Ear infection

[Petra]

Hello, it has been long time. We are sending greetings to everyone. Isabelka is seven months now. She is great baby. She has her first tooth, lots of pain behind that. And also she got ear infection - doctor gave us antibiotik. Does anyone know how to treat this problem natural way?? I am still breastfeeding. I am also concern - she doesn´t want to move much. Is it OK?? Thank you. Nice day. Petra

[Christa]

Try putting breastmilk in her ear. I know that sounds odd, but it works pretty well. Another possibilty is to try tee tree oil drops. They make some that are specifically designed for ear infections; you can usually buy them at the HFS.

You can usually just treat the pain for a while and give it a day or two to see if it will clear up on its own and/or with your natural treatments unless she has a really bad infection. Actually, many peds do recommend delaying antibiotics now a days. Was there a specific reason why your ped wanted to start abx right away?

[kjmckenzie]

I have the book Smart Medecine for a Healthier Child and it has many different alternative remedies for an ear infection, but it depends on what kind of ear infection and how it came about.

If it came about from teething, the homeopathic Chamomilla is recommended, but I don't know if you can homeopathic remedies in The Czech.

The book recommends asking the doctor why they want to use antibiotics when there are so many studies saying ear infections many times go away on their own. This is because there are many different causes such as excess fluid pushing aginst the eardrum. They can also be complications of colds or other illnesses. Lastly, smaller children usually get them because as they grow the tube in their middle ear curves downwards and can drain more easily.

The book recommends trying non-antibiotic measures for 24 hours and then if it doesn't improve, going back to the doctor.

Some things to try: heat a fresh garlic clove in olive oil and with your child lying on his side, put one or two drops of warm (not hot) oil into the affected ear.

It also says to prop your child at a 30 degree angle to promote draining, and use a warm compress. It also says to avoid dairy products, keep your child well hydrated, if breastfeeding, do it frequently, and avoid exposure to cigarette smoke, which promotes ear infections.

Lastly, it says to try an elimination diet or rotation because it may be food allergies.

Hope this helps! The book also talks about more homeopathic remedies, but I don't know if you can get them or not. If you want info about those, feel free to PM me.