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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.