Ear Infections

Here at Blue Hills Chiropractic, we understand that waking up to your child crying with ear pain in the middle of night or getting another call from daycare that your child has a fever and is digging in their ears can be disheartening and difficult. It may feel like you are constantly running to urgent care for a diagnosis and prescription for antibiotics. But what is causing the ear infections? And why is your child unable to drain fluid from their ears?

Our head contains many nooks and crannies including, our ears, sinuses, and mouth. These areas of the body produce fluid when we have a head cold, allergies or are teething. The body is designed to drain this fluid down through the neck and into the lymphatic system. However, if the body makes too much fluid or there is a clog in the drain fluid will not clear. This fluid creates an excellent home for viruses and bacteria, which leads to ear infections. Typical signs of ear infections include, fever, ear pain and pressure, pulling at the ears, difficulty sleeping, swollen lymph nodes, and fussiness.

Even a few ear infections impact your child’s ability to hear and respond to immune system stressors. If your child has had multiple ear infections that are not clearing with antibiotics your pediatrician will soon be recommending a visit to the ENT for tubes.

So, what are drug free options to support healthy ears?

• Support healthy ear drainage: The ears are the windows into our immune system. Your child may experience an increase in ear fluid due to teething or a head cold. As chiropractors, we help by clearing stress in the upper neck. The neck controls the nerves to our head, ears, sinuses, mouth, immune system, and sleep centers. Infants and toddlers experience a high volume of activity in this area as they grow and develop.
• Calm inflamed ears: Along with removing stress from your child’s nervous system, we recommended gentle homeopathic ear drops. These drops contain a soothing blend of oils and herbs that decrease discomfort and help to eliminate any viruses or bacteria in the area.
• Immune system boost: Many rounds of antibiotics will impact your child’s healthy bacteria and overall immune system. We want them to have a strong immune system, so they can fight any future bugs that their body encounters. Getting adjusted helps boost the immune system. Also, incorporating probiotics after antibiotics, taking vitamin D3, and using colloidal silver water help to improve your child’s resilience to infections.