Why Ear Infections Are a Red Flag and 10 Tips to Treat Them
Antibiotics Often Do More Harm Than Good
There’s nothing much worse than an ear infection, especially if you’re under the age of five. So much discomfort close to the pain receptors in the head, usually accompanied by sleepless nights, fevers, sore throat and general misery.
Nowadays considered a right of passage for the pre-school set, it’s not unusual to hear of multiple bouts in a single year with associated courses of antibiotics, and the recommendation for tubes to be inserted in the ears as a hope for resolution.
This sorry state needs a re-think.
Finding the Root Cause
As with any illness there is always a root cause, often more than one. Your overall health over the weeks, months or years before, will affect how you respond to a new trigger. (See my article on Terrain Theory vs. Germ Theory).
One of the biggest culprits in the younger crowd is food sensitivities. Food interacts with our immune systems in a myriad of ways. The symptoms don’t always manifest as rashes or throat swelling most commonly associated with allergies. Food sensitivities can cause inflammation in the inner ear promoting bacterial growth for example1.
The Perils of Antibiotics
Most ear infections, though miserable, will clear up on their own. The tips below will help. In the majority of cases antibiotics is only going to make the situation worse. Multiple rounds of antibiotics is a major red flag.
The foundation of a healthy immune system is your microbiome: the good bacteria (and other microbes) living in and on you. Antibiotics indiscriminately decimate your microbiome affecting overall health. Young children are particularly vulnerable to the effects as their microbiome is critical to healthy brain development as the good bacteria synthesize neurotransmitters necessary for their fast-developing brains.
Some antibiotics also damage the mitochondria, commonly referred to as the energy makers of the cells, particularly active in young children’s brains2.
Damaging these mechanisms can affect long-term health.
Fevers Are Doing Their Job
It's also worth mentioning that other pharmaceuticals like Tylenol have been shown to increase the risk of asthma, allergies, eczema and developmental delays in young children due to its action of inactivating glutathione in the body, which is critical for the body’s detoxification processes in the liver and brain3.
Fevers are part of the body’s perfect mechanism to fight an infection making the internal temperature inhospitable to unhealthy invaders. Unless the fever is above 104 degrees for an extended period, it is likely enabling the body to overcome the infection more quickly and fever-reducing medication may prolong the illness. Many of the sickest kids do not experience fevers because their bodies are too sick to mount a defense.
You don’t have to stay miserable though, as natural solutions can enable comfort to be delivered while the body works as designed.
10 Tips to Treat an Ear Infection Naturally
Eliminate dairy. Even if there is no ongoing sensitivity, dairy creates mucus and a temporary break while the infection resolves, is usually helpful.
A warm compress on the ear can be soothing when the pain is bad. If the fever is uncomfortable then a cold washcloth on the head can help.
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant which gets used up much faster when the body is fighting an infection. Supplement at least 3 times a day to keep a constant blood level of vitamin C. See DrGreenMom for formulations suitable for babies and young children.
Get in the sun. If it’s cold wrap up warm - getting natural sunlight on your skin will help boost vitamin D levels, and the natural ozone and other properties of fresh air have been shown to have germicidal effects.
Keep hydrated. Plenty of plain water or herbal teas. For babies being breast fed, focus on breast milk as the best solution with natural immune-fighting contents that Mom’s body will magically know to pass along. (Mom might want to increase her vitamin C, D and zinc as well).
Freshly squeezed lemon in hot water with organic raw honey (for those over the age of 2) is helpful for sore throats. Honey is a natural antibiotic.
Avoid sugar of all kinds. Skip any junk snacks and focus on whole fruits and vegetables.
Take probiotics. Adding a high-quality probiotic to your daily routine can boost your immune fighting potential (especially critical after antibiotics). DrGreenMom has good options.
Essential oils such as tea tree are antibacterial and can be put on the skin underneath and around the ear. You could also dilute in olive oil to drop into the ear itself. Lavender oil and arnica can help with pain relief.
Nebulize Hydrogen Peroxide. Beyond its better-known wound-cleaning properties, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is naturally produced throughout the body especially in times of infection. Killing pathogens on contact, you can help the process by inhaling food-grade hydrogen peroxide diluted with sterile saline for 5-10 minutes three times a day. Adults are usually comfortable with a 50:50 dilution (eg. 1tsp HP plus 1tsp saline) but young children may need a higher proportion of saline.
Last Word
Overcome the impulse to attack an ear infection with everything modern medicine has to offer. Letting a child naturally overcome the infection strengthens their immune system and provides valuable intel to the body for the future.
At the same time, an ear infection should be a red flag that something in your child’s system is out of balance. Once you are past the current illness it would be a good idea to investigate what aspects of their health could be improved. Test any potential food sensitivities through one-month elimination periods of common allergens like dairy, gluten and soy. (A negative IgE blood test, typically used to identify allergies, does not prove a problem doesn’t exist). Any course of antibiotics needs to be followed by an intense re-seeding of the microbiome.
Another red flag is if your pediatrician has recommended multiple rounds of antibiotics - it might be time to find a new doctor.
About the author: Emma Tekstra is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries, an independent health researcher, and author of “How to Be a Healthy Human; What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Health and Longevity.” With a 30-year background in employee benefits and corporate health and wellbeing, she consults with employers looking for real solutions to runaway health care costs, and to startup companies bringing health solutions to market. Read more at About page.
Related articles:
A Better Way To Treat a Sinus Infection
A Depleted Microbiome May Be the Source of Your Ailments – 10 tips to improve it
Terrain Theory Versus Germ Theory - A Fresh Look at an Old Principle
Book recommendation: The Dirt Cure by Maya Shetreat-Klein, MD
Footnotes:
As a herbal practitioner, I've used macerated oil of fresh mullein flowers (Verbascum thapsus) and apple cider vinegar extraction of fresh flowering lobelia (Lobelia inflata) dozens of times - with great success!