Ear Infections/Prevention

I agree with the pediatric allergist.

My son used to get a high-fever and ear infection every 3 weeks. We finally took him to an allergist and realized he was allergic to a food that the school was serving every other week. We removed the food, and he has now maybe 1 ear infection a year.

My daughter went through a bout where she had 3 ear infections in a 6wk period. I did a food chart, realized she had started eating watermellon. Removed the watermellon and she hasn't had an ear infection in a year.

Find an allergist. Our son, now 22, was my chronic ear infection kid. Had 3 sets of tubes and his adenoids removed. It was only after we switched docs to a pediatrician with a sub-speciality in allergy did we find he had allergies which were contributing to his ear infections.

When our grandson was little and he was having ear infections like this I tried a lot of things.

This is the way I look at how the body deals with sinus goo.

It gets full of mucus, the mucus has a good job to do, it moistens then membranes so they do their jobs right, it must be clear, thin, draining down the Eustachian tubes and throat. When something interferes with the system an ear infection, eye infection, or tonsillitis happens.

When the thick goo can't get down the tubes they get clogged. They start backing up, get inflamed from the stretched out stress, the blockage, the whole tube starts aching and the liquid backs up then the ear drum starts stretching outward, it can even perforate to let the goo out.

Same thing with the eyes, it's all connected. If there is sticky goo in their head and it is sitting there trying to find a way out the connections between the eyes and sinuses can get plugged with slow moving goo that just oozes out the eyes. Thus an eye infection shows up too.

Tonsils get plugged up and get huge white globs on them, the throat gets white/yellow/light green strings of drainage sticking in it....you get the idea.

I am a firm believer that the goo must be kept thin. Hence the "several hot steamy showers" per day. The moisture helps the goo thin down and move quicker. The water washes away any allergens, it penetrates the sinuses and lungs and if you're really lucky the smell of the soaps and/or meds in the steam will stimulate the natural job of these areas to "rinse themselves" out will happen....you know what I mean, if you smell a tart lemon your mouth waters right? If you smell peppermint the same thing happens, if you smell eucalyptus same thing.

If you google natural things to do for sinus infections a lot of these ideas will come up. I found that the one for peppermint really works for me. I have been sucking on Great Value brand Starlite Mints for days now and the peppermint smell always makes my nose start running when it is strong. I think it is really helping me get over this goo quicker this time.

So, the goo gets thick and "drags" alongside the tubes and other avenues it has to use. It has to get out and finds the way of least resistance. The ears are naturally right there and just below where the goo is so it's often the easiest place for the goo to gravitate towards.

If your child were older I would say give them some over the counter REAL Sudafed. Only 1/4 dose up to 1/2 dose. They don't need a full dose for anything in real life. I buy my liquid Sudafed a locally owned pharmacy. They order it in special for me. They used to carry it all the time but with the fake Sudafed on the market in everything they just don't use as much.

I can't take the fake stuff. It makes my heart race, I get wired up, and my heart beat gets erratic. So I only take a half dose of the real stuff and I feel better quickly and the goo thins out and drains down the right way. Therefor it reduces ear infections.

So, long long long story short. Keep to goo as thin as possible and that should help BUT BUT BUT if your little guy is just not getting better then get the tubes. This little one can end up deaf, hearing impaired, stressed out, sick, poor immune system, etc...if they keep being sick all the time.

i dont know if this will prevent her from having to get tubes, but next time you think she might be coming down with an ear infection, try simmering 1-2 minced fresh garlic cloves in extra virgin olive oil, strain the oil into a clean container, and let cool to room temp. Then use that olive oil as ear drops. The garlic is supposed to have healing properties, and the oil soothing. I tried it and it really does work. My ear was killing me a couple weeks ago; i have never had an ear ache like that, so i looked up some home remedies and this was most popular. It worked after the second round of drops (a few hours after the first time) and the next day it was barely there. Put the drops in again, didnt have any more problems. Tried it on my 9 month old as well when she got sick and started grabbing at her ears. The dr said it was perfectly fine to do, also. Hope this helps!

I would make an appointment with an allergist. Allergies can absolutely cause lots of ear infections! In fact, I get ear infections if I eat something I'm allergic to by accident.

The thing about allergies that makes them tricky to diagnose is a person may not have a reaction every time they eat/come in contact with the allergen.

My allergist explained that everyone has a certain tolerance to things they are allergic to. She explained it's like a bucket. You may eat a small bit of something you're allergic to and have no reaction at all. BUT, if you eat something else and something else, your "bucket" gets full and then you have a reaction.

That makes allergies tricky to diagnose. Your 2-year old could have a food allergy/intolerance. But, the first time she eats it during a week, she may have no reaction so you wouldn't know. But if she eats it again, or eats something else she is allergic to, she may eventually have a reaction. Like an ear infection. It's hard to know WHAT actually caused it because it could be different every time!

So an allergist could help you. Especially if the ear infections are random.

I don't think drinking while lying down will do anything.

I wish doctors would look into allergies or food intolerances BEFORE putting tubes in ears. But tubes in ears works, and it puts more money in their pocket. They should look for the root causes of things!

Good luck!

My daughter used to get double ear infections all the time but they usually always followed a cold. A couple of things that worked for us, may not work in your case but worth considering:

1. I moved her from a large daycare to a small daycare - that cut down on the number of times she was sick
2. One day I was sitting on her bed and noticed she had a bad draft coming through the window so I moved her bed away from the window/draft and that worked wonders!!!

Two routes you could go, off the top of my head. Both of which, I am currently trying with my five-year-old to avoid a second set of tubes. Pediatric allergist, and chiropractor. I spoke with my chiropractor about what she could do about fluid retention in my daughter's ears. She said she could take care of it. Lots of Moms on here have had success with that approach. And fluid retention in the ears can be caused by allergies as well, so going that approach can help too.

The most important thing no one will ever tell you is to keep the fingers out of the ears. When my son got his first, I told him to keep his fingers out of his ears no matter what....not even to itch or he'd get it again. Fingers are the dirtiest things on our bodies, because they pick up the most germs. Finger nails are good at hiding germs, because they are just like a little nook/cranny and you can't always clean under your nails every time you wash your hands. You need a nail brush to do that. If you touch a desk after an infected child does, then scratch the inside of your eat, you just caught an ear infection. They also claim that eating yogurt helps too.

The drinking while laying down is the big culprit. My daughter NEVER had a bottle or any other drink laying down. I'm paranoid about choking. She NEVER had an ear infection - NEVER - NOT ONE!

Chiropractic adjustments will help prevent ear (and sinus) infections. My daughter has been getting adjustments since birth and has NEVER had either, she also has never needed to take antibiotics and she is 6.

When she starts with a cold I take her for an adjustment which helps to drain the ears and sinuses. We also go once or twice a month for regular well visits.

I just took a seminar on natural remedies. It was suggested to use a mix of olive oil and garlic (juice). You can buy this "ear oil" at a health food store, but you can also make your own. Apparently it is as effective as antibiotics for ear infections. Also, I've heard it said from more than one source that recurring ear infections commonly signal dairy allergies. Good luck.

P.S. ditto on the chiropractor!