What is an ear infection?
An ear infection is an inflammation of the middle ear, usually caused by bacteria, that occurs when fluid builds up behind the eardrum. Anyone can get an ear infection, but children get them more often than adults. Five out of six children will have at least one ear infection by their third birthday. In fact, ear infections are the most common reason parents bring their child to a doctor. The scientific name for an ear infection is otitis media (OM).
What causes ear infection?
Ear infection, also called acute otitis media, is a sudden infection in your middle ear. The middle ear is the air-filled space between your eardrum and inner ear. It houses the delicate bones that transmit sound vibrations from your eardrum to your inner ear so you can hear. Eustachian tubes are canals that connect your middle ear to the back of your throat. They regulate air pressure in your ear and prevent fluid from accumulating in your middle ear space. If a eustachian tube doesn’t function well, fluid has a hard time draining from your middle ear space and can cause muffled hearing. Ear infections (from viruses and bacteria) also cause middle ear fluid. In these cases, the middle ear fluid is infected and often causes discomfort in addition to muffled hearing.
- Who are at risk?
1. Age: Children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years are more susceptible to ear infections because of the size and shape of their eustachian tubes and because their immune systems are still developing.
2. Group Child Care (Day Care Centers): Children cared for in group settings are more likely to get colds and ear infections than are children who stay home. The children in group settings are exposed to more infections, such as the common cold.
3. Infant Feeding: Babies who drink from a bottle, especially while lying down, tend to have more ear infections than do babies who are breast-fed.
4. Seasonal Factor: Ear infections are most common during the fall and winter. People with seasonal allergies may have a greater risk of ear infections when pollen counts are high.
5. Poor Air Quality: Exposure to tobacco smoke or high levels of air pollution can increase the risk of ear infections.
6. Cleft Palate: Differences in the bone structure and muscles in children who have cleft palates may make it more difficult for the eustachian tube to drain.
Why are children more likely to suffer from Otitis Media than Adults?
There are several reasons why children are more likely than adults to get ear infections.
Eustachian tubes are smaller and more level in children than they are in adults. This makes it difficult for fluid to drain out of the ear, even under normal conditions. If the eustachian tubes are swollen or blocked with mucus due to a cold or other respiratory illness, fluid may not be able to drain.
A child’s immune system isn’t as effective as an adult’s because it’s still developing. This makes it harder for children to fight infections.
As part of the immune system, the adenoids respond to bacteria passing through the nose and mouth. Sometimes bacteria get trapped in the adenoids, causing a chronic infection that can then pass on to the eustachian tubes and the middle ear.
- What are symptoms of ear infection?
There are three main types of ear infections. Each has a different combination of symptoms.
1. Acute Otitis Media (AOM) is the most common ear infection. Parts of the middle ear are infected and swollen and fluid is trapped behind the eardrum. This causes pain in the ear—commonly called an earache. Your child might also have a fever.
2. Otitis Media with Effusion (OME) sometimes happens after an ear infection has run its course and fluid stays trapped behind the eardrum. A child with OME may have no symptoms, but a doctor will be able to see the fluid behind the eardrum with a special instrument.
3. Chronic Otitis Media with Effusion (COME) happens when fluid remains in the middle ear for a long time or returns over and over again, even though there is no infection. COME makes it harder for children to fight new infections and also can affect their hearing.
- What are Complications of Otitis Media?
Most ear infections don’t cause long-term complications, but ear infections that happen again and again can lead to serious complications such as:
1. Impaired Hearing: Mild hearing loss that comes and goes is fairly common with an ear infection, but it usually gets better after the infection clears. Ear infections that happen again and again, or fluid in the middle ear, may lead to more-significant hearing loss. If there is some permanent damage to the eardrum or other middle ear structures, permanent hearing loss may occur.
2. Speech or developmental delay: If hearing is temporarily or permanently impaired in infants and toddlers, they may experience delays in speech, social and developmental skills in child.
3. Spread of Infection: Untreated infections or infections that don’t respond well to treatment can spread to nearby tissues. Infection of the mastoid, the bony protrusion behind the ear, is called mastoiditis. This infection can result in damage to the bone and the formation of pus-filled cysts. Rarely, serious middle ear infections spread to other tissues in the skull, including the brain or the membranes surrounding the brain (meningitis).
4. Tearing of Eardrums: Most eardrum tears heal within 72 hours. In some cases, surgical repair is needed.
- How can you prevent Otitis Media in your child?
Following tips may reduce the risk of developing ear infections:
1. Prevent Common Colds and other illnesses: Teach your children to wash their hands frequently and thoroughly and to not share eating and drinking utensils. Teach your children to cough or sneeze into their elbow. If possible, limit the time your child spends in group child care. A child care setting with fewer children may help. Try to keep your child home from child care or school when ill.
2. Avoid Secondhand Smoke: Make sure that no one smokes in your home. Away from home, stay in smoke-free environments.
3. Breast feed your babies: If possible, breast-feed your baby for at least six months. Breast milk contains antibodies that may offer protection from ear infections.
4. If you bottle-feed, hold your baby in an upright position. Avoid propping a bottle in your baby’s mouth while he or she is lying down. Don’t put bottles in the crib with your baby.
- How Homeopathy Helps?
Homeopathic medicines are known for their anti-inflammatory properties, which help reduce swelling in middle ear. Anti-histaminic effects of homeopathic medicines help in alleviating symptoms of allergies to prevent occurrence of Otitis Media. Homeopathic remedies can enhance lymphatic circulation and reduce swelling in middle ear. Homeopathic medicines are known to modulate the immune response, helping to reduce recurrence of middle ear infections. Below is the list of commonly used homeopathic medicines in treatment of ear infections- however, one should consult a qualified homeopath for better result:
1. Capsicum
2. Baryta Mur
3. Kali Mur
4. Silicea
5. Kali Sulph
6. Hydrastis
7. Asarum
Why Choose Cosmic Homeo Healing Centre?
At Cosmic Homeo Healing Centre, under the able guidance of Dr. Mahavrat Patel, our team of qualified Homeopaths have helped many a patients suffering from repeated ear infections and its complications successfully. For further details feel free to contact us.