Many of us have been witness to the anguish our children experience when plagued with an ear infection: the fussiness, the inability to sleep—or even lay down—the pulling and tugging at their tiny ears; and most of us feel helpless as to how to help them.
As Plymouth moves back into the cold and flu season, we spoke with two experts, Dr. Jeffrey Wock, a chiropractor and owner of Lake West Chiropractic & Natural Health (4190 Vinewood Ln. N. Ste. 121; 763.550.1205), and Dr. Benhoor Soumekh, an ear, nose and throat specialist from the WestHealth office of Ear, Nose and Throat Specialty Care of Minnesota (2805 Campus Dr. Ste. 205; 763.553.0695); both have seen their fair share of children with this condition and have insights on how we can treat (and hopefully) prevent childhood ear infections in the future.
Turns out, ear infections are common—very common.
“Otitis Media [the official diagnosis of an ear infection] is the most common healthcare presentation of children between 6 months and 4 years of age,” Wock says. “Up to 90 percent of children between those ages will have an ear infection, and half of those will have multiple recurrences.”
Because upper respiratory infections are the leading cause of ear infections, both doctors tell us good old-fashioned prevention is key. Washing hands, getting enough rest and eating properly can help kids avoid those nasty viruses in the first place. Other preventative measures include keeping little ones away from tobacco smoke and other environmental allergens.
But let’s say your child winds up with an ear infection; if the condition isn’t too serious, there are some treatments you can provide at home.
“Regarding home remedies to help ease the pain, all the things your grandmother told you about can help,” Soumekh says. “A hot pack, the usual oral medicine such as ibuprofen to help decrease the inflammation and keeping their head elevated to keep pressure from building up are all good options. Also an eardrop like Auralgan can numb the pain, but you have to be sure there are no eardrum ruptures or holes, and the child cannot have tubes.”
Due to what some see as an over-prescribing of antibiotics, the medical community has developed a “wait-and-watch” approach before writing a prescription; most ear infections tend to clear on their own after a few days.
“We might give the parent a prescription for an antibiotic, but we tell them to hold on to it for a few days,” says Soumekh, “and if the child isn’t better in a few days, then they can fill and administer it to the child.”
Golden Valley resident Kathryn Simpson’s daughter was born three months premature and dealt with a lot of ear infections in her early years. “I have always preferred a more natural approach to health care, so it made sense to have Dr. Wock treat her,” Simpson says.
Wock shares many of the same beliefs as Soumekh about treating ear pain at home, but offers a few others. For starters he recommends garlic eardrops: “They have anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and antiseptic properties,” he says. Additionally, he suggests keeping kids away from too much processed sugar and offering chamomile, Pulsatilla or belladonna to help calm them down, which, in turn, will help diminish pain.
As a chiropractor, Dr. Wock also recommends a more hands-on approach. “I look at the body as this amazing machine, and my job is to help it function at its peak; part of that is to make sure the drainage function is optimal. So, besides adjustments, I teach parents how to use lymphatic drainage techniques to help their kids.” The technique is a soft tissue type of move, where parents can help increase the flow of mucus and decrease any stagnation by massaging specific areas of the neck.
