Earaches can get really painful and put you in an unpleasant situation. Most of us would have at least one instance of an earache in our childhood, so we instinctively know the trauma we have to go through during its occurrence. You can approach the problem in two ways, one from the outside and the approach is from the inside. There are over the counter ear drops available to counter the problem from the outside, or you can use a little garlic extract as well. Soups and gargles are best ways to treat the pain from the inside, that eases out the Eustachian tubes.
Why are you having an earache?
Most Earaches has its source in the middle ear. This is a tiny space located behind your eardrum. From this space, a small tunnel-like opening runs to the back of your throat, this tunnel-like opening is called Eustachian tube. It is through this tube, the excessive fluids in your ears drain off. Eustachian tube also regulates the pressure inside your ears to match the air pressure outside. When this tube gets infected by a virus or bacteria it leads to the fluid formation that blocks the passage and triggers severe ear pain. This type of infection is very common among kids. But, it can also attack the adults as well. However, sometimes you might experience ear pain during a flight journey or while driving uphill. This pain is usually caused due to the changes in external air pressure and not due to an infection. Once your ear adjusts itself to this pressure, your pain would naturally subside.
Simple Ear Drops
- 3 percent Hydrogen peroxide solution is very effective in bringing down the inflammation, infection, and pain. Drip in 3 to 5 drops of this solution into your ears once or twice a day.
- Warm up a baby oil bottle in hot water. Pour in few drops of the warm oil to painful ear. This should soothe your pain and trauma. You can also use mineral oil, which has the same effect.
Drain out the infection
- Hot chili and black pepper are perfect ingredients to drain out the mucus formation in the Eustachian tube. Get a hot spicy chicken soup or any soup of your choice, but make sure it is really hot and spicy. This will get the fluid and mucus moving and eases the pressure and pain.
- Drink a lot of water, when you drink water, you work out the muscles in Eustachian tube, which makes it drain out the mucus.
- Gargle warm salt water as often as you like. This will reduce the swelling in the Eustachian tube by increasing the blood circulation to it. This will also ease down your pain a bit.
- Echinacea and Goldenseal mixture is believed to be very effective against ear infections. Echinacea has anti-inflammatory property, so it will fight infection and inflammation causing bacterias and viruses. Goldenseal, on the other hand, will drain out the fluids in the Eustachian tube. Mix a dropper full of each tincture in a quarter cup of clean water. Drink this water three to four times a day.
- Keep your head in a slightly elevated position, use an extra pillow if needed. This will make the fluids to drain out and ease the pressure and pain during your sleep.
Warm and Cold treatments
- When the pain gets extremely unbearable, soak a towel in hot water, wring it and keep it over your painful ear. You can also make use of a heating pad while lying down on your side. A hot water bottle should also do the job. Warmness will increase the blood circulation to the area and ease down your pain.
- If you have a hair dryer, switch it on and direct the warm air into your painful ear. Keep it at least 5 to 6 inches away from your ear, to ensure you are not directing hot air. You need warm air and not hot air.
- To reduce inflammation, wear ice cold socks to your feet and place a warm compress on the painful ears. Soak in a clean pair of socks in ice-cold water, wring it and place both your foot on each sock, while keeping a warm moist compress over the painful ear. Do this for 10 to 15 minutes two to three times a day.
When to seek Doctor’s Help?
You will need to get a Doctor’s help when your ears are constantly painful for more than a couple of days accompanied by fever. Do not forget to mention if you have fluid discharge, dizziness, difficulty in chewing and swallowing foods, and other painful experiences you are having with the Doctor. You should refrain yourself from trying out any home remedies if you have symptoms like dizziness, vertigo, ringing sound in the ears, and muffled hearing. These symptoms must be immediately brought to the attention of an ENT specialist. A sudden surge in pain followed by a period of painlessness could be an indication of a ruptured eardrum, so it should be properly tested with a Doctor as well.
Garlic Miracle Medicine
- Garlic is very well known for its antiviral and antibacterial properties. It is traditionally used in many home remedies to treat ear pain and ear infections.
- Chew on to three to four raw garlic cloves every morning. If you do not like to eat it that way, then chop the garlic cloves into small pieces and add it to your sandwich or salad.
- Some people might experience stomach upset upon eating raw garlic, if you fall in that category of people, then try to take a garlic supplement after every meal. Follow the dosage information on the label.
- Squeeze in some fresh organic garlic cloves and drip two to three drops of garlic juice into your painful ear. As Garlic is loaded with antiviral and antibacterial properties, it will fight against the infections.
Supplement Vitamin A and C
- Our body needs Vitamin-A not just for proper eyesight, it is also needed for fighting against infections by pathogens, boost healing, and maintain healthy mucous membranes. Doctors recommend taking 100000 UI of Vitamin A supplement every day divided into two doses. Do not take it for more than a week. If you want you can take it with Doctor’s advice.
- Vitamin-C is very effective in fighting against free radicals that cause inflammation. Take 1000 milligrams of Vitamin-C three times a day. To boost its effects you can try taking it along with flavonoids. The recommended dosage of flavonoids is 500 milligrams three times a day.
How to Prevent?
- With some simple precautionary steps, you can easily prevent ear infections any day. Remember, prevention is always better than cure.
- Whenever you have a cold, try to blow out gently to push the mucus out. When you blow out harshly you will be pushing back the bacterias and viruses into the middle part of your ear which will lead to ear infections.
- Food allergies can also trigger ear infections. If you are having frequent ear infections, one of the major reason could be the food you are eating. Try to experiment with your food to know which food item that is causing the infection. If you have lactose intolerance try to avoid dairy foods and check if that helps.
- There is an interesting study that revealed children who chewed two pieces of sugarless gums five times a day reduced their chances of ear infections by nearly 40 percent. Researchers believe this could be due to a chemical compound called xylitol that is present in these gums. Xylitol is known for its antibacterial properties, so it could help fight off the bacterias that cause ear infections. So, if you feel like your ears are getting infected, chew onto some sugarless gums.