When you have a child, the last thing you want for them is to suffer from any type of pain or illness. However, as hard as you try to prevent them, ear infections are a common affliction among children of all ages. Middle ear infections in children (pediatric otitis media) can cause excruciating pain, and if left untreated can cause hearing damage.
Additionally, ear infections can present with flu-like symptoms including fever, loss of appetite, sleep disruptions, and lack of appetite. You may wonder what you can do to help your child through these ear infections, particularly if they occur frequently. In addition to the convention antibiotic treatments from your child's pediatrician, there are alternative medicine treatment options available for your child. All you need to do is learn your options and give them a try.
Chiropractic Care
You may not have considered it, but chiropractic care for children is actually a common alternative medicine treatment for many ailments and maladies. Chiropractic care stems from the theory that when the skeletal system is out of alignment, particularly the spine, the rest of the body can suffer.
This is because the body's central nervous system runs along the spine. If the spine is not aligned, the nerves that travel along it to carry messaged back and forth between the brain and the rest of the body can be blocked, pinched, and otherwise impeded. When the brain cannot communicate with the rest of the body, nutrients may not get sent to the right places, the body may not be aware that an infection is developing, and may not be able to preemptively fight off disease.
When you take your child to a chiropractor, they will perform gentle spinal manipulations to get your child's spine back into alignment. In the case of your child's middle ear infection, spinal manipulations may help the nerves carry communications from the brain to the rest of the body to send nutrients and germ-fighting agents to the ears to help heal faster.
Acupuncture
Most parents don't think of acupuncture as an option for treating childhood ailments. However, acupuncture is an ancient alternative medicine treatment that has been in use for thousands of years to treat illness and health conditions for people of all ages, including children.
Acupuncture is based on the idea that the human body functions through the flow of energies throughout the body. When this energy flow is disrupted or out of balance, the body suffers.
To remedy this, an acupuncturist inserts tiny needles into specific energy points to stimulate energy flow and to get the body back in balance. When it comes to middle ear infections, these energy points are located on the head, around the ears, and throughout the torso. The points on the torso are meant to stimulate the digestive system to send the proper nutrients throughout the body to fight off and prevent future infections.
Herbal Ear Drops
If you would prefer alternative medicine treatments that you can try at home to treat your child's middle ear infection, you can try herbal ear drops. These natural remedies can help provide immediate relief to some of the pain and discomfort that is a result of the inflammatory infection.
These herbal ear drops include herbs such as garlic and St. John's wort that are natural antimicrobials and anti-inflammatories. The direct application of these herbs onto the infected tissue through ear drops can be a more effective and rapid treatment option than oral antibiotics that take an indirect path to the area of infection.
Whether you would prefer to rely solely on alternative medicine to treat your child's middle ear infection, or would like to use such treatments to complement conventional medical interventions, there are options readily available to you. All you need to do is give them a try, and your child will feel faster relief from their ear infection pain and discomfort. Once you have helped your child to heal their ear infection, be sure to get them a hearing test to ensure that no hearing damage occurred, particularly if your child suffers from chronic ear infections. Contact a professional like Barth Craig T Ma CCC-a for more information.
