Chiropractic Care and Chronic Ear Infections

D.,
As a Chiropractor I have treated infants and children over the past 20 years. I have seen remarkable impacts on their health with colic, constipation, bedwetting, asthma, allergies, as well as ear infections and more. There are many things that influence chronic ear infections. Diet, structure of the ear, environmental allergens, position while feeding, as well as nerve innervation to the ear. This is where chiropractic comes in. Adjustments have been proven to boost the immune system. Also the nerves in the neck, particularly the upper neck affect the ears. If there is any interruption in the communication from the brain to the ears it will effect this.

When a baby is born often times the process is quite traumatic to the young neck. To pull, twist and turn a head and neck that has little muscle tone can often cause lifelong problems.

Chiropractic has a history of helping with ear infections. I hope other moms will weigh in on this and let you know their stories.

Dr. S. Lark

I used to work for a chiropractic internist down in the LA area... she had great success dealing with this type of thing. Check out the ones here locally and if you can't find any up here... email me back and I'll give you the number for the one down there. She might have some connections up here. There is also a connection between vaccines and ear infections.

I am interested to hear what others have to say. I too have heard that chiropractic care can help with chronic ear infections. Unfortunately, I heard of this after my son got tubes at 15 months. I feel so bad for all of those months he was suffering... he had 14 ear infections in 15 months. He finally got tubes when he had 3 back-to-back infections and was not responding to any antibiotics. It was terrible. I hope that others can share their childrens' experiences and you will find someone who can help your son so that he doesn't have to go through what mine did. I know that with my next child I will certainly look into a chiropractor if he/she has ear infections (or other chronic issues). My son has asthma and allergies... I never knew chiropractic care could help this (as another poster mentioned). I'm going to look into that. Good luck to you and thanks for posting on this.

While I believe that chiropractors can do a wonderful job of alleviating muscle and joint pain associated with all sorts of injuries/conditions related to the back, I do NOT believe that one should take their children, much less infant, to one. Despite what information you may receive from people on here that swear by its healing capabilities, much of the "healing" can be attributed to the placebo effect, or the BELIFE that the patient is cured. I am not the only one that feels this way, and in the larger medical community, my beliefs concerning chiropractic care are very commonly held and, more importantly, scientifically backed.
A chiropractor is not a doctor. They do not attend medical school (they do attend chiropractic school) or earn a medical degree, and I would much rather a doctor do the poking around when it comes to something as important as my childs ears. Ear infections happen: and twice in a two month period is "normal" in an infant, especially if an upper respiratory issue (a cold, the flu, a cough, runny nose, post nasal drip, anything like that) is present. Despite what people may claim, a chiropractor cannot "cure" anything (nasal allergies, food allergies, lactose intolerance, anxiety, mental illness,etc) but do help diminish, alleviate, or and some cases "cure" (through continued care) back/neck/shoulder/joint pain. Does it make logical sense that an adjustment of the neck or back can cure any of the aforementioned conditions? Not in my book.
I have gone to chiropractors for neck and back issues at several points in my life, and my mother has managed a chiropractic office for 25 years. Call the chiropractor that she works for "new age" but he agrees that any chiropractor that claims to be able to cure things not related to the spine is not reputable. It does great things for my back, but I would be really scared to take my kid to one, much less one I dont know, if not recommended to visit by the pediatrician.
If you are really concerned about the ear infections, ask for a referral to an ear, nose, and throat specialist who is MEDICALLY TRAINED to work specifically with your childs ear infection issues. You wouldn't go to a neurologist to treat a broken foot, why would you take your child to someone who is a back specialist and NOT trained to care for the ears?

Ear infections are from bacteria. No matter what they try to tell you, chiropractors are not the appropriate remedy for ear infections.

Although it is true that bacteria causes infections, it is only when the bacteria is trapped because the fluid is not moving that you get an infection. This is where chiropractors come in. They can help ensure the fluid in the eustachian tube is able to have free movement so the bacteria cannot collect and turn into an infection.

Chiropractors ARE trained medical professionals. Their training is very similar to other doctors with the exception of medication. They can diagnose and treat patients!!! Now that doesn't mean I endorse all chiropractors, because I know there are some bad ones, just as there are some awful medical doctors I know as well. I have worked with and for many of them in the last 10 years.

I would seek one that specializes in working with children and spends a good amount of time with your little guy. Some DCs (Doctor of Chiropractic) only focus on manipulating the bones without paying attention to the soft tissue (muscles) around it. Both need to be addressed otherwise the musculature will pull the bones right back out of place. However, with a 7 month old, his soft tissue is still very pliable and should respond easily.

Last bit of evidence for you. My best friend's father is a chiropractor so her kids get free adjustments regularly. These are some of the healthiest kids I know and have had less than a handful between them of ear infections in their 10 and 14 years long life. Mind you she is a single mom who can't afford organic super healthy foods or supplements or to over baby them when they are sick, so I believe the adjustments help tremendously. I myself have been saved by her dad a number of times when I was starting to get sick and the adjustment freed up my system to be able to function better.