So you have an earache. It may be due to an infection in the ear or ear canal. Every ear infection will cause earache in different degrees of severity. As a first aid you can treat it at home instead of going in for antibiotics.
However, you should take any infection in the ear seriously. If it is not treated on time and allowed to linger on, then you might end up damaging your ear permanently. This can be a permanent hearing loss also. Therefore, if home remedies don't work then you must consult a doctor.
But never adapt a policy to wait and watch. Ear infection should be treated at the first signs before any further complications develop.
What causes Ear Infection – Earache?
Ear infections (otitis media) are caused by cold, pollution, sinus infection and other viral and bacterial infections. Children get it more frequently than adults because children have a shorter auditory tube that can easily become clogged.Some children and even adults may get ear infection from swimming. Even adults can get the ear infection or get the sinusitis due to swimming. Using ear plugs during swimming does help most people to avoid ear infections.
Natural Remedies for Ear Infections
Your own cultural background may have a remedy for the ear infection. Every culture had used different home remedies for ear infections for centuries in the past. These natural treatments are passed down by older generations to the newer ones.
One such simple but effective home remedy is to put one or two drops of mildly warm olive oil in the infected ear. Keep it there for 5 minutes and turn the head downwards to drain it. This helps clear the clogged ear.
People in Mediterranean countries use oil oil extensively for their food preparations as well as for medicinal purposes.
Other such simple and intuitive remedy includes use of hot compresses on the infected ear. The hot compress usually provide instant relief. Don’t prick the ear, if you feel heavy inside. There may be clogging due to wax. But pricking the ear may cause infection even though you are trying to unclog it and no infection was present earlier.
Some people have used mildly warm onion juice as home remedy ear infection drops. The application is similar to the application of the olive oil drops.
Other widely used natural remedy for ear infection is to add 2 cloves of garlic in mustard oil and heat it until garlic turns black. Remove garlic and allow the oil to cool until it is warm enough to apply. Add 2-3 drops and keep in the ear for 5 minutes. Turn your head to naturally drain the oil.
If the infection is not treated in its early stages then most of these natural remedies for ear infections will give temporary relief to earache. You will then have to consult your doctor.
Be it a natural cure for ear infection or prescribed medication you must take care of all types of infections before they become severe.
A severe untreated ear infection not only will give you unbearable earache but also can affect you hearing. Therefore as soon as you begin to feel a little earache or any other early signs of infection use any ear infection home remedy as the first choice.