An ear infection is most often a bacterial or viral infection that affects the middle ear, the air-filled space behind the eardrum that contains the tiny vibrating bones of the ear. Children are more likely than adults to get ear infections.
Some causes and contributing factors that lead to ear infections are wax buildup, upper respiratory infections, food allergies, environmental allergies, fetal alcohol syndrome, genetics, nutritional deficiencies and internal injuries.
Before antibiotics, parents used home remedies to treat the pain of ear infections. Now, with current concern over antibiotic overuse, many of these remedies are again popular.
It is important to treat an ear infection to prevent complications, including damaging or rupturing the ear drum. Untreated ear infections can also lead to chronic recurrence and can even cause deafness! It is important to consult a doctor, especially if pus in coming out of the ear, but for immediate relief you can try some natural treatments.
Garlic has antimicrobial properties and natural pain relieving qualities, making it highly effective in the treatment of ear infections. There are a few ways to use garlic as a home treatment.
Make garlic oil by cooking two garlic cloves in two tablespoons of sesame oil or mustard oil until it turns blackish. Strain the solution. When it is bearably hot, use two to four drops of this oil in the infected ear as ear drops.
Alternatively, you can also boil two or three fresh garlic cloves in water for five minutes, then crush them and add some salt. Put the mixture in a clean cloth and place it against the affected ear.
Consuming two to three cloves of raw garlic daily also helps speed up the healing process.
Apple Cider Vinegar will help to get rid of the fungus that may be causing the ear infection.
Mix one part apple cider vinegar with an equal amount of water or alcohol. Soak a cotton ball in the solution.
Put the cotton ball in your ear like a plug and leave it for about five minutes.
Remove the cotton ball and lay down on your opposite side to drain the liquid from the ear. Use a hair dryer to dry your ear as much as possible.
If apple cider vinegar is not available, you can use white vinegar. If the cause of the ear infection is in the Eustachian tubes, try gargling with apple cider vinegar.
Salt is probably the most readily available home remedy.
Heat up one cup of salt on a microwave, pan, or double boiler for about three to five minutes.
Put the hot salt inside a thick cloth or sock. Seal the open end with a rubber band or tie a knot.
When it is bearably hot, lay down and put the cloth on the affected ear for 5 to 10 minutes.
Repeat this remedy daily as many times as needed. The heat generated from the sock will help draw out fluid from the ear and relieve swelling and pain.
Olive Oil can easily clear the obstruction. One of the main causes of an ear infection is wax in the ear catching some fungal or bacterial growth leading to a blockage in the Eustachian tubes.
Warm some olive oil slightly. Put a few drops of the warm oil into the infected ear.
The oil will cause the wax to soften. Remove the infected wax with cotton-tipped swabs. Be careful not to put the swab too far in the ear or you might damage the eardrum.
Onion is a very common ingredient used in cooking. It has medicinal uses too, including for the treatment of an ear infection.
Chop one small onion, put it in a bowl and microwave it for one to two minutes. Allow it to cool and then strain out the onion juice. Put two to three drops of the juice in the infected ear, leave it for sometime and then turn your head to let it drain out of your ear.
You can also bake an onion for half an hour, cut it into halves and put one half in a thick cotton cloth. Place the cloth on the infected ear for five minutes. Wait for 10 minutes and then repeat the process.
Breast milk has natural antibodies that can help speed up the healing process of any kind of ear infection. It will alleviate swelling and discomfort and can get rid of an ear infection within one or two days. This remedy works for both children and adults.
Using a dropper, put a few drops of breast milk into the affected ear.
Repeat the process every few hours as needed.
Breast milk also can be used to treat eye infections, minor cuts and minor burns.
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