If you have kids, you know what I am talking about when I describe the blood curdling screams from your child’s bedroom in the middle of the night.
You rush in there to find your child screaming and fussy and not really sure what is wrong. They may or may not have an elevated temperature and no matter what you try, they are still in pain. So, to get your child relief you reach for the OTC painkiller in hopes of relieving their pain.
The painkiller has worked temporarily, now it is time to find the cause of the problem.
In cases such as these there are a couple of devices that can help you find the cause. I recommend that parents have a home otoscope to look in the child’s ear to determine if there is any redness or swelling of the eardrum. If you aren’t comfortable with that device, an ear check monitor, helps to determine if there is an ear infection or not. Both of these devices are easy to use to detect a problem, now lets look at how to treat it, naturally.
Most ear infections don’t need antibiotics
Most ear infections don’t need antibiotics and yet that’s the first thing parents ask for when their child is sick.
The infection is an organism that’s has taken up residency in the ear canal (usually middle ear). It may be bacterial, viral or even fungal. If you jump to antibiotics and it’s not a bacterial infection you could make the infection worse (especially if it is fungal).
Monitor their temperature (the bodies natural response to a foreign invader) and if it is between 101 and 102 degrees let the body do its thing. Which is raising the temperature to kill the organism. If the fever persists or the child is not responding to natural ear infection home care, it’s time to call your doctor.
Natural ear infection relief
Here are a few things you can try with a child for natural ear infection relief:
- Warm herbal ear drops and place in the ear canal to relieve pain and inflammation
- Ice compress around ear can help decrease pain and inflammation
- Natural preparations made for ear infections from your Natural Health Care Provider
In Chinese Medicine, the ear relates to the kidneys, so make sure to keep your child very hydrated. I find that there’s a correlation the large intestine and ileo-cecal valve (right lower abdomen above the appendix). So getting them to eat watermelon or other fiber rich fruits can help.
Acupuncture, needle and non-needle, are very effective when treating ear infections. Chiropractic manipulation is also beneficial as it restore the flow of nerve energy to the head and ears. In my office this is a non-force technique so kids do not mind it at all.
Prevent future earaches
One more thing, sugar in the diet feeds the bacteria in the body, so if a sweetener is required use xylitol as it has antibacterial properties to it.
As always prevention is the key here, so that you avoid being woken up in the middle of the night with a screaming child. Give your child a good child’s multivitamin, and a omega 3 oil (children’s flavored) daily, and be sure to feed them a diet rich with organic
- fruits,
- veggies
- and lean meats.
Avoid the excess sugar and fatty foods that can weaken their little systems.
Dr. David Trybus is certified in Enzyme Therapy, and utilizes many types of nutritional therapies such as homeopathy, herbal, and glandular therapy and essential oil therapy amongst others in the clinic. I utilize state of the art testing to help with the diagnosing process.
At the Alternative Healthcare Center, we care for a wide range of people - those who are in severe pain to those who want to achieve an optimum level of wellness in their life.
You can read his blog at http://www.letstalkgettinghealthy.com/
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