Ear Infections: A Chiropractic Approach & Natural Remedies

 “Mommy my ear hurts” has been in full swing lately. If your child isn’t old enough to tell you so, you might have observed them crying and grabbing their ear. Aside from a fever, earaches are a top reason for visits to the pediatrician’s office and the most common reason that antibiotics are prescribed for kids.

So, your kid has a fever, they are grabbing their ear and crying in pain, and you’re wondering – do they need antibiotics?

Probably NOT! We are going to get into this…stay tuned.

What Is An Ear Infection?

The first thing to understand is “what’s an ear infection anyway?”  The typical scenario is that your child starts off with a cold with runny nose and congestion. They may even start to get better, then all of a sudden – bam! They wake up in the middle of the night with a fever, holding her ear and crying in pain.

First things first: what’s an ear infection? An ear infection is simply an inflammation that happens in the middle ear. The infection manifests as fluid buildup that occurs just behind the child’s eardrum. Medical doctors and chiropractors call this condition OM — Otitis Media.

When it comes to OM, everyone is vulnerable. Seniors, teens, pregnant women, young adults, middle-aged people, young children — no one is immune to it. However, children are more at risk than anyone else. But why do children face a greater risk of getting OM?

1.      First, children’s Eustachian tubes happen to be significantly smaller than in adults. In children, these tubes have not fully developed and lay flatter, more evenly than in any other category of people. As a result, fluid drains out of children’s ears with much difficulty. Sometimes the Eustachian tubes swell and get blocked by mucus.

2.      Second, the immune system in young children isn’t fully developed. That’s why it doesn’t work as effectively as that of adults. Not surprisingly, children’s ability to fight off ear infections is less than that of adults.

I’m obviously not a medical doctor but from what I was taught, to diagnose an ear infection (acute otitis media), there has to be a sudden onset of symptoms with fluid in the middle ear, and inflammation (either a red ear drum or pain that interferes with normal activity or sleep). But just because your child has an acute otitis media doesn’t mean that it’s due to a bacterial infection. Many are caused by viruses and wouldn’t respond to antibiotics anyway. And just because it’s due to a bacterial infection, doesn’t mean it requires antibiotics. Nearly ¾ of all ear infections, even bacterial ones, will resolve spontaneously. 

To know if an infection is viral or bacterial a tympanocentesis would show what’s living in the middle ear.  Tympanocentesis is the removal of fluid from behind the eardrum, but no parent (nor doctor) is going to opt for this procedure for an acute ear infection.

Back when I was growing up aka in the “old days,” any kid who showed up in a pediatrician’s office  with an ear infection would buy themselves a 10-day course of amoxicillin. I remember drinking lots of that disgusting pink stuff as a kid. 

This approach however helped to create this era of antibiotic resistance. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC have issued guidelines for “watchful waiting” when it comes to ear infections. This means observation of your child without antibiotics for 48-72 hours is now considered standard for a child with uncomplicated acute otitis media who is:

• 6 months to 2 years with non-severe illness and uncertain diagnosis; or
• 2 years of age and older without severe symptoms or with uncertain diagnosis.

In the meantime, while you’re waiting and watching, your child is in pain and you’re thinking, “Isn’t there anything I can do to help my child with his pain, and treat his infection without antibiotics?

Why yes! YES – there is!

Chiropractic Care for Ear Infections

The most important thing to know here is that as a chiropractor, I don’t treat ear infections. Chiropractic care can help decrease ear infections by improving drainage in the ears through spinal adjustments. That’s why medical doctors sometimes refer patients with ear infections to pediatric chiropractors.

Other Natural Treatments To Consider:

1.      Garlic Ear Drops

Unless your child has ear tubes or has a perforated ear drum, garlic ear drops are a must!

Directions for use:
• Warm the bottle by rolling back and forth in your hands or running under warm water (cold drops may make your child feel dizzy)
• Put 3-4 drops in the painful ear(s) 3-4x/day, gently massage it in using the tragus.
• You can have your child lay down with that ear up for a minute or so, or put a little piece of cotton in that ear to keep the drops in
• Repeat 3-4x/day and as needed for pain

Side bar: In one study, an herbal ear drop containing extracts of garlic, calendula, St John’s wort and mullein flower – herbs which have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties – was found to be as effective in reducing ear pain compared with an anesthetic ear drop(1). Another study found that the same herbal ear drop along with lavender and Vitamin E were more effective in reducing ear pain than when those same ear drops were given with amoxicillin(2)!

2.      Oscilloccinum

By now you may have seen Oscilloccinum lining the shelves at Whole Foods and other stores. This is THE homeopathic flu remedy, but also a MUST at the very beginning of an ear infection, which often starts as a flu-like illness. Studies have shown that taking Oscillococcinum at the onset of flu significantly reduces symptoms and shortens the duration of illness (3,4).

The recommended dosage is 1 vial 3 times over a 24-hour period, preferably at the very onset of your child’s ear infection. The dosage is the same regardless of age and weight. Take the entire vial of tasty sprinkles and suck on them until they dissolve, ideally at least 10 minutes away from food or drink.

3.      Ferrum Phosphoricum

Ferrum phosphoricum is THE homeopathic “anti-inflammatory” medicine. Ferrum phosphoricum also targets the eustachian tube, or the ear canal, and helps the fluid trapped in the ear canal to drain effectively and reduces the inflammation that is causing ear pain.

Use Ferrum phosphoricum in a 9C or 30C dilution (the 30C dilution is typically easier to find at health food stores and Whole Foods). Give 3 pellets every 3-4 hours, ideally at least 10 minutes away from food or drink.

4.      Arnica and/or Belladonna

You can use arnica for pain without a fever instead of reaching for Tylenol or Ibuprofen.  Use Belladonna if your child has a high fever, is super agitated or if the ear drum is really red (obviously a health care provider would have to tell you this).  Both can be used with ferrum phosphoricum.

What if your child ends up needing antibiotics?

While these natural remedies work great for most kids, there may be times that despite your best efforts, your child ends up needing antibiotics. Definitely see your child’s doctor if he has a fever for more than 4-5 days, looks very sick to you, is continuing to feel worse or isn’t any better after 2-3 days on the above treatments.

And if you’re child does need antibiotics – don’t despair! As long as you support them with probiotics to maintain a healthy gut microbiome, they will be fine! As a general rule, try to give probiotics at least 2-3 hours away from each antibiotics dose so that the antibiotics don’t kill the probiotics.

Spring is just around the corner guys, wishing you a healthy end to Winter.