# Ear Infections/ Ear Tubes/Swimmers Ear



## Rosebud (Nov 19, 2001)

Are there non-medicine options at this point?

We are about to get a referral to the ENT from the ped, and I did the "wait and see" before giving antibiotics. I waited three weeks, and no improvement. Another antibiotic, no improvement. A third antibiotic, and a referral to the ENT, and the ped was talking tubes today!!!

I guess I don't feel homeopathically powerful enough.

Any suggestions??


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## BusyMommy (Nov 20, 2001)

We're battling this, too.
He took belladonna for the fever and is currently on a immune strenthening remedy so he won't keep getting reinfected from colds.

So, did he "have" the E I already and you tried homeopathy w/o antibiotics? What kinds? Has he had the infection for 3 weeks?

Our ds is finishing his 3rd round of antibiotics and they say he should go on a low dose for 3 months. Well, we're trying to prevent this by boosting his immune system instead.

Dr. did say that if the fluid's not draining and is thus getting reinfected it may be a mild allergy to something.

It's depressing, isn't it.
I promised myself if he gets one more E.I. I'll quit work and stay home w/him so we can avoid daycare germs.

Good luck-keep us posted!


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## momma22 (Nov 19, 2001)

I am a full time stay at home mom with my kids, no one smokes in the house, they do not go anywhere there is smoke, and I exclusively breast fed my ds until he was 13 mos. old, yet from 2 mos., he suffered from chronic recurrant ear infections. We did every round of antibiotics available.. to no avail. At 15 mos, he got tubes and after healing from the surgery, he never had another ear infection. I am now exclusively bf my dd... she is 6 mos old and no signs of ear infections yet (knock on wood). The one and only difference in the way they have been raised is that with my ds, I continued to eat dairy products. No one ever hinted at a possible connection between my dairy intake and his E.I's... or his colic. When dd started with the screaming, I was informed that it may be a dairy intolerance, so I quit all dairy and within 48 hours, noticed a difference in her. I was also informed that it was possible that my dairy intake while bf'ing ds may have caused his E.I.'s... He was infection free for 6-8 weeks before surgery, so looking back, it coincides with his no longer nursing and the end of infections.

Are you bf'ing? Do you eat dairy products? Try cutting them out. I know it won't help your little one right now, but it may in the future.

One other suggestion, (I haven't needed it yet, so I don't know if it works or not) but if you are bf'ing, put a couple of drops in each ear every night,...I've been told that it works better and faster than any man made antibiotic.

Good Luck.


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## Holistic Momma (Nov 20, 2001)

Rosebud, have you tried chiropractic? It cured my little one. Very gentle - the chiro hardly touches the child. And the best part is that my chiro charges half of what he charges for adults.

Were it me, I would try chiropractic first and then I would investigate essential oils.

Here's someone else's eo info:

In this particular area, I feel quite the experienced mom, my son has had chronic ear infections since birth. As a matter of fact, this is the very thing that got me using the oils in the first place.

This is a long story, but I will try to keep it short....... this lady tells
me she can "cure" an ear infection in a matter of minutes, me being the skeptic I am, didn't believe a word of it, but kept listening. After talking with her husband, the curee, I decided to give it a try.

I purchased 3 oils and hung on to them, waiting for the next infection, I knew it was coming. During a family trip, we were coming off a steep hill and the drop in air pressure began affecting my son negatively, like holding his head and crying, fever beginning to spike, the oils were at home, of course.

By the time we reached home, the frenzy had begun, and I prayed the oils would do as promised. I used the oils as instructed as per book, and within an hour it was over!

I was still a skeptic, so made an appointment with a naturopath to look the situation over, he confirmed an ear infection, even picked the right ear!, but said it was healing nicely.

That proved to me the power of the oils, and I have been a believer since that day. No more anti-biotics, I can't tell you how pleased I am with this fact, he lived on them until this discovery.

***NEVER DROP ESSENTIAL OILS DIRECTLY INTO THE EARS OR EYES**

The 3 oils I used are: Melrose blend, Purification blend and lavender.
They are rubbed on the outside of the ear and along the jawline to facilitate drainage. Melaleuca alternifolia can be added to this combo, I didn't have that particular oil that day, but great oil to have on hand.


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## mom at home (Nov 19, 2001)

My kids have never had chronic ear infections, but occasional ones here and there. A couple thoughts: If you haven't read, "how to have a healthy child inspite of your doctor", the author, Dr. Mendelsohn has some great insights. It was either that book or another one I had (can't remember the name now) that said that 75% of children with chronic ear infections whose docs are recommending tubes can avoid tubes by removing dairy from their diet.

The other thing I would highly recommend is chiropractic adjustments. Often the ears can't drain because the child is out of alignment. Last spring my dd had a really bad double ear infection. All it took was 2 adjustments, in combination with ear oil and a week later they were totally healed. Even in the conservative town where I live, my chiropractor said that pediatricians are starting to refer children with chronic ear infections to her. And lastly, ear oil can work very well. You can make it or buy it. The one I use is made by Herbpharm and is a garlic mullein oil.

Good luck.

Alison


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## BusyMommy (Nov 20, 2001)

I'm confused!!! WE're using Mullein oil ear drops 2x/day. The dr. told us to put it in his ear, but is that an essential oil?

How do these work? I thought it was just to make his ears "feel" better. Are you saying they help fight the infection?

Thanks for the info!


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## tuckermama (Nov 20, 2001)

I would suggest the cranial sacral touch of a chiropractor also!!


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## Rosebud (Nov 19, 2001)

In our small town, there aren't any chiro's credentialed for infant work, and that is why I have hesitated going this route. As a grandchild myself of two chiro's, I grew up with the benefits of chiropractic, even old-school joint cracking style! I know it is more gentle now, but need to know more before diving in.

Someone suggested Reiki to me on just a few days ago. Anyone know about this?

H'mama, oils, yes! M. Alternafolia--Is that tea tree oil?
Oils I have on hand: Tea Tree Oil--100%
Tea Tree Oil I blended with Olive Oil at a 1:10 ratio.
Essential Oil of Lavendar

Baby is not around smoking, has NEVER had a drop of formula, co-sleeps, has had lots of colds, chews, not sucks, on pacifiers, and gets EBM from a bottle maybe once every two or three weeks. He has slowly been messing around with solids lately: crusty breads, our foods mashed, just whatever.

BUT, I love dairy! Maybe it is time to say goodbye.

I did the wait and see with no antibiotics for three weeks, and his ears had barely improved. The whole time, he was not running a fever, so I wasn't terribly concerned. He has been "colicky" since about 2 months of age. Looking back, it was probably due to the ear pain! Poor thing.

Our ped trained in osteopathy many many years ago, but I don't think it was especially for children, and she is way out of practice. When I asked if she could do it on him, she kindly backed away from it because it has been so very long.

We are going out of town, and I don't know if I will be able to check the boards until maybe Sunday night/Monday morning. Maybe I can arrange for a chiro visit while we are out of town! Hmmmmmm...........thinking, thinking, and taking in all the good advice.
Tracy


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## mom at home (Nov 19, 2001)

busymommy,

The garlic mullein oil does go directly into the ear, it's not an essential oil. It's olive oil usually. The garlic does help fight the infection. It's has antibiotic properties.

Rosebud, I hope you find something that works. What a difficult situation. Is there a town anywhere near by with a chiro you could use. The adjustments are usually a week apart, so maybe it would be worth the drive. Good luck.

Alison


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## Holistic Momma (Nov 20, 2001)

Mom at Home, thank you for your information. The only answer I could think of to BusyMommy's question was "duh, I don't know!" I have only just started learning about essential oils. Matter of fact, I am even in an essential oil email group. If anyone is interested, I'll post the address.

Good luck Rosebud. I remember the hell I went through before I tried chiropractic. I was so desperate that I almost went to an allopathic pediatrician. I thank the good lord every day, that fate intervened and gave me better sense.


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## SoHappy (Nov 19, 2001)

Our ds used to get ear infections, too. It was awful. (Our doctor couldn't believe he was getting them, since we were bf exclusively, allergin-free household, no dairy, etc.) I say thumbs up to the chiro, and... we bought one of those ear-looky things (otoscope?). It came with a chart of photographs so you know what to look for. I also asked our MD to tell me the signs. As soon as ds seemed the least bit uncomfortable, we'd take a peek. Any sign of infection, and we'd start the vitamin c, echinacea, and mullein/garlic drops. It works. But stick with it for a few days. Once it worked great, so I thought "Oh, maybe it wasn't even an ear infection" and stopped treating it. It came back as a rager.


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## Julie (Nov 20, 2001)

Reiki is just readjusting the bodys normal flow of energy back to normal. The person giving the Reiki can also add energy from their own. My mom is a lavel 2 reki master and I get her to Reiki me all the time for everthing its cool. Never tried for ear infection cause so far 9knock on wood!) my kids are ear infection free.

Just a note, if you let them go without anti-biotics the ear drum might perferate (burst) It rarely does any damage but it does hurt big time. The pressue is then released and the ear can heal. You can treat the pain and most of the time it will clear up on its own. Cutting out Dairy does go along way to stopping reaccuring infections.


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## Non Swervium (Nov 22, 2001)

FYI

Oil can't be put in the ear if the eardrum is perforated.

Non Swervium


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## Rosebud (Nov 19, 2001)

test bump


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## Kelakemama (Nov 19, 2001)

Garlic muellin oil, Chiropractic adjustments and immune system boosters! We have also battled these same beasts. We are finally winning!! Yippeee!


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## cynthia mosher (Aug 20, 1999)

Note: This is an archived topic. It is read-only. Mothering Boards
Alternative and Complementary Medicine Archive
8 ear infections in 1 year!!!!! HELP

This topic was originally posted in this forum: Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Author Topic: 8 ear infections in 1 year!!!!! HELP
Zoesmom
Member posted 10-13-2000 11:17 AM
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MY sweet daughter has had EIGHT ear infections i n one year. It all started around the time she had her first Vacinations and went to daycare. The Dr. said she had to have tubes put in her ears because fluid is always there and will not drain. I just want to know if there is any alternative to this?? How it can be prevented? We are still BFing. Thank goodness. But i just dont know how to get away from anitbiotics an d the Tube thing? If anyone has any experiance please help. She is misrable.

Dayna
Member posted 10-13-2000 04:51 PM
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zoesmom,
have you looked into treating the ear infections with homoepathy? i believe it is hylands that makes a remedy specific for the ear infections. homoepathy is extremely gentle and effective (espeically with young children), and has no side effects. you should be able to get it at any health food store. they might even be on-line at www.hylands.com (i'm guessing). their remedies are wonderful and you don't have to get her all out of balance with antibiotics (which kill off the good as well as the bad bacteria). good luck!

Dayna
Member posted 10-13-2000 04:55 PM
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oops! i just checked the hylands website and re-read your post. their ear ache tabs may not be appropriate for your little one, since it seems she has a more chronic problem. in dana ullman's book (homoepathic medicine for children & infants), he reccommends that you consult a homeopathic practitioner for treating chronic ear infections. i notice from your profile that you are in OK., sorry i can't reccomend anyone there (i am in CA), but www.alternativemedicine.com does have a listing of practitioners around the country.

StClaire
Member posted 10-14-2000 06:01 PM
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Hi Zoesmom, i'm sorry you're going through all that, they can be so painfull
Have you tried eliminating dairy products? &refined foods? that is a common cause of chronic ear inf, also try eliminating common allergens such as wheat, corn, peanut butter, citrus, soy.

If she has had antibiotics, rebuild her intestinal flora withpowdered lactobaccilus acidopholous supplement ( for at least 10 days after discontinuing meds) also try miso soup broth .

During infection i have also preffered homeopathy for young children bc it can be quick and effective if the right remedy is given, the trick is finding it. Get a good book with a reperetory (a listing of many symptoms and characterizations with corresponding remedies) I have had the most use from books by Miranda Castro esp her book about pregnancy and the first year, although she has a basic one too .

If you would like pro advice, check out <homeopathyhome.com> and go to their forums....there are many competent homeopaths on line that would be glad to help.

Also try hot compresse on the ear and gentle massage in lymph area on the neck, stroking downwards. A good accupressure point is at the base of and in between the 4th and 5th toes, if she will let you put firm pressure in a circular motion .

Herbally try warm mullein flower oil in the ears or garlic/olive oil and immune supporting herbs like echinacea several times a day (but not at the same time as the homeo. remedy)

One more thing , keep ears warm and out of drafts, even if its not cold outside......

Good luck, her body CAN heal itself with a little help and support Kelly

naturegirl
Member posted 10-16-2000 10:26 AM
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Have you tried chiropractic? Little ones eustachion tubes are almost horizontal so they don't drain very well. As you get older the tubes become more vertical and they drain better. That is why most children "grow out of it" so to speak. But as children the tiny little muscles around these tubes have to be working or they block the drainage and get infected. Chiropractic care has been extremely successful with helping eith ear infections. Numerous studies have been published on it and in fact many parents take their kids to chiropractors for this reason alone. I encourage you to give it a shot. It sure beats surgery and tubes in the ears. (which by the way can cause deafness). Good luck!

acsw
Member posted 10-16-2000 01:16 PM
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Hi,
I echo the question about dairy products. Have you tried cutting them out? I produce tons of mucus from milk and get horrible sinus infections. A friend of mine who has 4 kids who got tons of ear infections took her kids off milk a year ago and they haven't had one.
I would try that before the tubes. However, make sure you find something that works. My dad is almost totally deaf bc of build ups of fluid in his ear that were not taken care of as a child (during the depression.) It's not one of those things that doctors over react to.

Good luck,
Anne

maxx's mom
Member posted 10-17-2000 09:12 PM
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I was about to respond to your question and read some of the other replies. Kelly is right on. I was surprised to hear about miso soup. I would watch this because, even though it is very healthy, it is also fermented. I think that many ear infections are connected to yeast and yeast is the cause of many allergies and also allergies can make yeast worse. Anything fermented could make the problem worse by feeding the yeast.
Dairy not only causes mucus but also feeds the yeast because of the lactose (sugar). Although some mucus is good in the system, for kids it is too much for their tiny tubes that are not angled as well as adult's for easy drainage.

There is a book I read a while back. I think it is called, "healing childhood ear infections". There are other natural alternative books on the market regarding alternative methods for ear infections which I'm sure you can find.

There is also a homeopathic medication called Traumeel from Heel, Inc. 1-800-621-7644; http://wwwheelbhi.com; perhaps you can contact them. I have read that it releaves the pain that comes with ear infections. My natural pharmacy confirmed that it was safe to put in the ear. (My natural pharmacy is Nutri-Pharma in NYC., Ken the owner is wonderful. He was a traditional pharmacist but now is an alternative pharmacist. 212-983-8291. They ship everywhere and can get almost anything I need.) I bought it just incase but never had to use it.

One other thing: just because the doctor says there is an ear infection doesn't mean there is. They often diagnose ear infections when they see fluid in the ear. They don't do cultures (how could they) to confirm anything so most of the time it is an inaccurate guess. "If there is no pain, there is no infection." My doctor agrees with this and I've also read it in books.

Hope you find a solution.
Maxx's Mom

smohorn
Junior Member posted 10-17-2000 10:18 PM
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Healing Childhood Ear Infections by Dr. Michael Schmidt is *the* definative guide for dealing with ear infections. It is a full 300 pages of info on causes, prevention, alternative treatments, and much more. He also takes a critical look at the use of antibotics and tubes. This book will help you to identify the cause of your daughters ear infections and the appropriate treatment. It will also give you solid information on tubes so that you can make an informed and educated decision. Good Luck!

pandora
Member posted 10-17-2000 11:04 PM
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Just thought I'd put in my thoughts:
I was a child with chronic ear infections. They would often come on within hours and were EXTREMELY painful. I averaged 5-6 per winter every year until about age 12 when I grew out of it. I haven't had one since then. They wanted to put tubes in my ears but my parents didn't force the issue due in part to my tremendous fear of this happening - it sounded so scary. The biggest reprocussion of this is a large buildup of yeast in my body due to winters of antibiotic therapy, which I still struggle with today. My advice is to make sure to give acidophilus during and after antibiotics to keep yeast in balance, and of course cut out dairy, sugar, and fermented products especially at these times to help check yeast growth. And even though I won't use antibiotics now, looking back I was very grateful for them. They provided fast relief to incredible pain that I simply couldn't tolerate. Best of luck with your daughter, and let us know what works for you.

lholm
Member posted 10-18-2000 01:51 PM
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We were in the same boat, down to the recommendation to have tympanostomy.Constitutional homeopathic treatment, along w/ changing his diet a little helpedv him get, and stay, well very quickly.
Seek out a qualified classical homeopath.

cara
Member posted 10-18-2000 09:10 PM
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If she is under 2 years old, My first thing would be-get rid of the pacifier(If she has one) Bacteria can go directly from the pacifier to the mouth to the eustachion tubes. Also garlic oil put in the ear will help kill bactieria. Good luck. Let us Know!

Dawn
Member posted 10-18-2000 11:58 PM
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Zoesmom,
My four year old son was going down the same road as your daughter when he was a year old. Eliminating dairy, specifically milk, from my diet (I too was breastfeeding) and homeopathic remedies resolved the ear infections and he hasn't had one since. But be patient as it takes four months for your body (and hers) to be completely dairy-free once you quit. I learned from that experience that I too am allergic to dairy (the numerous ear infections as a child should have been a clue) and since quitting dairy, I have increased energy and less illness. Kelly was right-on with her advice to seek homeopathic care as homeopathy can help balance your child's whole system and make her stronger as a "whole" little person. I swear that my son would have tubes in his ears right now if I hadn't been guided to homeopathy when he was one. Warm garlic mullein oil (available in most health stores by HerbPharm) a drop or two in each ear really helps too. It's soothing and the garlic is nature's "antibiotic", being anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal all in one drop. A Georgetown University study (done in 1996 I believe) proved the link between food allergies (90% were dairy allergies) and ear infections. I'm still reeling from the fact that my pediatrician didn't talk to me about that link. (I changed peds after handing him a copy of that study). Good luck to you! I highly recommend "Almond Breeze" as a non-dairy alternative to cow's milk too for you. It tastes soooo good, provides calcium and doesn't have all the rBST hormones, dioxin, or the excess phosphorus that comes in cow's milk. Hope this helps. You have a lot of good information in these posts. What a blessed forum to have.

Zoesmom
Member posted 10-19-2000 10:39 AM
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Thanks to everyone and all the great info!! I am concidering cutting out dariy, everytime I drink milk or eat Ice cream I get a horrible tummy ache and feel drained. But I love Yogurt and Cheese, sour cream, etc. Do I need to cut out these as well?? I don't know if I could live w/o cheese. Ive had the fake soy kind of cheese and yogurt and they are Yuccky. As long as I am bfing do I need to give my Daughter a milk subsitute? Are they safe and do they have enough vitamins and calcium?
I checked out some of the alternative web sites and plan on finding a Homeopath here in my area. I live in Oklahoma City If anyone has a referance. There are not many here I have found.
Thanks again for all the great info
Andrea

Kirstie
Member posted 10-19-2000 11:02 AM
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Hi,
I agree with all of the excellent advice listed here (and learned quite a bit myself)! As far as needing milk for calcium...that is a bit of a myth. There is a great book by Dr. William Sears entitled: The Nutrition Book: Everything You Need To Know About Feeding Your Children from Birth To Adolescence. He is an awesome pediatrician who has 8 children and was educated at Harvard's Children's Hospital. His book is INCREDIBLE!!!! He has others books as well. I found it on www.Half.com a site where they sell used books in great condition (and other things) for half price.

Anyway - he is not against dairy - but thinks it's a bit overrated. I'm sure that since yogurt is dairy - if you are having trouble with milk allergies - you will also with yogurt. Although Dr Sears states that yogurt is a much better toddler food than beverage milk. "It is made by adding the bacterial culture Lactobacillus Bulgaricus to milk. This culture acts like digestive enzymes, coagulating the milk proteins and transforming milk lactose to lactic acid. By rendering the milk protein less allergenic and changing the lactose, yogurt is tolerated by some toddlers who are allergic to beverage-milk protein or intolerant of milk lactose." He states that yogurt is an ideal toddler food because it is so easily digested and you can do so much baby stuff with it: spreads, dips, icings, pudding and as a healthy substitute for cream in recipes.

It is a myth that you need to drink milk for calcium. While a glass of milk contains 300 mgs of calcium, it is also high in phosphorus. Calcium absorption depends upon the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, which in cow's milk is almost one to one, meaning that there is almost as much phosphorus in cow's milk as calcium. In human milk the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is 2.5 to 1. The higher the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, the better the calcium is absorbed. So, foods with a higher calcium-to-phosphorus ratio are better sources of calcium than milk. However, vitamin D-fortification of milk aids in calcium absorption, and the various hormones that regulate calcium in the body also control how much calcium is absorbed from the intestines.

In the calcium section - some good sources of calcium are: Best Dairy Sources: Yogurt, parmesan cheese & milk. Best Non Dairy Sources: Orange juice, rhubarb, tofu, salmon, figs (Paul Newman makes great organic fig newton cookies called Fig "Newmans"), spinach, broccoli, etc.

Hope this helps a bit. Good luck with your little one!!! Hope she gets better!!!

God Bless!!!
;~)

karyb
Member posted 10-21-2000 08:29 AM
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I read through all the postings and agree with everyone. I will tell you, I too have been battling with my 11 month old's ear infections for several months, one after another. My Pediatrician has had him on round after round of antibiotics and because I was so worried about the affects of prolonged use, I got proactive and started doing research to stop the cycle. The first thing I did was cut dairy from my diet. I too love cheese! In fact, probably 35% - 50% of my diet was dairy based. My son had so much mucas he couldn't nurse and would bite me in frustration. Within 48 hours of eliminating dairy from my diet, the biting stopped and my son started to dry up! Every book I have read recently encourages treating the cause not the symtoms. I'm not sure if this is a coincidence, but my son has been well for 3 weeks now, pretty much a record since he started getting ear infections. I'm from Dallas and there is a clinic here called the Block Center run by Dr. Mary Block. She specializes in treating chronic ear infections. She also has published a book called "No More Amoxillon". I have her book and plan on visiting her clinic as a next step if my son gets sick again. Her philosophy basically suggests antibiotics do not treat the cause and in fact, may do more harm than good. Dr Block is a medical doctor, but prefers a more natural approach to healing ear infections, she demonstrates several massage technics in her book as well as other natural approaches.
Out of all of this, the one thing that truly stands out is the comment one of the previous respondents made, there is no way of knowing without doing a culture, that the ear infection your son has is bacterial. Therefore you don't know for sure that the antibiotics given to your son are working in the first place. During the last antibiotic round my son was given last month, his symtoms improved and then on the 7th day he got really sick while on the antibiotic. He started running a fever and had so much mucas it was in his eyes! I knew then that something had to change and that the antibiotic given to him by the pediatrician wasn't working. That's when I cut out dairy and let the fever do it's job. I didn't give him anything and his body starting working. My son tolerates pain very well, so it was easy for us to get through.

Sorry this is such a long post, but I wanted to share my recent journey regarding this topic.

Karyb

maxx's mom
Member posted 10-21-2000 03:53 PM
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It's me again, Maxx's Mom. I am glad you are thinking of cutting out dairy. I love it too and haven't totally cut it out of my diet but my son doesn't have any. His problem was not of ear infections although he was diagnosed with 3 from a doctor on call at three seperate times.
His problem was mucus which you could hear rattle when he breathed. He also had 2 or 3 respiratory infections his first year. At that time my nutritionist advised to cut out the sheep and goat yogurt he was having at least 2 times a week. (We avoided cow) We also did muscle testing to see what he was allergic to which revealed basically the same things I, his mom, am allergic to such as corn, oats, chick peas, wheat and so on. We cut all that stuff out too.

After cutting out dairy and the other stuff completely from his diet his lungs cleared up and at 2 years he hasn't had another infection or cold that was more than a slight runny nose.

I have a harder time cutting out dairy. Since I am still nursing him, he gets any dairy that i've eaten through me. When I eat something I shouldn't, I immediately see it in him. He has a yeast rash on his arms and legs which he probably got from me since my midwives were treating me for a UTI while I was pregnant with him. Needless to say I didn't have a UTI but was on antibiotics for several months in the first part of my pregnancy until I decided to go to a doctor who chose to monitor bacteria levels in my urine. She took me totally of the drugs but the damage had already been done. We've been dealing with it ever since.

I guess I'm just trying to stress that yeast is the big problem for us. Maybe it is for you too.

Good Luck
Lisa

mialee
Junior Member posted 10-22-2000 01:38 PM
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I agree that diet may have alot to do with the ear infection situation. I would also be concerned about the day care. The strands of colds that run through a day care tend to be a little more agressive than the average. Needless to say colds tend to block our ears. Also children tend to cry for longer periods when at a day care verses home. These two facts are nothing more than facts no ones fault, but things that occur in that type of setting. ALso pacifiers and bottles can also lead to pooling of fluid in the ear canal especially if the child is allowed to have them lying flat. I would encourage you to try to be creative with your schedual to avoid the above and the ear infections.

zobeyslatte
Member posted 10-23-2000 06:06 AM
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hehehe im zobey's mom!
zobey has had ear infections from 14 - 20 months. i am a natural living, breastfeeding mom. the decision about tubes was very difficult. i tried herbal ear drops, dietary changes, 4 different antibiotics, nothing worked. the antibiotics gave her diarrhea and were more stressful administering them that the ear infection itself. it seems the infections began when i introduced dairy. i stopped dairy with her and i at 18 months for a month. she didnt have an ear infection that month. it was very difficult for me to be dairy free in our family. she loves yogurt and cheese. the dr said that allergy testing would be more involved and painful- with bloodwork, frequent dr visits that tubes. he also said that because she didnt show any other allergy signs- clear runny nose, stuffy head, cough, rash, puffy face..... he just didnt get the feeling it was allergy related. the morning i gave her yogurt and cheese, i had a dr appt. well, she had an ear infection. i knew that this ear infection didnt come on within the hour- so she most likely was not allergic to dairy, it was a coincidence that she didnt get an ear infection that month. that night, her eardrum ruptured from the infection. she got tubes a month later.
i will say, that because we were a breastfeeding pair, she only needed to fast for 4 hrs before surgery- (only breastmilk for 12 hours before). immediately after the 10 minute procedure, we nursed and she was comforted immediately. unlike the bottlefed babies and non nursing children in the recovery room. she was the last surgery that day- and the first to leave because she breastfed. the nurses were so amazed that zobey was smiling 10 minutes after! the dr was so proud too. he was boasting about his breastfed toddler patient. i nursed her in the sling all day.

the next day- we flew to florida. she didnt cry from her ears popping. when you have tubes, your ears dont pop! she did great on the plane! and was healthy all through our vacation. she 28 months now and doing great. no ear infections, tubes still in place. i dont use earplugs in the water. i researched that too. it seems that theres no evidence that plugs vs. no plugs show any difference.

Zoesmom
Member posted 10-23-2000 10:29 AM
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Hi Everyone Again,
Well I have really thought long and hard about Ear tubes. Since She has had 8 ear infections in one year I have decided to go ahead and do it. I think at this late date alternative ways prob wont help all that much. My sister in law had a son who had such bad ears he would not sleep for more that 45min at a time for the first 10mo of his life! He finaly slept after reciving tubes.
I have also cut out milk and other dariy products. I am eating more Tofu, less meat and processed products. With future childeren I will defantly try all alternatve ways at an earilier date.
I feel the need to defend myself about the day care situation. I am a single mommy and a student. I was working the first few months of her life I had no choice. Now she is only at daycare about half a day 4 days a week. Her babysitter is a wonderful older lady who only has 3 other kids there. but usualy only 2 or 3 are there at a time. Zoe is the youngest the oldest is 4. She gets tons of attention and love and kisses from Myrna(babysitter) she gets very excited when she see her and gives her the babysitter lots of hugs. l wish I could me a SAHM more than anything but I just cannot do I t right now. I regret it but I know she get s lots of love and I always give her tons of attention when she is home with me. Anyways thats all for now I will let you all know how things turn out for us.
Love
Andrea

Zoesmom
Member posted 10-23-2000 10:32 AM
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Hi again
Forgot one thing
I have had the worst problems with yeast!! This may have a connection. I hope by cutting out dariy and Meat this will help. Does anyone have a good Tofu recepe?

LOve Andrea

naturegirl
Member posted 10-23-2000 11:32 AM
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I just wanted you to know that it is not too late for alternatives. There have been hundreds of kids who have had just as many or more ear infections in one year and have gotten excellent results from chiropractic care. Relief usually occurs within a week or two. Sometimes quicker. I would feel very sad if you didn't at least give it a try before risky surgery. I don't want to make you feel bad if you choose the surgery but please give chiropractic a try.
Good luck and best wishes.

jazzymom1999
Member posted 10-23-2000 12:51 PM
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I just want to reiterate the suggestion on Chiropractic. I have worked with a chiropractor and seen it work first hand. Children respond so quickly to chiropractic treatment. It is absolutely amazing. Find a chiropractor in your area you treats families and ask what kind of experience they have with children and ear infections. Also another at home suggestion is to hold on to your child's legs and hang them upside down until they straighten out. Usually they will favor and lean to one side. A few times a week is what was recommended for my dd.
Kim

zobeyslatte
Member posted 10-25-2000 05:21 AM
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im all for doing all you can to prevent having sugery- but keep in mind that if the child is not hearing because of these ear infections, it may be beneficial to find a solution quickly. my daughter zobey was not hearing us, her balance was off- causing her to fall and bump into things often. she was not talking. we had tried so many things before getting tubes.

shifron
Junior Member posted 10-26-2000 03:09 AM
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try use the swedish bitter. you may find it in www.abkit.com.

Zoesmom
Member posted 11-02-2000 02:42 PM
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I just wanted to let everyone know how the Tubes went. We went to the Dr yesterday to have Zoes tubes inserted. We chose to do it in the Drs office. I didnot want to put her all the way under anethesia. They just put drops in her ears to deaden the pain. Anyways She had had thick green snot comming out of her nose for the past week and the doc said that is what is behind her eardrum causing all the pain and agony and infection.
So Zoe was only out of my arms
for 7 min! that is all it took. She is already so much better. She is no longer falling down from dizziness, her appitite has improved and she acts like she can HEAR!
It was a hard decision to make but in this situation I feel like I did the right thing for my sweet daughter. Thanks for everyones advice and help.
Love Andrea

Momtwice
Member posted 11-02-2000 07:09 PM
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Oh what a thread! If you do choose to give up dairy you have my sympathy, I cannot eat dairy. About soy foods: try different brands because some are excellent, some are awful. I like Soy Delicious soy "ice cream" and tofutti soy "cream cheese." All the other soy cheeses I've tried are disgusting. Oddly enough Elizabeth Noble's book Having Twins has great info about non-dairy calcium sources.
I also had a million ear infections as a child and as an adult developed severe dairy allergy which I now believe was there all along. Not really surprising, because formula fed babies often have allergic reactions to dairy when they are adults, and my generation was mostly formula fed. This is because the infant immune system is designed to see anything other than breast milk as an "enemy" attacking, so to speak. The baby's immune system fighting the allergens results in the symptoms such as rashes, ear infections, stomach upset etc. I read about this information while trying to understand my own food allergies.

judes mum
Member posted 11-16-2000 06:30 PM
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This is my first time on the boards. I have a two and half year old who I am raising strictly using alternative medicine and organic food.
As for ear infections....there are numerous problems that can be associated with them. Allergies, an overgrowth of candida (yeast)because of the overuse of antibiotics. It is well documented that one course of antibiotics can wipe out a childs intestinal flora. This leaves a breeding ground for yeast( a strictly alkaine state). The candida can cause a whole list of problems. In children it usually shows up as diaper rash, recurrent ear infections ( in women it is yeast infections), it can cause asthma and a list that is the length of my arm. The problem with yeast is that it is very difficult to get rid of if you keep on feeding it. Yeast thrives on dairy products, sugar, refined foods, certain graines and even fruit. However, you do not have to cut out everything when you have a child( it can be quite difficult!). The most important thing is to build up your childs immune system. The immune system is suppressed because of the antibiotics. The best way of handling it is to boost the immune system( using the proper herbs), replace the intestinal flora with acidophilus (yogurt will definatly not cut, it being on that many runs of antibiots)the acidophilus will balance out the alkaine state, and then seek a homeopathic treatment for candida albicans. There is an excellent one on the market called "Aqua Flora". It is a two month kit and very easy to throw into juice or soy/rice/almond milk. I have numerous articles and research that are all related. Please feel free to e-mail if you would like the information. [email protected]

Good Luck with the battle!


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## cynthia mosher (Aug 20, 1999)

Note: This is an archived topic. It is read-only. Mothering Boards
Alternative and Complementary Medicine Archive
ear infection

This topic was originally posted in this forum: Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Author Topic: ear infection
Tamee
Member posted 01-06-2001 10:17 AM
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How long is safe to let an ear infection go without using antibiotics? I am using mullein, garli and tea tree oil and some decongestant. Jonas has had an infection almost a couple weeks now. It appears to be going away on it's own, but I'm concerned about how long it is considered safe to heal on it's own. I may be too worried, but I don't want to use antibiotics, also don't want it to become dangerous.

yogamama
Moderator posted 01-06-2001 05:24 PM
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No real advice, I just wanted to say that my son is on ear infection #5 (and treating them with antibiotics & alternative therapies). I would get nervous if your child has a fever and I would advise that you monitor his behavior closely. Our son had a ruptured ear drum a few months ago, and that was scary and painful for him.
Good luck.
Kathleen

Eden
Member posted 01-07-2001 02:03 PM
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My daughter used to get sinus infection/ear infections like crazy. She never burst an eardrum and has never been on antibiotics. I use a BIG dose of grapefruit seed oil (ten drop every time she eats) in a very small amount of lemon/lime pop (stuff is nasty). I also give her eyebright/echinacea herbal tonic every four hours. I swear that since I have done this they go away in days instead of weeks! I have let my kidos ear infections go for weeks but have taken her to the doctor just to make sure nothing was being damaged inside those little ears. Then I just take their prescription and never fill it. She also doesn't get them as often anymore! Hope this helps some!
peace Eden

Katgut
Member posted 01-07-2001 07:34 PM
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As a child I had constant reoccuring Ear infections. My mom used garlic pearls (garlic oils in a vitamin type shell) She would warm it in her hand and then poke a hole in it with a needle and put it in my ear then put a cotton piece in.
I now know that if she had just gotten rid of the milk in my diet I wouldnt have had such bad infections. I suspect (after reading the lastest Mothering article) that the full strength garlic wasn't such a great thing.

I have thirty percent hearing loss in one ear and ten percent in the other due to these infections. So While I whole heartedly support natural remidies I am trying to be more careful with my dd and ds. DD has had 2 in her 2 years so she is probably prone to them. She's been on antibiotics both times. I hope to not do that anymore since I now know the harm of antibiotics. But I am trying to be more informed and careful than my own mom was. Starting with eliminating milk from our diet (as I sit drinking milk ).

Gaia Mama
Member posted 01-08-2001 06:23 AM
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I know what you mean about trying to cut milk out of the diet. My hubby and I are trying a full out assalt on preventing my DS's chronic ear infections (5 in the last year). I was blown away by the study reported in Mothering relating food alergies (in particular dairy) and the onset of otitis media (it is unfortuate that I know the spelling of that...) so this past weekend, in one fell swoop, rid our house and our grocery list of dairy. We also changed our day care arrangements to a home-based provider which I am hoping will really make the difference. I am hoping the ENT at Children's Hospital of Phila. will give us some time to let these changes impact his health before pressuring us into tubes. He still breadfeed regularly so I am thinking that I should cut all dairy out of my diet as well. But the mystical Ben and Jerry call to me...
[This message has been edited by Gaia Mama (edited 01-09-2001).]

Winema&Ezra
Member posted 01-19-2001 06:26 PM
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A few years ago I got an ear infection that was treated improperly and spread to my other ear and got so bad over the next few MONTHS that at one point my ears were basically swelled shut! I am allergic to the whole families of 'cillin and 'myacin so it was a gigantic mess. I did hear about a natural cure using garlic and cold pressed sesame oil (not heating it!) at a pretty high ratio (much more oil than fresh crushed garlic. I left it for a few hours to soak and then applied the oil gently just inside the ear (either drops or safe q-tip) and wow! I am not kidding! A few hours later I heard an audible POP! and I could hear again out of one ear. A little while later the other one cleared and the pain was gone. I had to keep doing twice a day or so for the next 2 weeks and the infection was gone! I am still prone to infections (even though I am a vegan - I was told I had extremely small eustachian tubes) and I use the garlic treatment each time and it has always worked like a charm! I don't know if this is the same as "full strength garlic" alluded to in an earlier reply that was warned against in Mothering Mag? Does anyone know? I hope not, because even though my 10 month old son has not had any ear infections, I still do!

mom at home
Member posted 01-19-2001 07:23 PM
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One thing to keep in mind about ear infections is that the doc may tell you it's infected but eardrums can actually appear red if the baby has been crying. I have been told more than once that my baby has had an ear infection, just taken the prescription, but never filled it and she was fine. Now I ask the doc to describe in detail what it looks like in there. If it's a little red and the baby is fine otherwise, I don't treat it or use ear oil. If the baby has an ongoing fever, I decide based on how sick she seems to be. Sometimes I have done antibiotics, sometimes not. It's important to listen to your own intuition and not just the doc. Some will write a prescription at the drop of a hat.
It terms of ruptured eardrums, when my baby was 5 months she had one, lots of pus oozing out. I used ear oil but it still kept oozing. I really wasn't worried because she wasn't bothered by it at all and no fever, just a happy baby, but I decided to take her in because I wanted the doc's take on it. She said two things that I thought had merit. You shouldn't put ear oil in if the eardrum is ruptured because the oil will get into the inner ear (because of the rupture) and that if the eardrum is ruptured there is no need for antibiotics because the goo is able to escape and isn't trapped in the ear. In "How to have a healthy child in spite of your doctor", Mendelson says this is the one time that antibiotics are warranted, if the eardrum is ruptured, but I thought what my doc said made more sense and after about 5 days of green and yellow goo coming out, it went away with no treatment. I think the reason it never bothered her is because once the eardrum ruptures there is no pressure that it causing pain.

Carrie
Junior Member posted 01-21-2001 11:09 PM
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Hello....
I have been dealing with the winter nasties, and the ear infection for my 18 mo. old baby seems to be on-going. Rather on and off, tho. She has had a low-grade fever(anywhere from 99.0 to 101.5) for a couple of days now.....I am monitoring it, but would like some advice on how to make her more comfy. We've tried the garlic and sesame oil. Nothing seems to ease her irritability, lack of sleep (and mom and dad's for that matter)and feeling uncomfortable. A few weeks ago she had another cold which turned into an ear infection....I did take her to the Doctor and (surprise) he gave her antibiotics.....they didn't seem to help, which didn't make me feel any better about giving them to her. It got better on it's own........I'd sure appreciate any advice other parents might be able to give me. Keep in mind that I'm a novice at the natural mothering, but I'm learning all I can as fast as I can. I wish there had been more info about this when my 9 and 10 year old children were little.....Also, my 18 mo. old is still primarily breastfeeding.....with no signs of weaning anytime soon (which is good!) Thanks in advance....and kudos to Mothering magazine---you've changed this family's life for the better!!
Carrie

Moukii
Member posted 01-27-2001 07:28 PM
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Two weeks ago my 11 1/2 month old had a high fever (103-105.8') for 3 days. The fever went down naturally and a few days later he started scratching his ears. Ear infection. I began with drop of St. John's Wort and Calendula oil in his ears along with homeopathics (professional brands not store bought)and vitamin C. A weeks and a half later he still has the ear infections and it's are getting worse. Tonight I actually broke down and gave him a 3/4 dose of children's tylenol (1st time he's had meds). He's nursing exclusively and I barely have dairy. I've run out of ideas and am worried about letting the ear infection remain too long. Any advice, I've tried all I know?

Winema&Ezra
Member posted 01-29-2001 11:57 AM
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You can try drops of colloidal silver in your child's ear - see topic "colloidal silver". I have not had to do this, but I was told that it works well as long as you are not using any other remedies at the same time.

Alycia
Member posted 01-31-2001 07:43 AM
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I've just been to my local naturopath who said that any cold compressed oil (even olive oil) should help with a mild ear infection. Put in a couple of drops and a small piece of cottonwool to stop it running out again. I'm also giving a goldenseal/echinacea herbal tonic to help with the congestion.
But I do have a question (and wish I'd thought of it 10 mins ago at the naturopath's!). How does the oil help exactly?

JKNielsen
Member posted 02-01-2001 10:51 AM
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I don't know if this helps or not... Or even if it's good or not... My 5 month dd is breastfed only and she started pulling on her ears and crying a lot. Our doc said that it was ear infections and to try breastmilk in the ears. I squirted a few drops into each ear. Twice a day the first day and then once a day for the next two days and now she's almost totally better. Has anyone ever heard of this? My friend asked her doc (as her 3 month breastfed ds also had an ear infection at the same time) and her doc said no as it'll give the child "swimmers ear". What is swimmers ear?

chirojen
Member posted 02-01-2001 02:22 PM
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Just wanted to reply to your concern about ear infections. It has been shown in study after study that letting ear infections heal on thier own is not only safe, but more effective than jumping on antibiotics. In a study published in the Lancet (Oct 24, 1981) showed that between surgery (tubes), antibiotics, surgery and antibiotics or no treatment, the outcomes were the same! Not to mention that children who are treated with antibiotics have higher rates of recurrence.
Have you ever tried chiropractic? Although chiropractors don't treat symptoms, through aligning the spine and removing spinal interference the body's innate ability to heal itself is restored. My first patient as an intern in chiro school was a 4 yr old girl who was on antibiotics for two weeks on, two weeks off for the whole fall and winter. The MD wanted to put tube in her ears and her mom was apprehensive. She decided to take Morgan to the clinic and after only a couple of adjustments her health improved significantly. Morgan no longer got ear infections, only got a couple of colds that her mom said were shorter and less intense that before we started adjusting. Her mom was so impressed that she decided to become a chiropractor!

Yours in health
Jen Plunkett, DC

alianmama
Member posted 02-09-2001 01:42 PM
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Ear candles! Whole Foods, Wild Oats etc. carries them.. They suck the infection right out, then I use mullein/garlic oil (make my own garlic oil w/olive oil warmed w/crushed garlic for 15 min). I use these for clearing my ears of wax buildup, and have used for ear infections in my kids (and once myself during a very bad cold!)

Peacemama
Member posted 02-15-2001 07:53 AM
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The ear infection thread! There is nothing worse than post-nasal drip to bring down a household for a few nights! My 1st child, now 71/2 has always been allergic to dairy. We didn't discover this until she was 18 months and on her 6th ear infection (duh!). She had an assault of ever stronger antibiotics that did nothing, 3 or 4 days later she would be sticking her fingers in her ear again.... When we eliminated dairy she was a new kid, all clear and healthy. She has since has a couple of infections when she has "just a little" dairy here and there, and the way I handle them is to give her the lowest strength amoxicillin for just 2 or 3 days, then echinacea and goldenseal for 5 more. It worked both times, gets rid of the pain and swelling quickly and keeps
the infection away, until she sneaks some ice cream again that is. We have used garlic-mullein-st. john's wort oil with good luck when she is on the verge of infection. It is helpful that she can tell me what is going on in there now and we attack it early. With my younger kids, if I even suspect something we use oil and take echinacea and extra vit. C. I had an ear infection during my last pregnancy recently and used only vit.C and echinacea, and it went away in about 4 days. THis may be a question for the vaccination board, but I always wondered why several ear infections is accepted (by peds) as the norm these days? Anyway, good luck. A good book is "Healing Childhood Ear Infections" by Michael Schmidt. It helped us off the road of constant antibiotic dependency and back to health.

Glori3
unregistered posted 02-17-2001 07:41 PM
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I am so glad to have you all and this board! I was absolutely horrified to hear the ped say my 3 month old dtd has a red ear, here's the Amoxicillin! I always thought ear infections only happened to the immunedeficient neglected bottlefed kids, but I can see here that is so wrong. She is just sooo congested, no other symptoms, I am inclined to treat the congestion only and ignore the Rx. I've been giving her homeopathics for the sinus and URI, since she doesn't seem to actually have a full-blown ear infection, just on the verge of one, what can I do to prevent it from progressing? Help, I never read about them because "they won't happen to me". (I'm going back to the last Mothering article, though, right now!) Thank you all and Bless you!

Roo
Member posted 02-19-2001 06:44 PM
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If it has been 2-3 weeks you might want to comcider antiobtics now. Also you need to look into cause. Allergies et. I am also going to add one possible cause. Spill proof sippy cups. Kids can lay down and drink out of them making them act the same as a bottle, plus they can be a breeding ground for germs.

mom at home
Member posted 02-19-2001 07:49 PM
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glori3,
Try some ear oil. There are several brands out there or you can make your own. There was a thread about it somewhere recently -probably on this forum ?

It works well for us. My daughter was complaining that her ear hurt last night and she's had a cold and general crud for awhile. I put the ear oil in when I went to bed and she hasn't said anything more about it.

The oil is a good way to avoid antibiotics. Good luck.

Mom2TJ
Member posted 02-20-2001 02:52 PM
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My son had ear infections the first two years of his life. When I took him off milk, the ear infections stopped. In the meantime, the antibiotics he was on stripped his digestives system and caused a yeast overgrowth in his intestines and now he has extensive food allergies. He has almost no digestive enzymes left to digest his food. After a year of wondering what the heck was wrong with our son, we just got a diagnosis two weeks ago. It has been hell.
My advice for treating ear infections is garlic, garlic oil in the ear, Thymactiv homepathic drops (available at a health food store) a hoempathic mucous drainage formula and, if all else fails (although I have never done it, but my SIL did it to her two year old and it worked - the child was better within 12 hours) a garlic enema. I will never give my kids antibiotics again unless their lives or limbs are in danger.

Kewbel
Member posted 03-27-2001 08:26 PM
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Does anyone know what the connection is between dairy and ear infections? After 4 infections in 3 months, our doctor wants to refer us to an ENT for tubes. She has been on FIVE different antibiotics. We have both been off dairy for 2 weeks, which seems to have cleared up her almost chronic runny nose, but I don't understand the connection well enough to talk to my pediatrician about it...
Thanks

mom at home
Member posted 03-27-2001 09:21 PM
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Before you go the route of eartubes I would strongly encourage you to research the milk connection and other ways (non-antibiotic) of clearing up ear infections. There is an excellent book called "Childhood Ear Infections" by Dr. Michael A. Schmidt. It goes into a lot of detail including the dairy connection. I think I recall reading in there or somewhere than over 75% of kids who had been recommended for tubes stopped having ear infections (and the need for tubes) after eliminating dairy from their diet. The book "How to raise a healthy child in spite of your doctor" by Robert S. Mendelsohn is also a very good book. He says that the main problem with dairy is that is causes swelling the mucous membranes and makes it difficult for fluid to drain from the swollen eustachion tubes.
We have had great luck using a chiropractor and having adjustments done which allow for drainage to occur. My daughter had a bad double ear infection last month which was completely gotten rid of from chiropractic adjustments, ear oil, and echinacea. I don't plan on ever using antibiotics for ear infections again.

berglar
Member posted 03-28-2001 07:28 AM
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I consider myself fairly new at this 'natural healing' stuff, since as a child my mother didn't hesitate to use antibiotics on us. I have several brothers who have gone the antibiotic/ear tubes route, and it seems odd to me that no one ever mentioned cutting out dairy.
My three year old daughter is severely allergic to dairy, and so we don't have any in the house. A month ago we all had colds in the house, and she woke up one morning telling me her ear hurt. I made some phone calls to friends of mine who are more knowledgable about alternative methods, re-read the Mothering article, came here to read these posts, and decided on home treatment.

I warmed some olive oil with a crushed clove of garlic in it. While this was infusing on the stove, I squirted some of my breastmilk into a teaspoon and dropped it in her ear. Her relief was almost immediate. She stopped pulling on it and crying, and was able to rest comfortably. When the oil had cooled I strained out the garlic and put a drop in her ear, then a cottonball to keep it from dripping out. I continued the oil for a day, just to be sure.

She has been fine ever since the first drops of breastmilk. I am always amazed at how quickly children (or anyone) heal when we leave them alone!!

I thank Mothering magazine and all you wonderful people who post here! What a valuable forum this is.

stepkoni
Member posted 04-15-2001 02:40 PM
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Another remedy for ear infections worth a try is xylotol, a natural sweetener used in chewing gum. It prevents the bacteria from adhering to the ear canal.

MINTYJULEPZ
Member posted 04-15-2001 08:11 PM
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There was a post earlier about putting colloidal silver in the ear, but I just want to warn that the woman who introduced me to colloidal silver told me that the silver put in the ear willl draw the infection *out*, thus bursting the ear drum. If whoever it was who posted that has done it and had no problem, I'm sure it must be fine, but I just wanted to let everyone know that. BTW, she suggested squirting some up the cild's nose for ear infection. When dd was getting them alot, I used to let her drink as much as she could when she first started with sniffles or a cold -- she never had another ear infection after that! Yippee!

Luna
Member posted 04-20-2001 08:35 AM
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My bf ds had an ear infection about a month ago. Went to the doc to confirm whether it was an infection (he said yes and, of course, handing me an Rx).

I went straight to the health food store and got a bottle of Ear Drops (contains garlic, mullein, St. John's Wort and more) and used that in ds's ears. That, combined with Belladonna, Chamomile, and Bioplaxma homeop tablets really helped.

But my biggest surprise -- one that I learned about somewhere here on the Mothering Boards -- was breastmilk in the ears. Sounded odd and bizarre to me, but hey, sticking garlic in the ear may sound quite bizarre to traditional medicine users! So, I gave it a try...and to my astonishment, that was when we experienced an almost immediate increase in his healing.

I think using all those remedies together were helpful; the breastmilk does, though, seem to work wonders. "Breastmilk: It's Not Just For Drinking Anymore!"

Luna
Member posted 04-20-2001 08:40 AM
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Two follow-ups:

First, I mistyped: the homeo preparation is called Bioplasma (s, not x).

Also, I took ds in for a follow-up exam after I felt his infection was over, just to make sure it was all gone. Doc checked the ears and smiled, saying "Yep, all clear. That prescription really worked!" I smiled and gently told him that I had never had the Rx filled, and enlighted him to the natural remedies we had used. He looked up at me, nonplussed, and asked incredulously, "You didn't use the prescription??" I assured him we did not, and he shook his head with a slight chuckle and said, "Well, whatever you used, it worked."

Score another one for our team!


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## cynthia mosher (Aug 20, 1999)

Alternative and Complementary Medicine Archive
Tubes

This topic was originally posted in this forum: Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Author Topic: Tubes
M.Graham
Member posted 05-10-2001 11:08 AM
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My 3 yr old has suffered from ear infections off and on for almost a year now and for the first time I treated her with antibiotics after her eardrum ruptured, in conjunction with the homeopathic remedies that I started her off with.I have consulted with our ENT and our homopathic DR and the ENT strongly recommends placing tubes in her ears and the homeopath does not. Now just last night after the 10 day course of the antibiotics she is having ear pain again.My big question is are the tubes a good or bad thing?The ENT said the it may help with the quality of life for child and parents but not medically necessary because of possible damage to the ears/hearing.What's a mom to do?Any thoughts
on tubes and ear infections would be appreciated.

InnateMom
Member posted 05-10-2001 11:58 AM
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M. Graham,
If you go back a little further in Alt. medicine there are many posts on ear infections, pain and fluid. Lots of the moms have dealt with them using chiropractic, homeopathy, diet changes, ect. I have never heard any thing positive about tubes. I would try all other options first.

Lisa

Bari
Member posted 05-10-2001 12:05 PM
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Have you considered food allergies as being a cause of the ear infection? The most common allergies are to: cow's milk, wheat, soy, corn, chocolate, eggs, peanuts. Good luck.

circlemama
Member posted 05-10-2001 01:37 PM
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My husband has hearing loss caused from
scarring that he received from getting tubes,
he had to get tubes placed in his ears three
times. Also, the side effects of anthesia
is something to consider. Are you giving
your child adidophillus or probiotics to counteract all the antibiotic use?

M.Graham
Member posted 05-10-2001 03:51 PM
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Thank you for your response looking back at some older forums held a lot of good info.We have been doing the no dairy/white flour/and trying the sugar.But if soy is a potential problem then what do I feed her,we love tofu and soy milk and what about sugars in fruit? Something that I had forgot about that was mentioned in previous forums was lymph massage which was very successful for (Zahara) when she was an infant born with swollen feet,due to week lymphatic system.I tell you this one has always been my (special needs)or difficult one.

edgyveggie
Member posted 05-10-2001 05:06 PM
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There was a really great article in Mothering a couple of months back on ear infections and antibiotics. You may want to get that to read. Hope she is feeling better. She has a beautiful name, Zahara!

M.Graham
Member posted 05-11-2001 09:51 AM
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quote:
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Originally posted by edgyveggie:
There was a really great article in Mothering a couple of months back on ear infections and antibiotics. You may want to get that to read. Hope she is feeling better. She has a beautiful name, Zahara!
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edgyveggie which issue was it? Zahara Siri is her name {flowering star} but flaming asteroid might of been more fitting,I do love her and her spunk just as a three yr old it's challenging.

edgyveggie
Member posted 05-11-2001 12:23 PM
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M.Graham.
It was the Jan/Feb 2001 issue. The articles are "Healing Ear Infections: Why Antibiotics Are NoT The Best Treatment" and "Remedies For Earaches: Soothing Discomfort Naturally". I just scanned through the articles and they didn't have anything in them about tubes, but loads about bacterial resistance, why kids get ear infections, pain relief, etc... Really great info to be found proving that antibiotics are so overused and how dangerous that is when you REALLY need them. I think you can order back copies or maybe even just the articles here in the article index. Hope this helps.

jaylind
Member posted 05-11-2001 01:24 PM
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Hi there MG. I am feeling like a black sheep here because I actually agreed to having tubes in my DD's ears. We tried everything under the sun and still could not clear them up. I never did take her to an ENT, I just let our family doc who also practices chiro put in the tubes. He was very conservative about it and the big issue was doing them while DD was so young because of the possibility of her needing more next year. If tubes are placed too many times, there can be scar tissue and subsequent hearing loss like circlemama mentioned. You have to weigh all the positives and negatives but with my own experience and my DD's horrible struggles the past year (she is 18 mos now), I am soooo glad we did it. She was better THAT DAY and had 20 new words the first few days. She used to sleep 13 hours a night (getting up to nurse twice) and then take two 2-hour naps a day. This was great for an exhausted mama but the poor kid was exhausted, too. She improved in that area as well. I have no regrets, honestly. We did try to avoid it but in the end it was the appropriate course of action for us. We are very happy with our decision. As for the anesthesia, it was hard but our hospital handled it very well IMO.
jaylind

Oh one other thing...I was thinking if your DD is 3, there may be little chance of her needing the tubes again...it could be a one-time airing out is all her little ears need. Sorry, I'm not trying to push it, I just wanted to point out that one more little thing....that is our main worry with our own DD so young is that she may need them again and that will be a more serious consideration because of the greater risk of permanent hearing loss.

[This message has been edited by jaylind (edited 05-11-2001).]

M.Graham
Member posted 05-11-2001 03:26 PM
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quote:
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Originally posted by jaylind:
Hi there MG. I am feeling like a black sheep here because I actually agreed to having tubes in my DD's ears. We tried everything under the sun and still could not clear them up. I never did take her to an ENT, I just let our family doc who also practices chiro put in the tubes. He was very conservative about it and the big issue was doing them while DD was so young because of the possibility of her needing more next year. If tubes are placed too many times, there can be scar tissue and subsequent hearing loss like circlemama mentioned. You have to weigh all the positives and negatives but with my own experience and my DD's horrible struggles the past year (she is 18 mos now), I am soooo glad we did it. She was better THAT DAY and had 20 new words the first few days. She used to sleep 13 hours a night (getting up to nurse twice) and then take two 2-hour naps a day. This was great for an exhausted mama but the poor kid was exhausted, too. She improved in that area as well. I have no regrets, honestly. We did try to avoid it but in the end it was the appropriate course of action for us. We are very happy with our decision. As for the anesthesia, it was hard but our hospital handled it very well IMO.
jaylind

Oh one other thing...I was thinking if your DD is 3, there may be little chance of her needing the tubes again...it could be a one-time airing out is all her little ears need. Sorry, I'm not trying to push it, I just wanted to point out that one more little thing....that is our main worry with our own DD so young is that she may need them again and that will be a more serious consideration because of the greater risk of permanent hearing loss.

[This message has been edited by jaylind (edited 05-11-2001).]

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Wow! Thank you for bring up some experience in favor of tubes.I'm glad that it worked so well for you and your child.I just took her to the chiro today and she feels good. He shared a story of a 24 month old who had been on anti-bs or 17 of those 24 months had tubes placed in 2 times,now he has been to the chiro 4 times in a month and
no ear infections.
So,we going to try this and see what comes. Hey thank you all for your response this is fun!!!

Roo
Member posted 05-15-2001 07:28 PM
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Damned if you do damned if you don't. Highly recommend you try all the above.
My daughter has hearing loss due to infections. Yes now she has tubes. My daughter has a birth defect that also add more to our situation.

If he speach is effected you need to have tubes. My daughters speech was being effected. She know has a hearing aid permant unilateral hearing loss.

jaylind
Member posted 05-16-2001 08:13 AM
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DD had another ear infection yesterday...this is the 2nd one since she got the tubes. It is very obvious because she gets up from a nap with crusties on her hair around the affected ear. She doesn't get a fever, though.
One dose of antibiotic ear drops and she's already feeling better. A big plus, she doesn't need any more of the *exotic* antibiotics she took orally before she had the tubes. A quick round of amoxicillin drops does the trick. I am not big on antibiotics but I always feel better if she's getting a more general one that is less likely to encourage the superbugs we all hear about. Plus, they aren't nearly as rampant in her bloodstream with just the drops and she is WAY less likely to get any yeast buildup anywhere (armpits, labia, etc...).

Just wanted to let you know.

jaylind

InnateMom
Member posted 05-16-2001 09:14 AM
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M. Graham,
So glad to hear the adjustments are helping. Keep up with it and should keep any chance of a reoccurence from happening. Love to your little Zahara.


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## cynthia mosher (Aug 20, 1999)

Note: This is an archived topic. It is read-only. Mothering Boards
Alternative and Complementary Medicine Archive
A quick solution for "swimmers ear"

This topic was originally posted in this forum: Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Author Topic: A quick solution for "swimmers ear"
Sierra







M-
Moderator posted 07-06-2001 10:33 PM
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My SO is having what we think might be swimmers ear. She has a history of ear infections, but for some reason my family is blessed to not have ear problems, so I have no idea about *natural* remedies for a little relief. I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I don't have time to do a search tonight. Any quick suggestions?
Thanks!
Sierra

SmileMomma
Moderator posted 07-07-2001 10:23 AM
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Hi Sierra! I just got over this myself, seem to be prone to it for some reason -- ack, I know why, too many irritating q-tips, but anyway, what always works for me and was just actually recommended by my ENT is plain vinegar, dripped in with an eyedropper. I have also used vinegar/alcohol 50-50. Worked great for me, but I've heard the alcohol can be too drying. Also, do you have access to breastmilk???!!
Good wishes for your sweetie.

shelly1610
Member posted 07-07-2001 04:06 PM
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Whenever I feel like I have water in my ear (like everything echos in my head) I run the hair dryer on med heat low speed for about ten minutes. Just don't let it get too hot.
I works for me
Shelly

Scrapping Mama
Member posted 07-07-2001 06:07 PM
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Hi Sierra M-.....swimmers ear has been a bit of a problem this summer for us. My M.D. suggested half apple cider vinegar and alcohol after each swim. It is doing the trick. Breastmilk works to ease the pain after infection but doesnt seem to do much preventatively. Good Luck!

Sierra







M-
Moderator posted 07-08-2001 08:44 AM
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Thanks so much for the suggestions! Sounds like vinegar is the way to go, with maybe a little bit of alcohol. I'll let you know how it works!
Thanks again,
Sierra

abi-mommy
Moderator posted 07-10-2001 03:52 PM
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I was a swimmer in high school and we always used vinegar/alchohol.

Sierra







M-
Moderator posted 07-15-2001 02:14 AM
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Well, I suggested your remedies to my sweetie, and I assume they've been tried because there have been no complaints since! Yea!


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