When tiny ears hurt

One of the most frequent illnesses in children is otitis media, the infection of the middle ear.  Each day, doctors have children coming to see them because their ears hurt.  Their parents see them tugging at their tiny ears.  The kids are very irritable and inconsolable.  The child often has some cold symptoms- a runny nose, maybe a fever.  Looking into the ear, the doctor sees redness, a bulging tympanic membrane and fluid behind the ear drum.  Let me tell you how you can help them.

In one study, published in The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine in 2001, 103 children ages 6 to 18 with acute otitis media were randomly split into groups and assigned to be treated with either anesthetic ear drops or an herbal ear drop containing extracts of garlic, calendula, St. John’s wort and mullein in an olive oil solution. The researchers found reductions in ear pain in both groups and concluded that the herbal ear drop was just as effective as the anesthetic one. Garlic is a great anti-microbial and mullein oil helps to reduce pain and inflammation.

Boost your child’s immune system by giving Vitamin C with bioflavonoids, zinc and elderberry extract. Check your child’s Vitamin D status.  Eliminate dairy products which are mucous causing, making it difficult to drain the infected ear drum.  Find a homeopathic remedy that fits your child’s symptoms. Massaging your child’s ear can be helpful to keep the Eustachian tube open.  If this is a chronic problem, check for food and environmental sensitivities.  

Try some of these things the next time his or her tiny ears hurt.

Recipe for basic ear oil

1/2 oz each of mullein oil, St. John’s wort oil and calendula oil

Add garlic oil or goldenseal glycerite for acute bacterial infections (you can make your own garlic oil by heating a fresh clove of garlic in olive oil)

Warm the oil just a bit and put 2 drops in each ear three times a day

 References

1.     Sarell M et al.  Efficacy of Naturopathic Extracts in the Management of Ear Pain Associated With Acute Otitis Media.  Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2001;155:796-799.

2.     Bove, Mary (1996).  An Encyclopedia of Natural Healing for Children and Infants. Connecticut: Keats.

Just a little about me

I am a Naturopathic Doctor (ND) and Acupuncturist in New York City.  I have completed a post graduate degree at an accredited four-year Naturopathic Medicine program, The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine.  I then went on to obtain my Masters of Science in Acupuncture at New York's Tri- State College of Acupuncture.  I want to write a blog so I can disseminate useful information on health and well-being.  We know that many diseases can be prevented just by having a healthy diet and managing stress.  There are so many resources out there and when I come across something I like, I will write about it so people can benefit from the information.

First of all, what is Naturopathic Medicine?

Many people in New York haven't heard about it due to the fact that it is not licensed in this State yet.  Therefore, in NY we work as consultants.  As of now, 15 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States territories of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands have licensing laws for NDs.  Join NYANP, the committee that is trying very hard to get licensing laws in New York State at www.nyanp.org.
 
Naturopathic Medicine views each person as an integral whole.  Symptoms of disease are indicators of improper functioning of one or more systems in the body.  The underlying goal is to identify and treat the cause of an illness and to prevent disease.  NDs treat a variety of medical conditions.  Some of the most common are allergies, digestive issues, weight loss, anxiety, cardiovascular disorders, pain, hormonal imbalances, women's and children's health, adrenal fatigue and stress.  As an ND and Acupuncturist, I have many tools to help you including homeopathy, diet and lifestyle counseling, herbal medicine and clinical nutrition.

I have a particular interest in children's health.  I have two beautiful little girls so I know first hand the fears parents have when their children get sick.  I hope in this blog to share some useful tools to deal with some common childhood ailments.  Of course, because I am just writing about it and not evaluating the individual patient or child, the contents of this blog are meant to only guide you and I encourage you to seek the advice of your primary care provider.  

Thank you for reading this!