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| | | From: Rene (Original Message) | Sent: 10/26/2005 3:05 PM |
Homeopathic Treatment of Earaches
By Dana Ullman, MPH
Published 07/28/2004 | Homeopathy Excerpted from Homeopathic Family Medicine , an e-book by Dana Ullman, MPH. This e-book is updated regularly whenever new clinical research is published. Go to www.homeopathic.com to see 6 free (!) chapters OR to purchase a one-time download of this e-book or a 2-year subscription. BOTTOMLINE: Clinical experience and some research have shown rapid resolution of ear infections with individually chosen homeopathic medicines. People who experience recurrent ear infections are best treated by a professional homeopath.
Earaches have become so common today in American children that they are the number one reason that parents take their child to a physician. One of the reasons for this recurring problem is that antibiotics may reduce the infection, but they tend to increase the chances for return of the ear problem.
Homeopathic medicines are wonderfully effective in treating this common ailment. Although recurrent or severe earaches may require the care of a professional homeopath, there are several homeopathic remedies that primary care providers and people can use at home to heal acute earaches. A randomized double-blind placebo controlled study prescribed individualized homeopathic medicines or placebo to 75 children (Jacobs, 2001). There were 19.9% more treatment failures in children given a placebo. Diary scores showed a significant decrease in symptoms at 24 and 64 hours after treatment in favor of those given a homeopathic medicine. What was particularly impressive about these results was that improvement from homeopathic medicines occurred rapidly and within the first day. Another study that also provided evidence of rapid resolution of ear infection in children given a homeopathic medicine was a trial of 230 children (Frei and Thurneysen, 2001). These children were given an individually chosen homeopathic medicine. If pain reduction was not sufficient after just six hours, another individually chosen homeopathic medicine was prescribed. The researchers found that 39% of patients experienced sufficient pain reduction in the first 6 hours and another 33% after 12 hours. This improvement was 2.4 times faster than in children prescribed a placebo. Another study compared children with ear infections who were treated with homeopathic medicines and those who were treated with antibiotics (Friese, 1996). The researchers found that over 30% of children given an individually chosen homeopathic medicine experienced significant improvement in three hours, while only 11.5% of children prescribed an antibiotic experienced similar relief. The experimenters also found that the average duration of pain for children taking a homeopathic medicine was two days, compared to three days for those taking an antibiotic. Of particular importance was that 70.7% of children given the homeopathic medicine had no further recurrence of ear infection during the next year, but only 56.6% of children given an antibiotic had no further recurrence. One study compared individualized homeopathic treatment with standard conventional medical treatment in children with otitis media (Harrison, Fixsen, Vickers, 1999). This study was randomized but not double-blinded. The researchers found that more children given homeopathic treatment had a normal tympanogram after 12 months than children given conventional medical care. A prospective, open (not double-blinded) study was conducted with 390 children aged 1-10 years with uncomplicated otitis media, in which half of the children's parents choose conventional medical treatment and half choose homeopathic treatment (Wustrow, 2004). Those children who were given conventional medical treatment were given one or more of the following: decongestant nose drops, mucolytics, analgesics, and/or antibiotics. Those children who were given a homeopathic medicine were given a single formula called Otovowen (a combination of several homeopathic medicines). Children given this homeopathic medicine could also take conventional medications. Children given conventional treatment took more antibiotics (80.5% vs. 14.4%; P=.001) and analgesics (66.8% vs. 53.2%; P=.007). Absence from school or preschool was 1.7 days in both groups. Homeopathic treatment was judged to be better tolerated by the children by both doctors and parents. The researchers concluded that this homeopathic formula may substantially reduce the use of antibiotics without disadvantage to the clinical outcome. This research suggests that homeopathic medicines work fast, even faster than antibiotics, and that children taking homeopathic medicines are less likely to experience recurrent ear infections. ·· = medicines most commonly indicated for children with an earache
· = other important medicines to consider ·· Belladonna (deadly nightshade)
This remedy is useful for earaches that start suddenly, with intense throbbing or shooting ear pain, and has a bright red outer ear or ear canal, accompanied by a high fever. The pains are commonly worse on the right side and may extend to the throat. The child may concurrently have a headache, and all of the above symptoms tend to be worse by motion and at night and may be relieved by sitting semi-erect and with warm applications. These children are sensitive to light, noise, or being jarred. This remedy is often indicated in children with a high fever, a flushed and hot face, glassy eyes with dilated pupils, and cold feet and hands. The child is usually not thirsty, except for lemonade. Children who need this remedy tend to be delirious during sleep and have nightmares, usually of animals, which cause them to cry out during sleep. This remedy is not commonly given after the third day of an ear infection. ·· Pulsatilla (windflower)
This medicine is usually determined more by the way the child is acting than the specific pain s/he experiences. It is useful when the child becomes whiny and extremely clingy to a parent, wants to be hugged, cuddled, and even rocked. The child needs and craves attention and sympathy. The ear pain tends to be worse at night, in a warm room, and by exposure to heat, and the child usually has little or no thirst. The child who needs this remedy tends to have a changeable mood, happy and play in one minute and crying and sad the next. In advanced cases, there may a thick yellow or green discharge from the ear or nose. The ear pains may be slightly reduced with cold applications. Often, the ear infection develops after experiencing a common cold. · Aconitum (monkshood)
This remedy is typically given during the first 48 hours of an ear infection if there is a rapid onset of pain, if the problem began after exposure to cold, and if the child has a noticeable increase in thirst. Typically, a fever accompanies the ear infection, as well as a dry cough and a congested nose. The child may be restless, anxious, and in some cases frantic. · Chamomilla (chamomile)
When the child with an earache becomes hyperirritable, extremely fussy, aggravated by touch, by bending or stooping over, and by cold air (especially cold drafts), and is temporarily relieved by being cradled and rocked, consider this remedy. The child may demand something but then push it away when it is offered. The child is extremely impatient and cannot be consoled. This remedy is also useful for infants with an earache who are concurrently teething or in children after they have been chilled. One cheek may be red and hot while the other is cold and pale, suggesting that the infant may be teething at the same time that ear pain is occurring. · Calcarea carbonica (calcium carbonate)
This remedy tends to be indicated in children who are pudgy, pale, chilly, and obstinate and when every cold becomes an earache. These children tend to have large heads that sweat profusely, and they crave eggs and sweets. · Hepar sulphuris (Hahnemann's calcium sulphide)
This remedy is useful for the hyperirritable child who is hypersensitive to any type of touch (they hate to be examined) or exposure to cold (they may want to wrap up their head to keep their ears from getting cold). The child that will benefit from this remedy is also emotionally hypersensitive and will be very irritable, with a tendency to throw tantrums. Their earache may be accompanied by a thick discharge from the ear or nose. They may have sharp ear pain that feels like a splinter and which extends to the throat. Typically, children who need this remedy experience their worst pain late at night. · Mercurius (mercury)
This remedy is one of the most common remedies for children with chronic ear infections, though it is also useful in select acute situations. There is usually much pus and a gluey, burning, and offensive-smelling discharge that is green or sometimes yellow. The right ear tends to be affected more than the left. The child may also have a concurrent cold or eye infection with a similar discharge. A sore throat with swollen glands may also be experienced. Children who have an earache and are sensitive to extremes of heat and cold temperature and who experience profuse sweating at night often benefit from this remedy. They also tend to have increased salivation at night in bed, swollen tonsils and lymph glands and noticeably offensive bad breath. · Mercurius iodatus flavus (proto-iodide of mercury)
If the child has the same symptoms as Mercurius but the child only experiences ear pain on the right side, consider this remedy. · Mercurius iodatus ruber (bin-iodide of mercury)
If the child has the same symptoms as Mercurius but the child only experiences ear pain on the left side, consider this remedy. DOSE
Give the 6, 12, or 30th potency every other hour during intense pain and every four hours in more mild discomfort.
Relief is commonly experienced within a couple of hours or after a night's rest. If a child still has pain 24 hours after a homeopathic remedy has been given, consider giving another remedy or seek professional homeopathic attention. (The various Mercurius products listed above are best taken in the 12th or 30th potency.) References:
H. Frei and A. Thurneysen, "Homeopathy in Acute Otitis Media in Children: Treatment Effect or Spontaneous Resolution?" British Homeopathic Journal, October, 2001,90:180-182. K.H. Friese, S. Kruse, H. Moeller, "Acute Otitis Media in Children: A Comparison of Conventional and Homeopathic Treatment," Biomedical Therapy, 1997,15,4:113-122 (reprinted from Hals-Nasen-Ohren (HNO), August, 1996:462-66. H. Harrison, A. Fixsen, A. Vickers. A Randomized Comparison of Homoeopathic and Standard Care for the Treatment of Glue Ear in Children, Complementary Therapy in Medicine 1999, 7:132-135. J Jacobs, DA Springer, D Crothers, "Homeopathic Treatment of Acute Otitis Media in Children: A Preliminary Randomized Placebo-controlled Trial," Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 20,2 (February 2001):177-183. T.P. Wustrow, Alternative versus Conventional Treatment Strategy in Uncomplicated Acute Otitis Media in Children: A Prospective, Open, Controlled Parallel-Group Comparison, International Journal Pharmacological Therapy, 2004 Feb; 42(2):110-9.
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Reply
| | | From: Rene | Sent: 12/30/2005 9:46 PM |
Ear Infections: Antibiotics Not Necessary
By Randall Neustaedter OMD, LAc, CCH Published 08/11/2005 Diseases and Conditions: Prevention and Treating
Ear Infections: Antibiotics Not Necessary
A landmark study published in Pediatrics has shown that treating ear infections with antibiotics has no benefit when compared to doing nothing (McCormick 2005). In this study 223 children were divided into two groups. One group received antibiotics, the other group received only medicines for symptom relief. The study sought to evaluate several outcomes including (1) parent satisfaction with their child's care, (2) resolution of symptoms, and (3) failure and recurrence rate. The study was limited to nonsevere ear infections. The severity was determined by parents' perception of the severity and by examination of the eardrum. Results of the study were dramatic. Parent satisfaction was equal in the two groups at both 12 days and 30 days after treatment. No difference was observed between the two groups in days of work or school missed, visits to doctors' offices or emergency rooms, or number of phone calls. There was no difference in the recurrence rate by day 30, and no difference in the clinical examination of the children's eardrums at day 30. This study should finally prove that antibiotics are not necessary or beneficial in the management of nonsevere ear infections. Even when no treatment was utilized there was no significant difference in outcome. Holistic pediatrics, by contrast, employs several forms of treatment that most practitioners would agree do have a significant impact on ear infections. Both homeopathic treatment and Chinese herbal medicine offer valid and safe forms of treatment. One double-blind clinical study did show that homeopathy is more effective than placebo in the treatment of acute ear infections. This was a preliminary study with a sample size of only 75 children, but the demonstration of the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment deserves recognition. There was a statistically significant reduction in symptoms after 24 hours with homeopathic treatment compared to the placebo group, and fewer treatment failures in the homeopathic group after 5 days, 2 weeks, and 6 weeks of follow-up. For example, after 5 days the rate of treatment failure in the homeopathic group was 19.4 percent compared to 30.8 percent in the control group. The authors of that study concluded that a follow-up study with a larger treatment group would be necessary to show statistically significant results.
References:
McCormick DP, et al. Nonsevere acute otitis media: a clinical trial comparing outcomes of watchful waiting versus immediate antibiotic treatment. Pediatrics June 2005; 115(6):1455. Jacobs J, et al. Homeopathic treatment of acute otitis media in children: a preliminary randomized placebo-controlled trial. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal Feb 2001; 20(2):177.
My son used to have a terrible time with ear infections when he was very small, however I could usually notice one "creeping up" on him and simply give him a child's antihistamine for a day or 2 until it appeared to subside. He had allergies which seemed to make him very susceptable. RM
http://www.hpakids.org/ http://www.hpakids.org/holistic-health/articles/151/1/Homeopathic-Treatment-of-Earaches See also http://www.hpakids.org/holistic-health/ and http://www.hpakids.org/holistic-health/categories/Homeopathy/ |
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Reply
| | | From: Rene | Sent: 2/8/2006 1:30 AM |
Home remedies:
olive oil for earache A reader has written to say that using olive oil for earache as a holiday emergency measure worked a treat. Earache has a number of causes and olive oil could work for two of the commonest. Top of the list is ear wax. This is usually painless, though it can affect your hearing. Attempts to dig it out using cotton buds only impact the wax against the ear drum. Olive oil softens it, easing the pressure on the drum and relieving the agony. In children, the No 1 cause of ear misery is otitis media, an infection of the “middle ear�? There’s some evidence that, so long as there’s no discharge present, a few drops of olive oil can ease the pain. How? Possibly through an anti-inflammatory effect, if research on mice with swollen ears can be extrapolated to fractious toddlers. Olive oil can cure buzzing in the ears, too �?if that buzzing is caused by an insect trapped in the ear canal. This isn’t, strictly, speaking, painful, though it is a pain and sufferers should realise that the nearest bottle of extra-virgin promises relief. Instilling a few drops in the ear will drown the offending beast, which can be syringed out at leisure by the practice nurse.
KEITH HOPCROFT, GP
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8125-1982391,00.html
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Most Kids' Ear Infections Can Heal Without Antibiotics
Tuesday, September 12, 2006 By Salynn Boyles Most children with ear infections do not need antibiotics, but they get them anyway. Now, a new study suggests parents are often willing to delay treatment if they know their kids can get the drugs if they need them. Giving parents the option of delaying treatment meant far fewer kids ended up taking antibiotics -- with no significant increase in complications, researchers reported in the Sept. 13 issue of JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association. In the study, almost two-thirds of the antibiotic prescriptions written to parents urged to delay treatment never got filled. Meanwhile, roughly nine of 10 children whose parents were not given the special instruction to “wait-and-see�?ended up taking antibiotics. Treating Kids' Ear Infections: Antibiotics vs. Waiting
15 Million Ear Infection Prescriptions
Ear infections are the most common reason for antibiotic use among U.S. children, with 15 million prescriptions written annually. Antibiotic resistance is a growing worldwide public health concern that has been spurred by the widespread overuse of the drugs. “In this country, 96 percent to 98 percent of physicians treat ear infections immediately with antibiotics, even though most cases will resolve on their own without treatment,�?David M. Spiro, MD, MPH, tells WebMD. Spiro and colleagues from Yale and Vanderbilt University conducted their study to determine if parents would accept a “wait-and-see prescription�?approach to antibiotic treatment when their children had ear infections, and whether the approach would reduce antibiotic use. The study included 283 children between the ages of 6 months and 12 years with ear infections treated at an urban hospital emergency department. Children were not included in the study if they had another infection such as pneumonia, were severely ill from the ear infection, were hospitalized, had ear tubes or a ruptured ear drum, or had received antibiotics within the prior week. Roughly half the studied children received prescriptions for antibiotics with no special instructions. The other half also received prescriptions, but parents were asked not to fill them unless the child was either “not better, or worse�?after 48 hours. All the children were given free bottles of ear drops for pain and liquid ibuprofen, which was a very important part of treatment, Spiro says.
Analgesics, Not Antibiotics
Pediatric ear, nose, and throat specialist Richard Rosenfeld, MD, tells WebMD parents often give antibiotics more credit for making their child feel better than they deserve. “If you want your child to feel better and sleep through the night, the answer is not antibiotics; it is analgesics,�?he says. Analgesics are pain-relieving drugs. Well over half the parents advised to delay antibiotic treatment (62 percent) ended up not getting their child’s prescription filled, compared with just 13 percent of parents who were not given the special instructions. Some reasons parents in the wait-and-see group did fill the prescriptions were fever (60 percent), ear pain (34 percent), and fussy behavior (6 percent). Ear pain did resolve, on average, a half day earlier in the immediate-treatment group. But those children also had more symptoms related to antibiotic use, including diarrhea and vomiting. Almost one of four children in the group that took more antibiotics (23 percent) experienced diarrhea, compared with 8 percent of those in the group that took fewer antibiotics. “There is no free lunch,�?Rosenfeld says. “As payback for that half a day less of ear pain you get more diarrhea and more vomiting.�?/FONT>
80 Percent Don’t Need Antibiotics
The idea of delaying antibiotic treatment for ear infections is not new. The strategy is catching on in Europe, and the American Academy of Pediatrics says 80 percent of children whose ear infections are not treated immediately with antibiotics get better on their own. The AAP gave its stamp of approval to the watch-and-wait strategy in 2004, telling physicians it was OK to delay antibiotics in children over age 2 for 48 to 72 hours as long as pain is managed with pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. But the strategy will not work, Rosenfeld says, unless parents are given enough information to make them comfortable with the idea. Specifically, they need to understand that for many children the benefits of taking antibiotics for ear infections are outweighed by the side effects, which can include diarrhea, upset stomach, rash, allergies, and the possibility of drug resistance. “We need to replace antibiotic therapy with information therapy. You can’t just replace antibiotics with nothing,�?he says. “Parents won’t stand for it.�?/FONT> Paul Little, MD, conducted one of the first studies examining the delayed antibiotic approach to treatment of ear infections in the United Kingdom. He agrees informed parents will accept the idea of delaying antibiotics for ear infections. “If parents are used to giving their children antibiotics for ear infections, and that is what everyone else is doing, it may be a bit of a struggle,�?he says. “But when they understand the issue, they are more accepting.�?/FONT> Food Allergies May Be Linked to Ear Infection
By Salynn Boyles, reviewed by Louise Chang, MD SOURCES: Spiro, D. JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Sept. 13, 2006; vol 296: pp 1235-1241. David M. Spiro, MD, MPH, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland. Ore. Richard Rosenfeld, MD, director, pediatric otolaryngology, Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, N.Y. Paul Little, MD, MBBS, Community Clinical Sciences Division, University of Southampton, Southampton, U.K. News Release, American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,213541,00.html?sPage=fnc.health/remedies
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Reply
| | | From: Rene | Sent: 12/1/2006 12:23 AM |
Don't Treat Your Child's Ears With Antibiotics
Ear infections (also called acute otitis media, or AOM) have generally been considered bacterial diseases, which means that they are usually treated with antibiotics.
But new research indicates that viruses are found in a great many ear infection cases, which could complicate treatment. Researchers found bacteria in 92 percent of AOM cases, viruses in 70 percent, and both bacteria and viruses in 66 percent. The lead author of the study pointed out that this only made sense, as ear infections are "virtually always connected to viral respiratory infection." Antibiotics have no effect on the viruses found in AOM infections, which means that the standard treatment is at best only partially effective for most cases. However, many cases of AOM heal themselves without antibiotic treatment. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians have therefore recommended avoiding antibiotic treatment in mild AOM cases.
Clinical Infectious Diseases December 1, 2006; 43(11): 1417-1422 Science Daily November 7, 2006
Dr. Mercola's Comment: The presence of viruses is another important reason not to fall back on antibiotics to treat your child's ear infections, as is the fact that they can harm their permanent teeth. Overprescribing antibiotics -- especially in the presence of a virus, on which they will have no effect at all -- doesn't do your child, or his or her ears, any good. I'm certainly not opposed to their use in every circumstance, just to the reliance on them in situations where they are obviously of little or no use. In my experience that is well over 95 percent of the time. Some simple dietary methods to remedy ear infections: Switch your child from pasteurized milk to raw milk as well as eliminate processed sugars and wheat products from his or her diet. And, for some quick relief late at night, try the effective methods described in an article written by Dr. Colleen Huber last year. You may not realize that you can now comment AND vote on articles at Vital Votes. Your participation will actually help select the articles that are sent out in this newsletter. And if your comments are good enough they will be posted in the newsletter. If you aren't registered make sure you do so. Register now at Vital Votes. You have a chance of having your comment posted like the readers below. The most popular post was one encouraging the use of chiropractic treatment for ear infections. I would strongly affirm this modality as it is quite common for structural issues to be a significant factor for recurrent infections. A nutrionist wrote the following: "One remedy that was very effective for my children was chiropractic adjustments. Simple and painless adjustments would open up the eustachian tubes and allow the fluid that was clogging up in the middle ear to drain freely and reduce the risk of infection. It a great treatment! I highly recommend you give it a try next time before you put your child on another round of antibiotics." Dr. Fred Rossi, a chiropractor from Stirling, New Jersey, wrote: "I've helped hundreds of children with ear infections by assuring their cervical vertebra were properly aligned; this allows for the muscles to relax and the lymphatic system to drain the fluid in the ears. It also removes interference from the nervous system to allow optimal function of the immune system. My most difficult cases have been when there have been multiple doses of antibiotics taken by the child. The Journal of American Medical Association published an article on how amoxicillin caused more ear infections four to six weeks after the antibiotic was taken. It is akin to calling the fire department to put out a campfire then they spray the surrounding woods instead of the fire. With gentle chiropractic adjustments the child can heal on their own, as nature intended." One reader offered an interesting natural remedy. I personally have found breast milk dropped into the ear to be very useful. The only challenge is to find a fresh source of breast milk. "Our 10-year-old had several earaches as a young baby and child -- often after a cold. We never used pharmaceutical antibiotics, instead we used a tiny drop of herbal eardrop oil to soothe the ear. We just put a wee drop in each ear then soaked up excess with cotton or tissue. The pesticide-herbicide free garlic, Comfrey, St. Johns Wort and olive oil preparation that we used was from St. Francis Organic Herb Farm in Ontario, Canada. Their ear oil seemed the least odorous and most effective for us. In every case of earache within 15 minutes the ear ache pain cleared up completely and within the hour the ear problems were gone." "I have used a mixture of 10 drops Lavender oil and 30 drops olive oil. Warm to body temp. Put 5 drops in ear canal while child is lying down so it can drip down. It tickles them and might feel strange but it works! If you use at night, the pain is gone in the morning!" Another reader warns about the problems of antibiotics with a sad personal story that unfortunately is all too common: "Not only that but some of the antibiotics have extremely dangerous side effects. My sister-in-law just died from an allergic reaction to levaquin two weeks ago. It caused her to slip into a coma from the toxicity of the drug to the liver which spread to her brain; another tasty side effect of the drug is multi system organ failure which also happened to her. All of these reactions can come from just one dose of the drug. Its actually on the good old fda's watch list (ha ha) so you know it has to be pretty bad."
Related Articles: 'Good' Bacteria Prevent Repeat Ear Infections Most Ear Infections Clear Up Without Antibiotics Secrets for Treating and Preventing Ear Infections
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Reply
| | | From: Rene | Sent: 11/9/2008 9:16 PM |
No Dairy Ear infections in children - Take your child off all dairy products. Many children have a sensitivity to dairy products that shows up as recurring ear infections.
[http://healthyimmunity.com/NewsLetters/hh-news-June-07.html |
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