Today I wanted to discuss otitis or ear infections. I get a lot of questions in the clinic from moms about that topic. A study just came out last week and it was all over the press. It said that antibiotics have little impact on ear infections!! The study showed that most ear infections will clear within a 3-4 days on their own! So if antibiotics are not the answer anymore right away what can you do for your children? Chiropractic may be a solution ! So do chiropractors treat ear infections or not? I always start that answer with yes and no! We treat the spine. So is there a link between ear infections and the spine. Yes there is!!! Funny enough just a week prior to this study being published, a mom came to me with her 18 month old because she had been suffering from repeated otitis. She is doing great and even had another cold while under treatment without having an ear infection!
But first let's talk about what is and causes ear infection in children?
Most parents of young children will most probably have to deal with one bout of otitis with their children. Most of these will occur before the age of 3 and the occurrence diminishes dramatically by age 6. Most otitis tend to occur because the eustachian tube becomes blocked due to an accumulation of liquid behind. This is very different from the ear aches children will get from swimming a lot. These ear infections are called otitis externa or swimmer's ear. What I will talk is mainly about otitis media. Kids are very prone to viruses in the fist few years of life. When they get a cold, it tends to create a lot of mucus and inflammation in the ear nose throat area which can translate in very acute ear pain. This also tends to coincides when kids start daycare because suddenly they are exposed to a huge germ pool! There are also a few anatomical reasons why kids are more prone to otitis. Their eustachian tube is more horizontal, shorter and smaller then in adults which does not allow it to drain properly.
Children will usually pull their ear, complain of pain, may loose their appetite and have fever. If the tympanic membrane perforates the ear will leak a liquid. It is important to get your children examined with an otoscope to determine if the ear is infected either by a medical doctor or a chiropractor. A proper follow up is necessary to avoid complications. The new study says to delay the start of antibiotics by at least 4 days, that more then 80% of ear infections will clear on their own. But in the mean time your child is miserable usually will have a fever and you are probably miserable as well. You should definitely control the pain and fever with ibuprofen.
So where does chiropractic comes in. We know that kids that have a cervical spines that are not moving properly will end up with muscles spasms in the neck. This tension can have an impact on the lymphatic drainage of your child and therefore not allow proper drainage from the eustachian tube. Chiropractors can help improve tremendously the drainage by restoring good mechanics in the neck and muscles of your child. I also will massage all the neck and play with the ear to help the drainage.
Another important factor to consider is that when kids are sick dairy products should be avoided. Dairy does contribute to the increase in mucus and will not help.
So in summary here is what I would suggest if your child develops an ear infection; control the pain with ibuprofen, get your child adjusted, you can put a hot cloth on the affected ear and use an homeopathic product called traumeel for the ears in a drop format. See and evaluate in 4 days to decide if antibiotics are necessary. If they are make sure to give probiotics as supplement to replenish your child's gut with good bacteria.
I hope this will help you understand ear infections!!
I am including the link in french and in english to the article enjoy!
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/16/antibiotics.ear.infections/index.html
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/vivre/sante/enfants/201011/17/01-4343519-les-antibiotiques-peu-utiles-contre-les-otites-des-enfants.php
I am also including the pamphlet on Traumeel for your information
http://www.heel.ca/pdf/flyers/Traumeel%20GP%20Flyer%20ANG.pdf
Valerie
