When it comes to Acute Otitis Media (AOM) or the common ear infection there is still much confusion as to whether or not to administer antibiotics. Generally, antibiotics have been prescribed as a safe guard to bacterial illnesses which may be present. However, it is reported that at least 60% of cases of AOM will resolve within 24 hours and 80% of cases within 3 days without the use of antibiotics. (1)
“Acute otitis media (AOM) is responsible for a large proportion of antibiotics prescribed for US children. Use and overuse of antibiotics is associated with the development and spread of resistant bacteria.” (Coco et al)
If you’re a parent or have raised and cared for children you probably know that acute illnesses always seem to worsen at night. Recently my son woke me in the middle of the night…the poor guy was in serious pain with an earache. Immediately I engaged my mommy brain and began thinking of ways to comfort him and help ease the pain.
One thing that always helps, regardless of the situation, are the Bach Flower Rescue Remedy Pastilles. A combination of flower essences the pastilles help to alleviate some of the stress that comes with the pain of an acute condition. These pastilles never seem to fail and help calm and relax the child giving you some time to evaluate the situation.
The next step is to prepare a hot water bottle or use a heating pad and have the child lay their head on it on the side with the affected ear. The addition of heat does seem to help ease the pain. I usually keep a combination of garlic and mullein oil handy for earaches, but found that I just happened to be out. I have found that in a pinch you can prepare garlic oil which is very effective in about thirty minutes.
Garlic is antimicrobial which means it inhibits the growth of bacteria, viruses and fungi. Garlic has even found to be effective against various strains of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. (2)
5 cloves of fresh garlic
¼ cup of olive oil
Preparation:
Peel and crush the fresh cloves of garlic, place them in a small pan and cover them completely with olive oil. You want to set the heat of the stove very low as to not cook the garlic, but merely warm the oil. If you have a small crock pot you can combine the garlic and oil and set the crock pot on high for thirty minutes and then lower the setting. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 30 minutes. However, the longer you leave it the stronger the infusion. Strain off just the amount you need and allow the remainder of the mixture to continue macerating (soaking) overnight.
How to Use:
First, ensure that the oil is not too warm by placing a small amount on the inner skin of your forearm. Fill the ear channel completely with the oil and place clean cotton in the ear to keep the oil from seeping out. Make sure to treat both ears because the infection can travel from one ear to the other.
If the child is still experiencing some pain you can give Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) as a tea or tincture. Chamomile helps to reduce inflammation, is calming and soothing and never fails for me when used to relieve mild to moderate pain and to help the child relax.
It never hurts to be prepared, but it is good to know that in a pinch we can still find a lot of wonderful remedies right in our own kitchen. The wonderful thing about these remedies is they work just as well for adults as they do kids.
To Summarize:
- Stay calm…if you are calm it helps to keep the child calm as well and allows you the opportunity to evaluate the situation.
- Bach Flower Rescue Remedy Pastilles may be used additionally to help the child relax.
- Warmth applied to the ear might help to ease some of the pain.
- Garlic Oil drops placed in both ears.
- Chamomile tea or tincture to help reduce inflammation, additional relaxation and mild to moderate pain reduction.
References:
- Damoiseaux, R., & Rovers, M. (2011, May 17). AOM in Children. NCBI. Retrieved October 1, 2013, from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3275313/?report=classic
- Ankri, S., & Mirelman, D. (n.d.). Antimicrobial properties of allicin from gar… [Microbes Infect. 1999] – PubMed – NCBI. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved October 3, 2013, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10594976
They don’t give antibiotics for that here anymore, unless it’s bad. I also heard fresh ginger juice can ease the pain. But my husband, who’s been having these several times a year his whole life, swears to heat. He usually puts cotton balls in his ears during the night to turn it around.
Thanks so much for the information Linda. It is good to know that doctors in some areas are cutting back on their use of antibiotics for ear infections. Sometimes it helps with reoccurring infections to check for food intolerances such as dairy, gluten, soy or other suspects. Thanks again for stopping by.
Excellent article. My Mother used the warm oil and cotton balls on me 67yrs ago. I had never heard of antibiotics until I came to the USA when I was 18yrs old. Something to be said for the old ways and they worked.
Yes they do Susan. Thanks for sharing!!
If you don’t need the garlic oil in 30 mins, how would you make it if you had more time? I have a friend who has a one-year-old that is on her third round of antibiotics, and they have told her it has ruptured a couple of times. I won’t see her for three days though, so I have a little extra time. She is desperate to try anything at this point. I have some lovely chamomile from Mountain Rose that I will give her, and I’d love to make some garlic oil for her too. Do you know if I should give her some of my water kefir to help with restoring friendly flora after all those antibiotics? I’m not sure how much you would give a one-year-old. For my own kids, who have never been on antibiotics, (except for once, eight years ago) when they had ear infections, I just used saline solution in the nose and oil of oregano (by mouth), and chamomile tea, and that worked just fine. I hadn’t heard of the garlic oil, except for in the last year, maybe because I haven’t had to deal with an ear infection for almost five years.
Hi Anita,
The longer you leave the garlic in the oil, the stronger it will get…a week should be good. One thing I should have mentioned in the article is that you should never put anything in the ear if the ear drum has been punctured. You can still use the heat, chamomile for pain and the rescue remedy. As I mentioned inthe article…infections usually resolve on their own under normal circumstances….However, if the infections are frequent and reoccurring you should screen for food intolerances…often proteins in dairy, but other food may be involved. If antibiotics have been used it is a good idea to replenish good bacteria with a probiotic supplement.
If there is a chance the eardrum is ruptured you should not put anything in the ear. You could damage the nerve for hearing inside and cause deafness. If there is pus or drainage coming out of the ear it may be ruptured and you should see your pediatrician.
Thank you Ralph…I did mention that in the previous comment but it is certainly something that you need to be aware of.
please be careful when infusing raw garlic in oil and then keeping it for any length of time due to the very real risk of botulism. botulism is anaerobic and the oil essentially blocks out oxygen, providing the perfect environment for botulism to grow. to be safe, remove the garlic immediately after heating to guard against contamination.
I should have mentioned that I recommend refrigerating or keeping the oil in a cool dry place for no longer than a month. When infusing garlic for up to a week you can first heat the oil, allow it to cool, add the chopped garlic which may reduce some of the risk. Strain the oil and store the oil as mentioned above. I prefer to make just what I need at the time just to be on the safe side. Thank you for bringing up this point Isaboe as it is something we need to be aware of.
OK – that’s good to know about if the ear has been punctured. She has seen a Pediatrician and has been on antibiotics, and was told on her checkup a couple of days ago that the infection has cleared up. So, it’s probably better for her to avoid the oil altogether if it has punctured in the past? Thank you for all your comments on how to keep the oil safe!
fill the ear with warm olive oil and cover with a bit of cotton wool..My mother did that always seemed to work.