Middle ear infections, known as otitis media, are very common in infants and children.  This due in part to the shape of the ear canal and Eustachian tube during the early years of life.  The site of infection is behind the eardrum where the small bones of the ear are located.  Symptoms include earache, fullness and pressure in the ear, and fever (as high as 104 degrees).  Children will often pull at their ears in an attempt to relieve the pressure.

95% of children have had ear infections by the age of six.  Pain occurs when the infection causes pressure to build up in restricted spaces.  This compresses sensitive nerve endings.  If the ear infections are persistent, they may lead to eardrum damage and eventual loss of hearing.

Royal Recommendations for Prevention and Treatment

1.                 Try not to blow your nose when you have an ear infection and keep the ear canal dry.  This may mean putting cotton in the ear canal when bathing, using earplugs when swimming, and avoiding the rain by wearing a scarf outdoors.

2.                 A nasal spray may help open up the eustachian tube and relieve the pressure.  A decongestant can also help shrink the eustachian tube.  This may be especially helpful when flying since decompression from high altitudes, a well as cold climates, increase the risk of this infection.

3.                 Antibiotics may eventually be needed.  If the infection is due to a bacterium called Branhamella catarrhalis, a leading cause of ear infection in children, it may be resistant to Penicillin.  Augmentin should be employed when this is the case.

4.                 If ear infections are recurrent, they may be related to food allergies and you should be tested.  (See “Allergy—Food.”)  Ear infections are also more common in homes where smoking occurs.  If this is the case, stop smoking.  (See “Stop Smoking.”)

5.                 If you are pregnant, or have an infant, nurse your child.  Ear infections have been found to be at least 50% reduced in breast-fed children when compared to bottle-feeding.

6.                 To alleviate the pain of middle ear infection, you may directly apply warm garlic or olive oil into the affected ear.  Use cotton soaked in vinegar and place in directly in the ear canal for outer ear infections.

7.                 A warm compress, such as a towel rung out in hot water and pressed against the ear, will often bring immediate relief from ear pain as well.  It will also facilitate lymphatic drainage if there is swelling or infection involved.  Re-soak the towel and use it as often as you need to.

8.                 Supplements with antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E.  Vitamin A has antibiotic properties of its own and higher than recommended doses can safely be taken in a water soluble form for short periods of time. Zinc aids the immune system and manganese is a common deficiency in ear infections.

9.                 Homeopathics found to be useful in ear infections include:  Aconite (when onset is sudden, painful, and fever is involved), Belladonna (when throbbing, often right-sided and red), Chamomilla (when pain is severe and patient is irritable), Pulsatilla (when caused by a chill or getting wet), Hepar Sulphuris (when sore throat is present or pain moves from left to right), and Sulphur (if offensive discharge is present).

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