Ear infections and earaches are absolutely no fun and they are often worrisome when your child has one. You will often get prescribed an antibiotic for an ear problem and if that doesn’t work, after several rounds, you will get told it will require tubes.

Did you know that the only way to determine if you have a bacterial or virus infection is to puncture the ear drum and cultivate the fluid?… Most physicians just go ahead and prescribe an antibiotic instead of figuring out what is causing the problem.

The problem with just blindly prescribing antibiotics is that antibiotics can only treat bacterial infections. In about 60% of cases there are both virus and bacteria involved. So, you may be able to treat the bacteria portion of the ear infection, but the virus will still be present.

Classifications of Ear Infections

Ear infections are typically a result of a cold or upper respiratory infection. Rhinovirus is a common cold that plays the main role in causing ear infections. Almost a third of all infants and toddlers that have an upper respiratory infection go on to develop Acute Otitis Media.

Acute Otitis Media (AOM) is an inflammation caused by bacteria that infects the middle ear by trapped fluid in the Eustachian tube. Children with AOM typically tug at the ear, have a fever and complain of pain.

Otitis Media Effusion (OME) occurs when fluid becomes trapped behind the ear drum in one or both ears. Even when there isn’t an infection. OME is typically not painful and the only clue there is a problem is that you will feel like you are “under water”.

Swimmer’s Ear (Acute Otitis Externa)  is an inflammation or infection of the outer ear and ear canal. It can be triggered by water that gets trapped in the ear. Trapped water can cause fungi or bacteria to grow. (Even a single water drop can cause swimmer’s ear.) Otitis externa can be treated with topical antibiotics. With eardrops, most cases will clear up within 2 – 3 days.

The primary setting for middle ear infections is in the Eustachian tube. The Eustachian tube runs from the middle ear to the nose and upper throat. It is shorter and narrower in children than in adults, so they are more vulnerable to blockage. It is also more horizontal in younger children and therefore does not drain as well.

Other Risk Factors

• Allergies
• Being enrolled in day care. (Due to being more susceptible to colds.)
• Exposure to second hand smoke
• Bottle feeding. Breast fed babies have a lower risk of developing ear infections.
• Pacifier use. Sucking increases production of saliva which help bacteria travel up to the Eustachian tube.
• Obesity. Diet full of sugar causes inflammation and has been linked to ear infections
• Anatomy. Having a shorter or more horizontal Eustachian tube can be a cause of recurring ear infections.
• Teething
• Intense crying can be a cause of the ear drum to swell and present as an infection.
• Sticking foreign objects into the ear canal can cause inflammation.

Chiropractic Care

The chiropractic adjustment is focused on the upper neck. Typically C1 and C2 (or the first two bones in your neck) are the ones that are gently adjusted, to help with the tight musculature and misalignment in the neck. They directly affect the ear and can help with drainage, as well as, prevent ear aches or infections. If you haven’t tried chiropractic, do so before trying tubes. (Tubes have a list of possible side effects and do not guarantee that you will not continue to get ear infections!)

Give us or a chiropractor near you a call! Trying something natural before introducing a chemical or surgery is the smart thing to do!

~Dr. Lacey~
Carder Chiropractic Clinic, INC.
El Reno, OK 73036