| Infections are something that people have had to deal with for hundreds of years and while today we have antibiotics that will help clear up infections, many years ago they did not and had to rely on their own natural remedies to treat infections. Although these days we can go and get a prescription for some antibiotics, there are still many people that prefer to use home remedies whenever they can. Of course you should still seek medication attention if needed, but home remedies certainly do have their place.
Ear infections are one of the most common types of infections in children and they can range from mild infections to very excruciating severe infections. Here are some home remedies that can help to relieve the pain of earn infections.
Have you ever felt hopeless when your child has woken during the night, holding their ear and crying with pain? The middle of the night certainly isn't the best time to go and see a doctor and unfortunately this is often when the pain of an ear infection starts. It is these situations where home remedies can be very useful.
Home remedies usually won't cure an ear infection, unless it is a very mild ear infection. However they will ease the pain and give the child some relief. Using a home remedy during the night can help give relief for the child until you can visit a doctor in the morning.
Holding a hot water bottle over the sore ear can help to provide pain relief. Strangely enough, some also swear by holding a bag of salt over the problem ear for relieving pain.
One herbal oil that is known to fight off infection is Tea Tree Oil. This can be a great choice to help manage and cure the ear infection, however in some people it can irritate the skin and is not suitable. If your child can tolerate Tea Tree Oil on their skin then this can be very helpful.
There are other home remedies that work just as well but don't have the side effect that Tea Tree Oil has. One such extract is Otikon which is made with a few different plant extracts. The plant extracts used in Otikon produce an anesthetic property so it is a fantastic choice for pain relief.
There is another remedy that is sometimes told as a good method when in fact it is not, so this is one that you should be wary off and not use. This remedy is called 'ear candling' and it is a process where a cone made out of wax-covered paper (this is the candle) is inserted into the ear. It is then lit and this is supposed to draw out the infection. This method does not work and in fact is quite dangerous and can cause more serious medical problems. Please do not ever consider using this method as your poor child could end up with more problems than just an ear infection.
Ear infections if not treated can get much worse and lead to more serious problems. If an infection is minor then home remedies may be enough to treat the infection, but usually you should just use home remedies as a temporary treatment to ease the pain until you can seek proper medical attention. |