The most common childhood complaint for which my advice is
sought is the ear infection, or Otitis Media.
For many years I have fought something of an uphill
battle in the effort to convince parents that generally the major component of
this situation is not the infection, but an underlying allergy that causes it,
and that until this is addressed, the problem will continue to recur, no matter
what is done: not only that, but in my opinion when the final step is taken, the
insertion of ear tubes (for which there are no studies to support any
ameliorative effect), then the allergy will simply go underground and manifest
itself in some other unpleasant way, possibly even much later in life.
I realize this is an unsupported prediction, but the way so
much of what I've been saying for 30 years is finally entering the mainstream, I
confidently expect this to be validated in time! When this was written I though
I was just whistling in the wind, but in 1999 a report in the Journal of the
American Medical Association stated that children receiving amoxicillin for
chronic Otitis Media may not respond any better than those not treated with
antibiotics, and may actually suffer up to 6 times the rate of recurrence.
(Whole Foods July 99 p.101.)
Allergies disproportionately affect i) mucus membranes
and ii) organs accessed by narrow tubes ( scientific jargon, you see). Just in
case you think I am setting up these criteria so that I can triumphantly link
them to the ear, I will mention that gall
bladder problems can be relieved by
addressing allergies in an amazing 90% of cases, and nobody disputes the link
between asthma and allergy, or colon problems and allergy. The mechanism is
simple in the case of the ear: allergies cause tubes to swell, trapping bacteria
and liquid, and this leads to infection.
Ear infections in
childhood have shown a link to asthma, which is no surprise at all.
The lungs are also filled with narrow tubes
lined with mucus membrane!
The most common allergens for ear problems are indisputably milk,
wheat, eggs, corn and soy. Chocolate, citrus, peanuts, sugar and yeast can
also be implicated. Infants who are not breast fed commonly receive formulas
containing the first 5 foods; and even some children who are breastfed, but have
solids introduced early, are not able to digest them because at this stage in
their lives, their digestive systems are really only designed by nature to
handle the proteins present in mother's milk: the introduction of unexpectedly
large protein molecules into the immature digestive system leads to their
entering the bloodstream unaltered, stimulating the body's defenses to attack
them as unfriendly invaders and leading not only to allergies, but often to
something calledleaky
gut syndrome, which can compromise health in other serious
ways.
The death rate from asthma for African-Americans is
four to six times that of whites. Among African American children, the
number of cases was 20 times higher in 1997 than in 1970. There
is no doubt in my mind that there is a link here between milk and
wheat intolerances and ear infections, and subsequently asthma,
particularly when you bear in mind that a substantial percentage
of African Americans are blood type O. Read
Dr. D'Adamo's blood type theories here.
The first line of defense against these ear infections is to
identify and avoid the allergens. For immediate relief, there are several gentle
and effective homeopathic remedies . Aconite and belladonna in C potencies are
for sudden fever and pain: when pus and discharge are involved, pulsatilla or
hepar sulph. can be helpful - however, the correct choice of homeopathic
remedies depends so much on symptoms, it is best to consult your expert for the
correct choice.
As a long-term defense, in conjunction with the dietary
changes, add the nutrients that help support the immune system such as Vit.
C, Zinc, the B vitamins, Essential Fatty Acids, and MOST IMPORTANT, in
itself one thing that can make the difference between continuing infections and
no infections, cod liver oil, a source of Vits. A & D. Incidentally, Cod
liver Oil is also a source of Omega 3 fatty acids, leading to Linoleic and
Alpha-Linolenic acid in the body. Recent studies in Italy showed that these
substances definitely reduced the number of respiratory tract infections in
children. You see, Grandmother did know best! See RESOURCES for web.md's take on a recent study showing the beneficial effects of
cod liver oil on ear problems.
Another soothing and often effective ritual you can perform to
help the ear is the use of Ear Candles, or Ear Cones. A study from Italy looked
at 15 schoolchildren suffering from painful ear infections: most of the children
reported a remarkable reduction in pain after only five minutes from the end of
the treatment with the cone. At a test carried out two hours later the pain had
not returned. (RIZA Centre of Natural Medicine -
Milan)
There are also herbal drops which can be put directly in the
ear to soothe it, and we highly recommend a combination of olive oil, garlic,
calendula flowers, willow bark, usnea and vitamin E, made especially for kids.
It is wonderfully helpful. Your Doctor can guide you as to whether your child
will be helped or harmed by drops put directly into the ear, it isn't
recommended for everyone and particularly not if the ear is discharging.
Echinacea is a safe herb that can be used to assist the immune system in
fighting these infections: there are sweet-tasting drops and chewable tablets
available for children.
I have been hearing a great deal about the effectiveness of
Silver Solutions for this problem: if you would like to read about this,
and try this approach, click
here.
If you would like to know all there is to know about this
problem, I recommend a book by Dr. Michael A. Schmidt called Healing
Childhood Ear Infections. It is a comprehensive and accurate approach,
and very helpful. It also goes into interesting detail about the problems of
excessive use of antibiotics and the development of bacteria which have become
resistant to antibiotics.
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