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Imagine
Your Kids with Vibrant Health and Natural
Vitality!
Boost and Strengthen their
Immune System the Natural Way!
Super Healthy Kids is a comprehensive e-book
(you can get a printed paperback version as
well) about what you can do to strengthen
your kids health and boost their immune system
to prevent disease and create increased vibrant
health and vitality...read
more...
Ear Infections - Alternative
Solutions
By Shiroko Sokitch, MD
Symptoms of Ear Infection
One of the most common problems pediatricians
see is ear infection. Almost half of all children
will have at least one middle ear infection
during their first year, and by age three,
over two-thirds of all children will have
had at least one middle ear infection. Symptoms
include ear pain, fever, irritability, and
sometimes dizziness in older children. Parents
should also be on the lookout for more subtle
signs, such as low appetite, less than normal
activity, shaking the head or pulling on the
ear and crying. Occasionally, the pressure
in the middle ear will build up to a point
where the eardrum bursts, resulting in pus
and blood drainage from the ear. As alarming
as this sounds, generally the child will feel
better afterwards. The tear in the eardrum
allows the fluid to drain, and the hole will
usually heal within a few days.
Causes of Ear Infection
Otitis media (middle ear inflammation) is
commonly referred to as ear infection, even
though in many cases there is no actual infection
present. Chronic ear infection can be a complex,
multifaceted problem. The four main causes
are:
1. Allergy
2. Infection
3. Mechanical
obstruction
4. Nutritional
deficiency
Allergy
In Childhood
Ear Infections, Dr. Michael A. Schmidt
presents over 16 scientific studies that show
that many cases of chronic ear infections
are due to food or airborne allergies or hypersensitivity
reactions. Allergies can cause significant
pressure changes within the middle ear, as
well as obstruction of the eustachian tube.
The most common allergens implicated in ear
infection are cow’s milk and dairy products,
wheat, eggs, chocolate, citrus, corn, soy,
peanuts or other nuts, shellfish, sugar, and
yeast. Dairy
is the number one contributor to childhood
ear problems. Proper allergy management,
such as elimination and rotation diets, can
produce dramatic recovery in allergic children
with chronic ear infections.
Infection
If immune function is lowered for any reason,
bacteria or viruses from the nose or throat
can find their way into the middle ear and
contribute to an ear infection. When these
germs multiply, pus builds up behind the eardrum
and increases the pressure, which leads to
pain and swelling in the ear. Often a common
cold with a stuffy, runny nose or a cough
precedes the ear infection.
Mechanical Obstruction
In addition to allergies contributing to
the obstruction of the eustachian tube, another
form of obstruction called biomechanical obstruction,
can further contribute to ear problems. This
blockage is due to problems of the structural
components around the ear and eustachian tube,
including the bones of the jaw, skull and
neck.
The head is made up of many bones that are
supposed to move gently in synchronization
with one another. The movement of these bones
allows for the proper movement of the fluids
in the head, including the fluids connecting
between the sinuses, eustachian tubes and
ears. Many things can change the proper movement
of the bones in the head, including falls,
recurrent infections, and the trauma of birth,
especially if forceps were used for delivery.
Since an ear infection contains fluid that
accumulates behind the ear drum, gentle movement
of the bones of the head to allow drainage
of the fluid can prevent and cure such an
infection.
Craniosacral work is the gentle movement
of the bones of a child’s head and sacrum.
Using craniosacral work for treatment and
prevention of ear infections is especially
helpful. Practitioners who do this work are
usually chiropractors who take a special course
in cranial work, or osteopathic physicians.
Osteopaths are trained exactly like MD’s and
practice medicine, but are also trained in
osteopathic manipulation. Some osteopaths
specialize in the field of cranial osteopathy.
When you are looking for someone to work with
your child, seek a pediatric chiropractor
or osteopath who specializes in cranial work.
Nutritional Deficiency
It is important to consider nutrition in
the prevention and treatment of ear infections.
An organic, unprocessed, whole foods diet,
low in sugar, is essential for creating good
health with high immune function. Dietary
fats can either enhance or impair immune function,
depending on the type of fat. The wrong types
of fats (hydrogenated oils found in deep fried
foods, margarine and baked goods, and saturated
fats such as meat and dairy) can predispose
a child to recurrent infections and inflammatory
conditions. Essential fatty acids (the good
fats) are essential to normal immune and nervous
system function. A recent study found that
the U.S. has the highest incidence of essential
fatty acid deficiency in the developed world.
Fatty acid deficiency contributes to ADD and
ADHD and other learning disorders, as well
as poor immune function. Essential fatty acids
are found in flax oil, evening primrose oil,
borage seed oil and fish oil. This should
ideally be started by the mother while she
is pregnant and during breast-feeding. One
or two teaspoons per day of flax oil, depending
on age, may be all the child needs.
Deficiency of certain vitamins or minerals
can weaken a child’s immunity. As with adults,
most children do not get all the vitamins
or minerals they need to keep their immune
systems strong. Therefore, it is valuable
to give children a good multivitamin and mineral
supplement. Vitamin C is essential to the
immune system, and depending on the child,
the need may be from 250 to 500 mg of vitamin
C per day. Vitamin A deficiency has been shown
in animal studies to lead to ear infection.
Zinc is necessary for proper immune function
and conversion of fatty acids.
Supplementation of the diet with intestinal
bacteria is important to healthy immunity,
especially if a child has been on antibiotics.
L. acidophilus is recommended for children
over age seven, and B. bifidus for children
under seven.
Breastfeeding is important to ensure that
a child has a healthy immune system. Mother’s
milk contains all the immune protecting complexes
the child needs. Children who are breastfed
are overall healthier than those who are not.
The sucking action required to breastfeed
also helps the Eustachian tubes open and close,
which makes a difference in the frequency
that a child is likely to get ear infections.
Antibiotics and Other Medications
Ear infections are rarely an emergency and
usually will get better without antibiotic
treatment. However, there are signs that a
parent should watch for. These include high
fever, listlessness, stiff neck if the child
is old enough to move his/her head, and abnormal
mental function. If these things occur, you
should have the child seen immediately for
evaluation.
Research over the last 8 years has shown
that antibiotics actually make very little
difference in the recovery from an ear infection.
Yet, antibiotics are usually prescribed in
children with ear infections. A reasonable
approach in treating a child with an ear infection,
who is otherwise healthy, is to wait four
days and see if the body will recover without
antibiotics. If after four days, the infection
has not gone away, antibiotics may make a
difference. Keep in mind that if an allergic
child continues to be exposed to an allergen,
or if the main cause is not resolved, recurrent
infections are likely.
From the perspective of the whole person,
giving medications to block and suppress an
illness can push the illness further into
the body. One reason for recurrent ear infections
may actually be the medications the child
was given to suppress the first infection,
including decongestants, Tylenol, aspirin
and other drugs. Anti-inflammatory drugs block
the formation of some chemicals that promote
inflammation, but they also block chemicals
that naturally prevent inflammation, as well
as trigger the release of substances that
make inflammation worse.
Herbal Medicine
Herbs are helpful to prevent and stop ear
infections at various stages of the illness.
Echinacea can be given in child size dosages
to prevent a cold from causing further problems.
There are also various herbal formulas designed
for children’s ear infections available in
health food stores. One such formula is Herbal
Wellness for kids (made by Rainbow Light).
There are other stronger formulas available
from either western or Chinese herbalists.
Lifestyle habits also make a difference in
recurrent ear infections. A child should not
lie down on his or her back to drink a bottle
or feed. This is more likely to push fluids
into the Eustachian tube and cause ear problems.
These are some alternative options for how
to deal with ear infections in children. Keep
in mind there are definite times when antibiotics
should be used. If you have questions about
which treatment is most appropriate, contact
your holistic physician.
Dr. Sokitch is a medical doctor practicing
Traditional Chinese Medicine and nutritional
medicine. She is the director of Heart to
Heart Medical Center in Santa Rosa, California,
providing the best of alternative and conventional
medicine.
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Use
the information provided on this site as an
educational resource for determining your
options and making your own informed choices.
It is not intended as medical advice or to
diagnose, prescribe, or treat any specific
illness.