How often was your child diagnosed with ear infection? How many rounds of antibiotics has your child been on? Did you know that in 2002 a result from the American Academy of Pediatric revealed that ear infection is the most commonly diagnosed and misdiagnosed disease in childhood.
A middle ear infection happens because of swelling in one or both of the eustachian tubes. This swelling obstructs the normal mucus drain from the middle ear into the throat. A common cold, throat infection, acid reflux, teething, bacterial infection, virus or allergies can make the eustachian tube swell. These also block the mucus from draining. Ear infections are not contagious, but the colds that sometimes cause them can be. The common symptoms are fever, trouble eating or sleeping, loss of balance, loss of hearing, sore throat and discomfort when lying down caused by increasing the pressure in the middle ear. Symptoms are messages from the body that there is a problem and change is needed.
This is more common in children than adults. Their shorter, more horizontal eustachian tubes let bacteria and viruses find their way into the middle ear more easily. The tubes are also narrower, so they are more likely to get blocked. Other factors that increase the risk of getting an ear infection are bottle-feeding, secondhand smoke, allergies and sensitivity to airborne substance.
Ear infections are diagnosed with an otoscope. This is a small instrument similar to a flashlight used to see the eardrum. They can also do a culture test of the ear.
The most common medical approaches today are antibiotics and surgery. The only way that antibiotics are going to help is if the cause of the ear infection is bacteria, but 70% are caused by a virus. Also, the antibiotics may not eliminate the fluid present in the ear. Overuse of antibiotics can make future infections more difficult to treat. Also, antibiotics can eliminate the good bacteria in the gastrointestinal system, causing diarrhea or constipation in the child. The surgery intervention is a short-term mechanical solution to drain the middle ear, but this does not address the cause of the infection.
One of the most common questions from parents is: How can chiropractic care help my child with an ear infection? Chiropractic is not the cure for ear infections. The chiropractor is going to detect and correct any subluxation in the upper cervical spine of your child to help the body restore the normal body function. This will help to have a fast healing process and will give a boost to the immune system, helping to decrease the swelling and improving the drain of the eustachian tube releasing the pressure in the middle ear.
If your child is struggling with ear infection, give Well Aligned Family Chiropractic a call to see if they could benefit from chiropractic care.
By Dr. Valerie Nazario
Well Aligned Family Chiropractic 