In Part 1 of this 3 part article I discussed what are ear infections in children. I showed you symptoms to find a purpose in this article. I will offer some remedy options.
What are the best remedies for ear infections in children?
Pain relievers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol products) and ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin products) may offer some relief and reduce fever if present.
Aspirin, however, is generally not recommended.
Warm compresses or a heating pad applied to the ear may reduce pain.
If you don’t want fever-reducing drugs like that, you can try massaging your child’s ear. Use gentle pressure along the back of the ear and down the back of the jaw. Push and release the flap of skin in front of the ear several times. Place the palm of your hand over your child’s ear and rotate it in all directions.
homeopathic remedies
There are a number of homeopathic remedies that can effectively relieve ear infections, such as:
- Belladonna often works well for fever and red face or hot clammy skin.
- phosphoric ferrum It is excellent for treating ear infections with fever.
- For earaches from teething, chamomile Cash has come.
Elevate your child’s head while in bed to promote drainage and relieve pressure in the ears.
What about antibiotics for ear infections in children?
For many years, antibiotics were prescribed for almost any diagnosis that showed signs of infection. Today doctors are more careful when prescribing antibiotics. It is important to be aware of the limitations of antibiotics in general, which:
- will not help an infection caused by a virus
- will not remove fluid from the middle ear
- can cause side effects
- they usually do not relieve pain in the first 24 hours and have only a minimal effect after that
A CNN Health article says this:
Giving children antibiotics for ear infections does little to speed their recovery and increases the risk of some side effects, according to a study published in 2010 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study found that 80 out of 100 otherwise healthy children would recover from an acute ear infection within a few days if they were given medication only to relieve pain or fever. If all 100 were given antibiotics, 92 would be better in the same period, said Dr. Tumaini Coker, the study’s lead author.
“But we would also expect three to 10 children to develop a rash and five to 10 to develop diarrhoea, [from the antibiotics]”said Coker, a pediatrician at Mattel Children’s Hospital of the University of California-Los Angeles.
Coker noted that the larger number of children in the study who benefited from antibiotic treatment was similar to the number who might be expected to have side effects from antibiotic treatment.
But even after antibiotic treatment for an episode of acute otitis media, fluid can remain in the middle ear for up to several months.
“Doctors and parents need to be aware of the benefits and side effects of managing their child’s ear infection,” Coker said.
So you can see that in our effort to help our children get through the pain of these ear infections, you may want to carefully consider whether antibiotics will really help.
Finally, other options include antihistamines or nasal sprays that may provide some help, but discuss this with your doctor.
In my next installment, Ear Infections in Children Part 3, I’ll tell you how long ear infections can last and what you can do to minimize the risk in the future.
Important Disclaimer: Information is for educational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice. It is not intended to replace the advice of your child’s treating physician. All medical advice and information should be considered incomplete without a physical examination, which is not possible without a visit to your doctor.
