Ear infection is no fun for kids and also for moms.  When my little ones  complain about ear pain, I would pray it would go away and hope that it was temporary. Then they complain couple of more times and you know for sure it is an ear infection. What do you do? Call the doctor, setup an appointment and then get prescription antibiotics. While I am not a big fan of taking medication myself for a simple cold or fever. I could not stop giving antibiotics to my kids when they had an ear infection.  The constant re-occurrence of ear infection and being prescribed antibiotics three times in a row probed me to look into natural remedies that will possibly heal and prevent ear infection. Here are some of the information that i had gathered which worked for my family. Hope this would help other moms looking for natural remedies as well.

What causes an ear infection : 

It all starts with a simple cold, runny nose, clogged nostrils and then leading up to an ear infection. Cold that is followed by a clogged nostrils triggers fluid build up in the middle ear especially the eustachian tubes. This tubes enable the natural draining of the fluids from the ear and is connected behind the nose and the throat. This tube is usually very small in infants and kids. Inflammation by the colds causes the eustachian tube to clog and thus increasing the pressure in middle ear.

Why antibiotics might not be effective:

Ear infection can  be  bacterial or viral. Antibiotics are effective only when the infection is caused by a bacteria. Antibiotics are ineffective if the infection is caused by virus. Given any medication or not, ear infection will take two to four day to heal. So why load the kids systems with antibiotics?

Concern on Antibiotics:

Antibiotics can be a life saver at times and should be used only when absolutely necessary. What do Antibiotics do? Kill bacteria, that is what it is supposed to do. Antibiotics not only kills the bad bacteria but also the good bacteria in the gut (tummy). Good bacteria in the gut is required for peak performance of our immune system. Using antibiotics, will reduce the bodies natural immune response. There are other issues like diarrhea and bacteria gaining resistance to antibiotics in the log run. Here is a great talk on this topic. I highly recommend every parent to watch this video and make a educated decision on using antibiotics.

When to see a doctor:

If the kid has very high fever especially over 102F and the the pain is severe. Please seek a doctor’s advice.

Natural Remedies that you can try at home: 

1. Garlic oil : Pain in the ear is mainly caused by  increased pressure in the middle ear which increases the pressure on the ear drum. The highly viscous oils like sesame or olive oil will soothe the eardrum by providing more density. Garlic has natural antibacterial and antiviral properties to help heal the infection.
   • How to make Garlic oil : Warm 2 tbsp of sesame oil / olive oil with few cloves of garlic on the stove top on low heat for about 5 minute. Let the oil cool down. When the oil is still soothing warm, apply one or two drops of the garlic oil inside the infected ear. Precaution : If the ear drum is ruptured, do not apply anything inside the ear. Please consult a physician.
2. Breast Milk – Couple of drops of breast milk in the infected ear. Breast milk contain antibodies and will help in healing the infection.
3. Warm salt compress –  Garlic oil takes a few hours to provide relief. While garlic oils is working on fighting the infection use the warm salt compress for immediate relief.  Heat about 5 tbsp of salt in a pan or in a microwave for about 4 mins. Use a cotton cloth to hold the salt. Tie a knot with the diagonal side to make a small sack (or use a cotton sock). Use this for a warm compress around the infected ear. Repeat this couple of times a day. Especially before bed time. 
4. Clear clogged nostrils – Clogged nostrils will increase the pressure in the ear and also increases the possibility of bacteria/ virus in the nose from infecting the ear. So make sure the kids nostrils are clear of any phlegm before going to bed. It is not easy to get much cooperation from the kids to clean their nose.
   • What worked for me is to give a bath before bed time. Splash some water into the nose to loosen the phlegm  when starting to bath the little one.  At the end of the bath clear the nose by pressing it with fingers on both side and moving the fingers from top to bottom. This will get the nostrils a little bit clear. If you are not into bathing the kids at night, then splash some water in the nostrils and clean it after 5 minutes. 
   • Another method that I have tried successfully is NeilMeds sinus rinse for kids. This works really well and get all the phlegm out but will need lot of cooperation from older kids.  
   • Burning Turmeric root : Take one dried turmeric root, burn one end in the stove top flame for a minute. Wait till the turmeric starts to smoke. Let the kid inhale the smoke. For infants, just place the turmeric close enough that they can smell it and not near the nose. This will help with relieving the congestion.

The main trick to prevent ear infection is to keep the nostrils clear of phlegm. On the first sign of cold, elderberry syrup can help improve immunity and shorten the illness. If the kids is in a lot of pain or has a fever, provide some relief with kids/ infant acetaminophen or Tylenol for pain relief. Keep the head propped up with a pillow and the warm salt compress will help them fall asleep. Use the above methods on the first sign of a ear infection. Also, try to setup a doctor appointment just to make sure the ear is healing well. Hope this helps one family in the middle of the night to help their little ones.

I am interested in hearing from all the moms on what home remedies you have tried and worked.