EARACHE
About Earache…
About Earache
Earache is severe pain inside the ear. It is usually caused by an infection and may occur along-side a cold, sore throat or blocked sinuses.
Aim of treatment:
♠ To fight the infection with natural antibiotic remedies.
♠ To soothe the pain.
♠ To avoid unnecessary use of prescription antibiotics.
Foods to avoid:
Avoiding the mucous-forming foods can sometimes be helpful: dairy, wheat and sugar. Make sure that you have alternatives to feed your child. Growing children must be well-fed!
General treatment:
Keep warm and cover the ear. Exposure to cold and draughts often causes earache, so a hat with ear-covering flaps or earmuffs can help a great deal in children who are prone to this.
Safety and When to seek Professional Medical Help
♠ Earache normally will not last more than 24 hours. Often the pain will come and go within this time, with it usually totally ceasing within 24 hours.
♠ Usually the onion poultice treatment outlined below will start to bring relief from earache right away.
♠ If this treatment doesn’t show signs of bringing relief or easing the pain within 3-4 hours and your child continues to be in pain or if the condition worsens in any way then take him/her to your GP.
♠ If the earache continues to come back after 24 hours then take your child to your GP. It is considered normal in standard healthcare for an ear infection to last up to 3 days. However, I would not expect this with the recommended herbal treatment. That’s why I recommend contacting your GP earlier if this herbal treatment hasn’t helped, because it could indicate that there is a more serious infection present that might genuinely require an antibiotic.
♠ Do NOT leave your child in pain. If the poultice treatment outlined in this lesson does not help to relieve the pain (you should see signs of the pain lessening for your child within 10 mins or less of applying it) then give your child a suitable painkiller. The antiseptic oil released from the poultice treatment will still be helpful to try to kill the virus or infection, the cause of the earache.