Treating ear infection naturally

nchr

Sun, Jan 20 2019, 10:31 pm

So our pediatrician does watchful waiting without treatments (ill give a fever reducer). We just blow dry the ear to help with the pain, which only lasts about 24 hours anyways. If there is still fever after about 3 days, then our pediatrician recommends antibiotics but usually the fever and symptoms are gone by then.

thunderstorm

Sun, Jan 20 2019, 10:31 pm

I've done this and it worked each time.
Peel a clove a garlic trim it to fit the shape of the opening of the ear (big enough that it can't get inside the ear but be able to be right at the opening. Tape it down with a band aid or medical tape and leave in all day. Let child sleep that way as well.
It's ugly and it smells but it really works.
I've asked my pediatrician years ago if it's ok to try that method for ear infections and he said it's the only natural remedy he agrees can't do harm by trying it first . He said garlic definitely is known to have healing properties.
A friend told me about this and it saved me quite a few visits to the doctor and quite a few sleepless nights. My children felt relief pretty quickly thereafter .

nchr

Sun, Jan 20 2019, 10:36 pm

thunderstorm wrote:

I'm not saying this is harmful, but please explain how garlic is able to penetrate the ear cavity and reach behind the ear drum? What are you basing the success on? Pain? Ear infection pain rarely last more than 24 hours and the vast majority of ear infections resolve on their own anyways. Technically, since swimmers ear is external I guess garlic may do something for that but I cannot see how this could be legitimately effective for an inner ear infection and I have heard plenty of doctors poke fun at this (because most ear infections dont require antibiotics either and self resolve).

Btw not trying to be snarky. I'm actually trying to understand what you're basing it on and comparing it to?

carnation

Sun, Jan 20 2019, 10:45 pm

When I was a kid, I had many ear infections. It usually started in the evening or in middle of night and was ALWAYS still there the next morning. I had been so many, many times on anti biotic.

With my children it was the same. Started evening or during the night. I did the garlic with a bandaid method and by the next morning my kid was fine and able to go to school. Done this with 5 kids. No idea HOW it works but it does work!

thunderstorm

Sun, Jan 20 2019, 10:48 pm

nchr wrote:

Ive only tried this method with my DS who is now 8. Whenever he had an ear infection or even complained about his ear , I did this and within 24 hours , whatever pain he had and whatever was causing the pain disappeared. He had ear infections before I started this and I found this method to work in healing the infection quicker as opposed to when he was on antibiotic.
I am not a fan of natural healing. Most of my family work in the medical field and we are very inclined to take the medical route as opposed to try a natural route. That's why I discussed it with my pediatrician and he told me it made sense that it would work.
Garlic draws out the infection somehow. The garlic actually changes while it's in the ear and gets dried out. It needs to be changed daily with a fresh clove.
I can't tell you how it works. Somebody I know swore by it so I decided to try it and I saw the difference it made with my own eyes, but I don't know the science behind it.