According to Family Doctor, an ear inflection, or otitis media is where there is retained fluid in the middle ear. This can be a common problem for children and doesn't usually need to be treated with antibiotics, unless the fluid doesn't go away within several weeks. Garlic or mullein ear drops, may help to relieve some of these symptoms. Note that the FDA has not proven herbal remedies effective. Please contact your doctor for any health concerns or questions.
Symptoms of an Ear Infection
When fluid gets stuck in the the middle ear, which is located behind the eardrum, it can cause some discomfort for children. Family Doctor shares that some symptoms include: muffed hearing, pain inside the ear, fever, headache, irritability and trouble sleeping. Fluid can get stuck if a your child has a cold. Normally, fluid will drain out of the ear as normal, but if your child has a virus, the eustachian tube inside the ear can get blocked, thus retaining fluid.
Causes of an Ear Infection
In her book, "Linda Page's Healthy Healing: A Guide to Self-Healing for Everyone," Page writes that ear infections can come on more easily if your child sucks on a pacifier. Leaving the bottle inside the crib is also not a good idea. Other causes linked to ear infections could be being exposed to secondhand smoke and eating too much dairy. Sometimes swimming in public pools can also cause water to get stuck.
Garlic Oil Drops
Dian Dincin Buchman writes in her book, "Ancient healing secrets: practical cures from Egypt, China, India, South" that garlic oil drops have been used for centuries to treat ear infections. In fact, the Greek army of Alexander took back the Egyptian remedy of garlic oil for ear drops to Greece. Dincin Buchman writes to place 4 to 5 drops in each ear, one at a time. You can also soak the oil in a cotton ball and place inside the ear.
Mullein Ear Drops
C.J. Puotinen writes in his book "Nature's Antiseptics: Tea Tree Oil and Grapefruit Seed Extract," that you can place mullein oil in each ear to treat an ear infection. You buy mullein oil at your local health-food store. Mullein oil is also a treatment suitable for swimmer's ear and therefore helpful for adults as well. He suggests placing the glass bottle in some hot water to warm the ear drops, which can feel especially soothing.
Warning
Again, the FDA has not proven herbal remedies effective for health conditions. If your child is experiencing distress from an ear infection, please contact your health-care provider immediately. Antibiotics may be necessary if it has been a few months since an infection and there are still hearing problems.
References
- FamilyDoctor.org: Ear Infections: Otitis Media With Effusion
- "Linda Page's Healthy Healing: A Guide to Self-Healing for Everyone"; Linda Page; 2004
- "Ancient healing secrets: practical cures from Egypt, China, India, South"; Dian Dincin Buchman; 2005
- "Nature's Antiseptics: Tea Tree Oil and Grapefruit Seed Extract"; C. J. Puotinen; 1999
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