What is an ear infection?
Ear is one of the most delicate sense organs. If it is not cared
properly, it may cause several problems, including ear infection. Ear
infection is a very common problem, diagnosed in infants and children.
Even it is common in adults, now-a-days. The general term used for ear
infection is “Otitis Media” or chronic ear infection. Very few people
know about the symptoms, causes, and treatment of an ear infection. If
we suffer with an ear pain, we always try to sort out a quick remedy to
overcome it. Before going through the series of home remedies, let us
understand the symptoms and causes of an ear infection.
Causes
Ear infection mainly occurs in the middle part of the ear. Ear drum
gets weak due to the infection of the middle part of the ear. It is
caused when the ear is blocked by the mucus or fluid behind the ear
drum. This affects the hearing sense of an individual. Ear infections
are also caused by food allergies, upper respiratory problems,
environmental allergies, genetics, internal injuries, and nutritional
deficiencies.
Common Symptoms
Infants and Children
Ear infections are very painful. The infant or children can’t express
their pain in the ears. But, the common things to be noticed are as
follows:
- Fever
- Tugging at ears
- Trouble sleeping
- Fluid drainage from the ear
- Fussiness
- Unusual crying
- Hearing problems
Adults
A few symptoms of ear infection in adults are:
- Drainage
- Rupturing
- Swelling of the middle ear
- Terrible pain in ear
Apart from these symptoms, high fever, headache, vomiting, poor sound
response and diarrhoea are generally seen in adults and children.
Possible Complications
Ear infection may result in various permanent changes in the ear and
to the nearby bones if proper treatment is not taken on time. Some of
the possible complications include:
- Cyst in the middle ear
- Hardening of the middle ear tissue
- Mastoid bone infection
- Damage to that portion of the ear that assists in maintaining balance
- Paralysis of the face
- Inflammation in or around the brain
- Ongoing drainage from a hole in the eardrum
Natural Home Remedies to Treat Ear Infection
How to cure and treat an ear infection? It is human nature that
whenever a person faces health problem, he/ she has one word on mouth,
i.e. “Doctor”. A person must always try to find out some natural
remedies for the cure of ear infection, before consulting a doctor. No
doubt, antibiotics are the common solution to get instant relief. But,
sometimes, these medications may lead to severe side effects. Therefore,
here are some home remedies for curing ear infection that are
absolutely natural and harmless.
- Heating Pad/ Warm Water Bottle
To get quick relief, first and foremost remedy one should opt is to
press a heating pad or warm water bottle against the ear. You can also
dip a clean cloth in lukewarm water and apply it on the infected ear. It
is to be kept in mind that the heating procedure should not exceed for a
long period of time. Start with five minutes, and repeat the process,
if required.
Tea tree oil is known for its mild antibacterial and healing
properties. With the use of tea tree oil, one can get instant relief in
ear pain. Prepare a mixture of one tsp of apple cider vinegar,
2 tbsp of olive oil, 3 drops of tea tree oil, and a tsp of colloidal
silver. Slightly warm this mixture. Put your head on a towel, keeping
the infected ear upright. With the help of dropper, put the mixture in
the ear, and leave it for five minutes. After sometime, turn your head
and let the mixture drain out completely. Follow this procedure thrice a
day for effective results.
Garlic is considered to have antimicrobial and pain relieving
characteristics. Put some drops of fresh garlic oil or juice in the
infected ear. This will provide an immediate relief. The process should
be practised three times in a day.
Else, boil 2-3 garlic cloves in water for five minutes. Add some salt
after crushing the cloves. Wrap up the mixture in a clean cloth and put
it on the infected ear.
Apart from making these mixtures, one can eat 2-3 raw garlic cloves to facilitate the healing process.
The extracts of mango leaf are effective for the treatment of ear
infection. Take two or three mango leaves. Grind or crush them to
extract juice. Slightly warm the extracted juice. Put 2-3 drops of juice
in the infected ear with the help of a dropper. Leave it for a few
minutes. After sometime, you will feel relief in the earache. If the
procedure is practised for three times a day, then ear infection will
surely get healed.
Onion is not only used as the main ingredient for cooking, but also
used for medicinal cure. It is very beneficial for ear infection. Take a
small onion and chop it. Put the chopped onion in the microwave for 1-2
minutes. After microwaving, allow it to cool and extract its juice. Put
two-three drops of onion juice in the infected ear and leave it for a
few minutes. After sometime, turn your head and drain out the juice from
the ear.
You can also bake the onion for 30 minutes. After baking, cut in into
two pieces. Wrap one piece of baked onion in a cotton cloth and place
it on the infected ear for at least five minutes. If required, repeat
the process after ten minutes.
Salt is considered to be the best remedy, available at home.
Microwave one cup of salt for at least 5-6 minutes. After that, put the
hot salt in a sock. Tie the open end of the sock using a rubber band.
Lie down and put the sock under the infected ear for ten minutes. The
heat from the sock will facilitate in draining out the fluid from the
ear. To get relief in swelling and pain, the process should be repeated
multiple times in a day.
Basil leaves are also one of the remedies used to get relief in ear
infections and minor earache. Take 4-5 holy basil leaves. Crush them to
extract their juice. Apply the extracted juice around the infected area.
It should not be put into the ear canal.
Apart from this, mixture of basil juice and coconut oil can also be
used for healing the ear infection. Take a cotton ball and dip it into
the mixture. Apply it gently on the inner part, outer edge and behind
the ear. This process should be practised two times in a day.
Apple cider vinegar is the best solution for removing fungus from the
ear. Prepare a solution of apple cider vinegar and water, taking both
in equal quantity. You can also use alcohol in place of water. Take a
cotton ball and soak it in the solution. Put the soaked cotton ball in
the ear for almost five minutes. Now, remove the cotton ball and lay
down on the opposite side to flush out the solution from the ear. To dry
the ear, you can use a hair dryer.
White vinegar can also be used in place of apple cider vinegar.
Breastfeeding infants have very fewer infections than a normal child
or adult. Breast milk is considered as the best remedy for curing any
type of ear infection. It is also used for treating eye infections,
minor cuts, wounds or burns. It has natural antibodies, which lessen
swelling and pain. With the help of dropper, put 2-3 drops of breast
milk in the infected ear. If the process is repeated after every two
hours, ear infection will surely get cured.
As we all know, ear infection is mainly caused due to the deposits of wax in the ear,
which results in germination of bacteria and fungus. This ultimately
blocks the ear. Olive oil is one of the best solutions to this problem.
Warm some olive oil. After warming, put some drops of warm oil into the
infected ear. Olive oil will help in softening the wax. The wax can be
removed safely with the help of a cotton bud. Don’t put the bud too far
in the ear; otherwise, it may damage your eardrum.
Mustard oil can also be used to treat the ear infection.
Mullein is a wild flowering plant grown in several areas. To get
relief in ear infection, take a teaspoon of mullein flowers and put them
into ½ cup of boiling water. Allow it to cool. Now, mix one tbsp
mullein tea and one tbsp olive oil in it. Leave the mixture for
overnight. Put one drop of the resulted mixture in the infected ear.
Instead of preparing mullein oil at home, you can also buy it from the
market.
Homeopathic Remedies for Ear Infection
Apart from the above mentioned natural remedies, homeopathic remedies
are also available for healing the ear infection. Here are some
recommended homeopathic remedies for ear infection.
These ear drops are easy to use and very effective in getting immediate relief from earache.
- Homeopathic Earache Tablets
These tablets are taken orally for treating the ear infection.
It is used when ear is red, and the patient is suffering from high fever along with intense earache.
When yellow or green discharge from ears and nose is seen, it may be used.
It is beneficial in the case of sharp earache and thick coloured discharge.
It is used when extreme ear pain is accompanied with pus formation.
It is used for intolerable ear pain in children.
Dosage: After one dose, wait for its reaction. If
there is a complete relief, stop taking the medicine. If you don’t get
relief, take the medicine for next time. The frequency of dosage depends
on the condition of an individual. If no effect is seen within a
considerable time, consult a physician.
Prevention Measures
A person should take necessary preventive measures for avoiding ear infection. Follow the below mentioned measures:
- Wash your hands frequently to stop the spread of infection.
- Avoid smoking
- Breastfeeding is best for infants, but, if you are feeding your baby with bottle, hold him/her upright.
- Get your child immunized with PCV (Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine).
- Prevent the common cold
