigorously with a

vaporizer at night and a decongestant, especially at night, you can help

stave off many ear infections. One mother whose son had a problem with

recurring ear infections preferred to let things run their course, using

a vaporizer but no medications. She recently reported to me that since

she began using the decongestant, especially at night, her son's ear

infections have been far less frequent and she no longer has to assume

that if he gets a cold he will inevitably develop an ear infection.

 

There are plenty of reasons to avoid the regular use of antibiotics with

recurring ear infections. They cause side effects including yeast

overgrowth such as thrush and digestive upsets, and indeed may even be

ineffective. For patients who come to me with this problem, I suggest a

total program aimed at eliminating the major predisposing causes of ear

infections.

 

Allergies are one of the major predisposing causes. Whether you are

allergic to dust, dairy products, or pollen, once you or your child's

respiratory passages become clogged in reaction to an allergen, they're

more liable to harbor infection.

 

In a recent study presented to the American College of Allergy and

Immunology, 104 children who suffered from frequent,, serious ear

infections were tested for allergies, and 78 percent were shown to have

specific food allergies. After eliminating the offending food from the

diet for eleven weeks, improvement was seen in 70 out of 81 children.

This argues for trying to prevent allergies from developing in children

by breast-feeding for as long as is possible (assuming that the mother

avoids foods that she's allergic to during pregnancy and lactation),

avoiding common allergenic foods during the first nine months of life

including wheat, eggs, and dairy foods, and carefully introducing new

foods into the child's diet while watching for adverse reactions.

 

If you or your child has recurring ear infections, you should check to

determine if an allergy is the cause. In my experience, milk, cheese,

and eggs are the most common culprits. Wheat, corn, oranges, and peanut

butter are also common allergies. Usually, if a child is affected, one

or both of the parents suffer from allergies as well.

You won't be able to cure an ear infection while it's in progress by

eliminating allergenic foods and/or inhalants, but once the ear

infection is under control you can try to determine the allergens. See

'Food Allergy, page t46, for a fuller discussion of this.

 

In addition to eliminating allergenic foods, it is most helpful to

eliminate concentrated simple carbohydrates including sugar, cookies,

candy, ice cream, sodas, chocolate, honey, dried fruit, and,

particularly, concentrated fruit juice because these foods can make

allergies worse. (See tile list of simple carbohydrates' various names

for sugar in Blueprint for Health, page xvii.) There are any number of

children who live on peanut butter on whole-wheat bread, raisins, and

endless amounts of fruit juice, and if these children have a tendency to

allergies, they're eating the worst possible diet it'll terms of

encouraging recurring ear infections.

 

One last thing to remember with small babies who are especially

vulnerable to ear infections: Never let them drink a bottle while lying

on their back. Milk can easily travel into their eustachian tubes and

start an infection. Always hold the baby with its head at least partly

upright when giving a bottle. Even if you're breast-feeding (which is

preferable for the first year), try to elevate the baby's head to some

degree while it's nursing.

 

And finally, if you or your child has a tendency to develop ear

infections, you should avoid cigarette smoke, which has been shown to

promote respiratory infections.

 

NATURAL PRESCRIPTIONS FOR EAR INFECTIONS:

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELIEF

 

Treat with acetaminophen (like Tylenol) to relieve pain.

 

Elevate the head of the bed by resting the bed frame on books or lift

the crib or bed mattress the same way. This will facilitate draining of

the tubes and help relieve pressure and thus pain.

 

Relieve pain with a warm compress held to the ear.

 

Drink fluids to help keep mucus thin and flowing. The act of swallowing

opens the tubes and encourages them to drain, and the fluids fight

infection.

Use a vaporizer in the bedroom at night.

 

If you or your child has a tendency to ear Infections, always use a

decongestant at night when either one of you has a cold.

 

Drink a dropperful of echinacea (available at health food stores)

dissolved in a glass of water three times daily. This is safe for adults

and children over a year old.

 

During the acute stage of infection, take 200 mg. of N-acetylcysteine

two times a day. (This is not recommended for babies under a year.)

 

FOR CHRONIC EAR INFECTIONS:

 

Allergies are a major cause of chronic ear infections. Determine if you

or your child has a food or inhalant allergy

 

The most common food allergens include wheat, eggs, dairy foods, corn,

citrus, and peanut butter,

 

To help prevent the development of allergies in babies, breast-feed for

as long as possible.

 

Introduce new foods carefully to babies, watching to see if a reaction

occurs. Wheat, eggs, and dairy foods should probably not be introduced

to babies in the first nine months of life, especially if there is a

family history of allergies.

 

Never allow a baby to drink from a bottle while lying down, as the fluid

can collect in the ear. Even while breast-feeding, try to keep the

baby's head somewhat elevated.

 

While suffering from a cold or an ear infection, avoid simple

carbohydrates including sugar, honey, cookies, candy, ice cream, sodas,

chocolate, dried fruits, and fruit juices.