Earaches are painful and unpleasant, interfere with a person's daily routine and in some cases, can be a harbinger for more serious diseases. Earaches can hurt deep in the head, feel like a terrible stabbing pain, be fluid filled and a threat to break the ear drum, have discharge, and wake a person in the middle of the night screaming with pain. Whether the victim of earache is a toddler or a grown man trying not to cry, there are numerous home treatments you can use to alleviate the pain and get life back to normal.
How to Stop an Earache
Step 1
Use high quality, organic, virgin olive oil, also known as sweet oil, suggests Natural Home Remedies.org, to relieve earache. Place some olive oil in a dropper bottle and sit the bottle in a bowl of warm water to bring to body temperature. Check by placing a drop on the inside of your wrist. After the oil is warm, place a drop or two in the affected ear and gently put a piece of cotton in the ear to keep the oil from dripping out. Repeat as needed. Olive oil is a natural antiseptic, explains Jethro Kloss, in his book "Back to Eden," and will help to relieve a minor ear problem as well as soothe the pain.
Step 2
Try garlic for an earache, says EarthClinic.com. Garlic is an old-time folk remedy for treating a plethora of ailments, and it works great for earaches. There are two ways you can use garlic.
For young children, soak a clove of garlic in olive oil for at least a day. Keep the oil in the refrigerator until you need it. Once the oil the garlic has been soaked in the oil, follow the instructions in Step 1 for placing in the ear. Garlic is a natural antibiotic and can treat a variety of ear problems.
For an older child, teenager or adult, cut a clove of raw garlic and place a piece directly into the very outer portion of the ear canal. Be careful not to push it into the ear and make sure it's big enough not to migrate into the ear on its own. Cover with a cotton ball and leave it there until relief is achieved. You can combine these two methods in all but the youngest children. Make sure if using for an old child she understands not to put the garlic into the ear. If not, then just use the oil.
Step 3
Fill an old, clean cotton sock with sea salt, Kloss writes in "Back to Eden." Place it in the microwave and heat it until it becomes warm. It shouldn't be any hotter than body temperature. Place on the ear as a warm compress. In this soothing remedy, the heat and the salt will draw out toxins in the ear, treating any infections. If you don't have a microwave, heat the salt in a skillet and then pour into the sock. Do not use the salt for anything else after the earache is gone. Discard and wash the sock so it's ready for another earache in the future.
Tips and Warnings
- Try combining these treatments for a more effective solution for your earache.
- If there is blood, a discharge from the ear or a high fever, contact your doctor. The information offered here is for educational purposes and is not meant to replace medical advice.
Things You'll Need
- Organic virgin olive oil
- Cotton balls
- Clean cotton sock
- Sea salt
References
- "Back to Eden," Jethro Kloss, 1972
- Natural Cure Reviews: Earache
- Earth Clinic Folk Remedies
