Top 10 Ways to Cure an Earache
By Editorial Staff
Contributed by Cindi Pearce, Catalogs.com Top 10 Guru
Your child has awakened in the middle of the night, sobbing and grabbing at his ear.
Da da da dum … He has an earache. Ouch and rats! The reason his ear is hurting is because the structures that are in the ear, such as the tympanic membrane, the middle ear and the external auditory canal, have become inflamed and swollen.
When the ear drum (tympanic membrane) is inflamed this is called myringitis.
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Another painful ear condition is swimmer’s ear or otitis extrena, which is an infection of the skin of the outer ear canal. This condition is frequently caused by moisture getting trapped in the ear canal or injury to the ear canal. Many a child and adult have suffered from this condition after a dip in a pool, ocean or a lake.
Otitis media is a middle ear and eardrum infection that young children, and infants are often afflicted with, although older kids and adults can experience it, too. This is caused by a bacterial or vial infection of the middle ear and can be the result of an upper respiratory tract infection of a cold. The Eustachian tube becomes inflamed, and this prevents fluid from draining from the middle ear.
The top 10 tips for an earache include the following, but use your own judgment. If you’re unsure or leery of the method don’t use it and figure out something else.
10. Last resort
Pour one teaspoon of fresh urine into the ear and then cover the ear with a cotton ball. No? Didn’t think so.
9. Garlic
This is sure to stink, but you can puncture a piece of garlic and pour the juice from the garlic into the bad ear. A better idea is to puncture a garlic capsule and let the oil flow into your ear. It won’t be so stinky. Garlic is considered a natural antibiotic.
8. Vitamin E
Pierce a capsule of vitamin E and put the oil in your ear. You can also try doing the same thing with vitamin A.
7. Mustard oil
Pour a few drops of warmed mustard oil into the painful ear.
6. Mineral oil
If you tend to have a problem with earaches after you go swimming, before you jump in put some mineral oil in your ear. It’s comparable to petroleum and will coat your ear, keeping the water out and, hopefully, preventing swimmer’s ear. Wear ear plugs and a bathing cap. This helps.
5. Moist heat
Put a warm washcloth against the aching ear. Moist heat is often helpful in eliminating the pain of an earache. Use a gel pack that can be warmed in the microwave or in hot water and press it against the ear.
4. Olive oil
Soak a cotton ball in warm olive oil. Squeeze out the excess oil and then place the cotton ball in the aching ear. This approach is often used for the treatment of swimmer’s ear.
3. Castor oil
Warm up castor oil and put into a dropper. Drop two or three drops into the ear that is infected. Put a cotton ball in the ear.
2. Pain reliever
It is 3 a.m. and the doctor’s office and pharmacy are closed. Give your child or yourself ibuprofen or acetaminophen, which is considered appropriate for treating earaches. However, do not give acetaminophen to anyone who has liver disease and ibuprofen should be used with caution if the patient is taking anticoagulation (blood thinners) medication or has kidney disease.
1. See a doctor
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Go to the doctor as soon as you can get there. Depending on the specific cause of the earache, oral antibiotics may be given as well as ear drops that contain an antibiotic. Sometimes steroids are used to reduce swelling.
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