Natural Treatments For Ear Infections

Ear infections are not pleasant when we are infected with them. There is ear pain that can be severe. We can feel even more miserable if we have another illness like the cold or the flu with the ear infection. There are many natural treatments that can help alleviate the ear pain until the infection goes away.

If your ear infections are the result of a sinus infection, you should not take any over the counter medications that contain antihistamines or decongestants. These medications can actually make the infections worse because they will stop the sinus from draining and cause even more fluid to become trapped in the ears and sinus passages creating even more pain.

Heat can be used to help reduce the ear pain. You can apply a heating pad directly to the area behind the ear on low heat. You should not go to sleep with the heating pad left on. If you want heat on your ear to help you sleep, you should use a hot water bottle instead.

Another method that uses heat is a warm facial cloth. Run the cloth under hot water and wring out. Apply the cloth to the areas around the ear. You should avoid getting water into the ear canal. You can reheat the facial cloth in the microwave when it cools. It only takes about fifteen seconds to reheat the cloth.

You can also take a hot shower to help alleviate the pain. You should put ear plugs into the ear canals to prevent water from getting into the ears. Put your head under the hot water and allow it to run down the back of the ears for several minutes.

There are some over the counter ear drops that can also help reduce the swelling of the tubes in the ear. Before using ear drops you should check with your pharmacist or health care provider to make sure ear drops are an option. You should not use ear drops if you have fluid coming from your ears as this indicates the ear drum has burst. Rather you should let the fluid flow out as this is the body’s way of purging the ear infection from your ears.