Ear infections — they’re just the worst, aren’t they?
As parents, we feel helpless watching our children struggle with them. If a child is complaining of ear pain, it’s likely due to Otitis media, or an infection of the middle ear. This will cause redness and swelling as the fluid builds up behind the eardrum. In worst-case scenarios, the eardrum can “burst,” or perforate due to the pressure.
When your child begins to complain of ear pain, a trip to urgent care usually means a prescription for a harsh antibiotic, and you’re sent on your way. If your child suffers from chronic ear infections, this can really add up over time, and long-term antibiotic use can cause a whole host of gut health problems.
There is a better solution. Through simple chiropractic adjustments, a few dietary changes, and gentle supplements, we can help your child carve a whole new path toward improved health and wellness, getting to the root cause of the infections and treating those that occur in a more holistic manner.
Chiropractic Adjustments to Reduce Pain and Frequency
One of the first things to do to help your child out of the cycle of antibiotics and sickness is to have them adjusted by a chiropractor. At Innate Family Chiropractic, we specialize in pediatric chiropractic and have a passion for helping kids who suffer from ear infections because we remember all too well what it was like to endure them ourselves at that age.
When we look at the spine and the nervous system, the nerves travel intracranially from the very top of the neck and the upper cervical spine to the outside of the head out where these ears are. Those nerves help to control or relax this very important muscle that allows the drainage of the inner tube of the ear, the eustachian tube, known as the “tensor veli palatini” muscle, or TVP.
If the TVP is tight due to other misalignments in your child’s nervous system, it will make the tube much narrower and allow the fluid to build up in the inner ear.
By getting adjusted, we can improve the nerve flow back to normal, instead of its heightened state of constriction and allow for drainage to start to happen normally and naturally. As chiropractors, we also work on the cranial bones to help to relieve some of that ear pain and pressure and help drainage to get going again.
Dietary Changes, Natural Methods for Congestion
In addition to consistent chiropractic adjustments, if your child is congested around the clock, it’s time to address any possible underlying food sensitivities. For some children, gluten, sugar, and dairy can congest their young systems. By eliminating some of those food types, we can help them overcome the recurrent nature of ear infections.
Though it doesn’t alleviate the pain of an ear infection that may be occurring presently, lifestyle changes will help prevent them in the future. Essential oils and natural treatments, like mullein oil ear drops and colloidal silver, can also help support the health of your ears.
Feel Better Today and Improve Wellness
for Tomorrow
It seems counterintuitive, but often the best approach for ear infections is to see and wait to see how long it will be around. If it’s something that is two to three days max, it’ll likely resolve itself. Obviously, you don’t want to see your little one dealing with this sort of pain. Chiropractic care can help release the pressure on the nerves and speed up the healing process, while also working to keep the body aligned properly for improved future health and wellness.
Learn more about ear infections here, and contact us today to explore chiropractic for your child, and see how we can help your little one overcome their ear problems and feel better — for life!