CHRONIC EAR INFECTIONS

Most Parents of young children know more than they would like about ear infections. Too often babies and small children develop recurring cases of ear infections that cause them and their parents sleepless nights. One of the worst aspects of ear infections is that they always seem to occur in the middle of the night when there’s nothing at hand to soothe the child.

Antibiotics are the routine treatment, but there is now some controversy about whether antibiotic use actually does any good: A number of studies have found that children who were given symptomatic relief but no antibiotics recovered completely from ear infections and had less recurrence than children who were regularly treated with antibiotics. In fact, in some countries children are never treated with antibiotics.

Even as I tell you this I know there are parents who would find it cruel and inhumane not to treat their child who is in the throes of a painful infection, particularly when they have learned through experience that the symptoms normally subside within twenty-four hours of the initial dose of antibiotics. If you or your child has all occasional painful ear infection, you’ll probably elect to visit the doctor and get antibiotics prescribed. On the other hand (and this describes most of the patients who see me for tills problem), if you or your child has regular recurring bouts with ear infections and is therefore taking antibiotics almost constantly during the winter months, you should probably look at a natural program of treatment and, more important, prevention of the infections. I have had great success, as many grateful parents can attest, in discovering hidden food allergies in children who suffer from recurring ear infections.

Prevention also avoids the possibility of a myringotomy in which a small hole is cut in the eardrum so that tubes can be inserted to drain accumulated pus. These tubes are as controversial as antibiotics, with some researchers claiming that they are of no benefit in preventing subsequent infections and may, in fact, promote them.

Ear infections are really inflammations of the middle ear or otitis media. They are more common in children because the eustachian tube, which normally adjusts the pressure in the middle ear and drains the fluid from it, is affected. In children this tube is much shorter than in adults and more likely to get clogged. The most common predisposing cause for a blocked tube is food allergy. Then, infection caused by either a virus or bacteria sets in. Because the tube is short, the infectious agent can easily travel along it into the middle ear where it collects, producing a sticky fluid that prevents the eardrum and middle ear bones from vibrating freely, thus inhibiting hearing. Usually if a middle ear infection is caused by a virus, it will clear up of its own accord, but if it’s caused by bacteria, it will require antibiotics. The problem is that when a child is examined by a doctor who finds red, irritated ears, antibiotics are usually prescribed as a conservative measure.

There are some steps you can take to help relieve the immediate pain of an ear infection, one of which is to give acetaminophen. (Remember never to give aspirin to children.)

You can raise the head of the bed or crib to help the tubes drain naturally. (You’ll notice that children rarely complain of pain in their ears during the day because they’re upright and distracted and the tubes are draining freely. When they lie clown at ‘night, the tubes fill, causing pain.)

It’s helpful to get your child to drink some fluids: The very action of swallowing helps the tubes to open and drain, and fluids will help fight an infection.

It’s also helpful to use a vaporizer in the room at night. This will help to keep the air moist and encourage the thinning of fluids in the ear.

A warm, moist compress can relieve pain and can stimulate circulation to the area to fight infection.

There is an herb called echinacea that you can get in health food stores that can be helpful in fighting ear infections. Children can drink a glass of water containing a dropperful three times daily. This is safe for children over twelve months of age.

There is a natural supplement that can help reduce the severity of ear infections. N-acetylcysteine, which is derived from an amino acid, has been shown to be helpful in keeping mucus fluid and thus helping the ears to drain, it should be taken only during the acute stage of an infection. It’s available at health food stores.

I don’t like to recommend medications when something else will work, but this is one case where it really can be foolish to avoid them. Use a decongestant when you or your child suffers from a cold. Many ear infections begin with a cold. If you treat the cold vigorously with a vaporizer at night and a decongestant, especially at night, you can help stave off many ear infections. One mother whose son had a problem with recurring ear infections preferred to let things run their course, using a vaporizer but no medications. She recently reported to me that since she began using the decongestant, especially at night, her son’s ear infections have been far less frequent and she no longer has to assume that if he gets a cold he will inevitably develop an ear infection.

There are plenty of reasons to avoid the regular use of antibiotics with recurring ear infections. They cause side effects including yeast overgrowth such as thrush and digestive upsets, and indeed may even be ineffective. For patients who come to me with this problem, I suggest a total program aimed at eliminating the major predisposing causes of ear infections.

Allergies are one of the major predisposing causes. Whether you are allergic to dust, dairy products, or pollen, once you or your child’s respiratory passages become clogged in reaction to an allergen, they’re more liable to harbor infection.

In a recent study presented to the American College of Allergy and Immunology, 104 children who suffered from frequent,, serious ear infections were tested for allergies, and 78 percent were shown to have specific food allergies. After eliminating the offending food from the diet for eleven weeks, improvement was seen in 70 out of 81 children. This argues for trying to prevent allergies from developing in children by breast-feeding for as long as is possible (assuming that the mother avoids foods that she’s allergic to during pregnancy and lactation), avoiding common allergenic foods during the first nine months of life including wheat, eggs, and dairy foods, and carefully introducing new foods into the child’s diet while watching for adverse reactions.

If you or your child has recurring ear infections, you should check to determine if an allergy is the cause. In my experience, milk, cheese, and eggs are the most common culprits. Wheat, corn, oranges, and peanut butter are also common allergies. Usually, if a child is affected, one or both of the parents suffer from allergies as well.

You won’t be able to cure an ear infection while it’s in progress by eliminating allergenic foods and/or inhalants, but once the ear infection is under control you can try to determine the allergens. See ‘Food Allergy, page t46, for a fuller discussion of this.

In addition to eliminating allergenic foods, it is most helpful to eliminate concentrated simple carbohydrates including sugar, cookies, candy, ice cream, sodas, chocolate, honey, dried fruit, and, particularly, concentrated fruit juice because these foods can make allergies worse. (See tile list of simple carbohydrates’ various names for sugar in Blueprint for Health, page xvii.) There are any number of children who live on peanut butter on whole-wheat bread, raisins, and endless amounts of fruit juice, and if these children have a tendency to allergies, they’re eating the worst possible diet it’ll terms of encouraging recurring ear infections.

One last thing to remember with small babies who are especially vulnerable to ear infections: Never let them drink a bottle while lying on their back. Milk can easily travel into their eustachian tubes and start an infection. Always hold the baby with its head at least partly upright when giving a bottle. Even if you’re breast-feeding (which is preferable for the first year), try to elevate the baby’s head to some degree while it’s nursing.

And finally, if you or your child has a tendency to develop ear infections, you should avoid cigarette smoke, which has been shown to promote respiratory infections.

NATURAL PRESCRIPTIONS FOR EAR INFECTIONS:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELIEF

• Treat with acetaminophen (like Tylenol) to relieve pain.
• Elevate the head of the bed by resting the bed frame on books or lift the crib or bed mattress the same way. This will facilitate draining of the tubes and help relieve pressure and thus pain.
• Relieve pain with a warm compress held to the ear.
• Drink fluids to help keep mucus thin and flowing. The act of swallowing opens the tubes and encourages them to drain, and the fluids fight infection.
• Use a vaporizer in the bedroom at night.
• If you or your child has a tendency to ear Infections, always use a decongestant at night when either one of you has a cold.
• Drink a dropperful of echinacea (available at health food stores) dissolved in a glass of water three times daily. This is safe for adults and children over a year old.
  During the acute stage of infection, take 200 mg. of N-acetylcysteine two times a day. (This is not recommended for babies under a year.)

FOR CHRONIC EAR INFECTIONS:

Allergies are a major cause of chronic ear infections. Determine if you or your child has a food or inhalant allergy

• The most common food allergens include wheat, eggs, dairy foods, corn, citrus, and peanut butter,
• To help prevent the development of allergies in babies, breast-feed for as long as possible.
• Introduce new foods carefully to babies, watching to see if a reaction occurs. Wheat, eggs, and dairy foods should probably not be introduced to babies in the first nine months of life, especially if there is a family history of allergies.
• Never allow a baby to drink from a bottle while lying down, as the fluid can collect in the ear. Even while breast-feeding, try to keep the baby’s head somewhat elevated.
• While suffering from a cold or an ear infection, avoid simple carbohydrates including sugar, honey, cookies, candy, ice cream, sodas, chocolate, dried fruits, and fruit juices.