Natural Remedies for Middle Ear Infections
🙉👂🏼🤧Natural Remedies for Middle Ear Infections.
There are different types of ear infections. Middle ear infection (acute otitis media) is an infection in the middle ear. According to the CDC, the body's immune system can often fight off middle ear infection on its own. AOM symptoms improve within 48 to 72 hours with or without antibiotic treatment in most children. In fact, about 80 percent of children with acute ear infections get better without antibiotic treatment. Watchful waiting for 2-3 days is typically recommended for mild middle ear infection if the child is older than 6 months and is otherwise healthy. This gives the immune system time to fight off the infection. If your child’s symptoms don’t improve, the doctor may prescribe an antibiotic. During this period of time, doctors will often recommend rest, extra water or other fluids, and Over-the-Counter Medicines to relieve pain or fever. There are also alternative ways to treat the symptoms of ear infections and to prevent persistent and recurrent ear infections. Check out the slides to read more about some of the alternative treatments of symptoms and prevention strategies ➡️. For example, in a study of 103 children using Otikon Otic Solution (containing olive oil, mullein olive oil extract, marigold oil extract, St. John’s wort oil extract, lavender oil, vitamin E, rosemary extract, garlic oil, & carnosic acid), there was a statistically significant improvement in ear pain score throughout the course of the study period!
Consulting a doctor or healthcare provider is recommended to diagnose and recommend suitable treatment options. Before giving any medication to a child, whether over the counter, an herbal remedy, or a dietary supplement, you should talk to your pediatrician.
Resources:
https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/ear-infection.html
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11434846/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10728925/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21946445/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7167925/