Ear Conditions

Earache and Ear Infections

A Two-Step Echinacea Plan

Not just for bad colds, echinacea is gentle enough to treat earaches, from the inside out. Start the herbal treatment by taking up to one teaspoon of echinacea tincture orally, two or three times a day. The second step is to bend your head to one side and drop four to six drops of tincture directly into the ear, every two to three hours, while the pain persists. Since echinacea is such a popular herb, it is available in many forms in nearly all health food stores and drugstores.

Olive Oil to the Rescue

To soothe the pain of an earache for children or adults, warm some olive oil and apply it topically. Don't make it too hot-and consider this a temporary fix. The olive oil will not address any infection.

Golden Ears

Have you heard? Goldenseal, rich in berberine, a natural antibiotic, is an herbal earache aid. Relax with a cup of goldenseal tea, and give your body a chance to recuperate.

The recipe: Add one teaspoon of dried goldenseal to a cup of boiled water. Let the mix steep for 10 minutes and strain before drinking. You may safely sip up to three cups a day, herbalists say.

A Dairy Discovery for Your Ears

If your earache is caused by congestion, consider steering clear of milk, cheese and ice cream. Dairy products are thought by many alternative practitioners to be mucus-forming. Eliminating these foods from your diet during the course of the illness may make for a speedier recovery, especially for young children, who seem to be more susceptible to the effects of dairy products.

Onion Earmuffs

Although you may look a little like Princess Leia of Star Wars during the treatment, an onion poultice offers relief for throbbing, infected ears. First step? Place half an onion in a heated oven until it is warm, but not too hot, to the touch. Wrap the onion in an old T-shirt or piece of cheesecloth and hold it up to the sore ear. The chemicals in the onion help to increase circulation to the ear, flushing away infection and toxins.

Preventing Infections...Naturally

As soon as you feel that telltale popping in your ears, start popping the echinacea pills. Echinacea provides a jump start for your immune system that may prevent an ear infection from getting out of control. Take one to three echinacea capsules every two to three hours when you first experience any symptoms.

Warm Oils Soothe a Painful Ear

To treat ear infections, put two or three drops of warm mullein oil in each ear. Mullein acts as an anti-inflammatory and helps relieve pain. Drops of warm garlic oil, calendula or Saint­John's-wort are also soothing for earaches. Since the oils last longer when refrigerated, warm them up on the stove first. Heating the oils makes them feel particularly soothing. If you suspect a punctured eardrum, however, don't use any of these oils.

As with any ailment, if pain persists, consult a doctor.

Top Carrot

What's up, doc? For an earache, carrots. Grind up a few and place the pulp in a piece of cheesecloth. Hold the pack against the infected ear for 15 minutes. The enzymes in the carrot help draw out the infection that's causing the pain. Repeat every few hours as necessary.

Garlic Eardrops

Not that popular in the US and Canada (yet), garlic mullein eardrops are a comforting cure for earaches, according to numerous herbalists. Garlic has antimicrobial properties, and mullein acts as a decongestant and also helps numb pain. Check your local health food store for these premixed drops. And don't forget to treat both ears, even if only one hurts. Infections often migrate from one ear to the other.

Healing Ears Homeopathically

Kali bichromicum may be a mouthful to say, but you only need to take a 30C potency once or twice a day for relief from an earache. According to experts, this homeopathic remedy works particularly well in clearing infected mucus from sinus passages and ear canals. Most health food stores and herb shops carry kali nowadays.

Natural Eardrops

Although Saint-John's-wort has made news in recent years for its remarkable effects on depression, herbalists have long known of its powers to help heal earaches. Once you've procured the oil (also sold as hypericum oil) from the herb shop or natural food store, warm it slightly, place just a few drops into the affected ear, then use a cotton ball to keep the oil from running out. Once a day for three days should bring relief.

Frequent Flyers' Ear

The Little-Known Flight Attendants' Hot Towel Trick

If you're a frequent flyer, you may have seen, on occasion, an odd-looking sight in the seats around you: A seemingly normal person with Styrofoam coffee cups over his or her ears. Purportedly more effective than chewing wads of gum, this quirky remedy for earaches upon descent is catching on in first-class and other cabins worldwide. But it's not quite as simple as it looks.

Here is what's required:

1. Once the captain reminds you that it's time to turn off all electrical devices, ask a friendly flight attendant for two foam coffee cups and a couple of sturdy paper (or cotton) towels that have been doused in very hot water. Caution: Be extra careful here of excess hot water drips.
2. Place the towels snugly inside the cups.
3. While seated, place the mouths of the cups over your ears, forming a seal between the rims of the cups and your head. As the descent continues, you might want to close your eyes (to ignore nosy passengers), while breathing deeply and slowly to help un stuff your ears and sinuses. The steam-and-cup "compress" works more effectively than swallowing incessantly during the time it takes the plane to land.

Chew Ginseng Gum

To ease the pain and stuffiness of earaches while in flight, try chewing American ginseng gum as an alternative to regular old spearmint or cinnamon. Found in various urban China­towns, natural food shops or Asian-owned fruit and vegetable stands, the American ginseng gum called Hatai is made from white ginseng root and can be quite refreshing. It also increases your saliva production while you are sitting in an arid cabin as it helps unplug your ears.

Take an OTC Decongestant

Even if you don't feel congested, if you're prone to flight-induced earaches, over-the­counter decongestants can keep your eustachian tubes clear. A four-hour pill can be taken at the airport, an hour before the flight, and then again on the plane if you're flying for more than three hours. A 12-hour pill should be taken several hours before takeoff.

Swimmer's Ear

Liquid Prevention

You don't have to be an Olympic freestyler to contract a nasty case of swimmer's ear. Caused by bacteria or fungus invading the ear canal, the condition can cause itching, swelling and pain. (At times, antibiotics are required.) One way to prevent the ailment, if you or a family member is prone to it, is to use nonprescription ear drops­with alcohol-before you head to the lake or the beach. The key, ear experts say, is to prevent accumulated wetness.

Tinnitus: Ringing in The Ears

Ginkgo Biloba Quiets Ringing

Sometimes it's described as ringing, sometimes as buzzing, but however it's described by those who have it, tinnitus is both frustrating and irritating. Often difficult to treat, it typically afflicts those over age 55, but can strike at earlier ages when triggered by an infection of the inner ear. It is also frequently associated with excessive aspirin use or exposure to loud noises over a period of time.

In addition to watching your dose of aspirin, try using packaged formulations of ginkgo biloba to reduce the ringing. Ginkgo (as the product is known commercially) is reputed to improve blood circulation to the brain. It is available in health food stores and in many chain drugstores.

Down the Ringing

Cutting down on caffeine intake might work to turn down the ringing in your ears. Caffeine stimulates blood vessels in the ears, which can exacerbate tinnitus. Try eliminating coffee, colas and caffeinated teas from your diet for a couple of weeks to see if your condition begins to calm down. One soothing alternative is an Ayurvedic and antioxidant-rich coffee substitute called Raja's Cup, widely available in health food stores and natural food markets.

Music to Your Ears

For some sufferers of tinnitus, this treatment is literally music to their ears. It's a "music bath," recommended by specialists in ear disorders. Although most tinnitus sufferers crave silence over the high-pitched sounds they hear incessantly, listening to different kinds of music can help bring relief. An unlikely remedy, perhaps, but it's one that works for many. Experiment with all kinds of music to see what masks the tinnitus, or distracts the mind in a positive direction.

White noise machines can bring similar relief, by playing soothing sounds of nature or static noise. Find these machines at electronics stores.

Outsmart It with Imagery

Frustration. That's the operative word many tinnitus sufferers use to describe the persistent ringing in their ears. One way to ease that frustration (though it does not reduce the perceived noise) is to practice guided imagery. Not hypnosis, not meditation, imagery involves simply imagining yourself in a tranquil setting and "escaping" to that setting at least a few times each day.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself on a perfect beach, the smell of salt air wafting around you. "Feel" the sun on your skin, "hear" the sound of the waves-and the seagulls. Offshore, you can see an island, where tinnitus mysteriously disappears. It's an image worth holding on to during the most frustrating times.

Vitamins for Your Senses

If you're hearing a persistent dull roar or ringing, don't overlook a potential dietary link. Wheat and rice allergies, for example, are often linked to tinnitus.

Though the condition can be extremely frustrating, the good news is, vitamins may help. A number of naturopathic physicians believe that high doses of vitamin B3-commonly known as niacin-may remedy the condition. Because niacin in large amounts may be toxic to the liver, though, it's best to see a physician who will safely monitor this vitamin therapy. Another side effect to watch for is facial flushing or redness.

Antidepressant Solution

According to somewhat surprised physicians, recent research has shown that antidepressant medication has provided relief from tinnitus by acting on the nervous system in unexpected ways. In most instances, a short­term, low-dosage medication is effective. Check with your doctor to see if this is an appropriate "off-label" treatment for your condition. And rest easy-off-label uses for FDA­approved drugs are perfectly legal and, when properly monitored, are generally safe.

Hot-Feet Helper

Sometimes you can outsmart an ailment, especially one like tinnitus, where incessant ringing in the ears is related to blood flow and congestion. Some tinnitus sufferers report they have eased the ringing or buzzing (and the annoyance) by simply placing one heating pad on their feet, and another on their hands. This is apparently enough of a call to the circulatory system to reroute blood toward the arms and legs.

Wax Buildup

Baby Oil for You, Too

First things first. Most people don't need to clean inside their ears-with safety swabs or anything else. The ear does a good job of using the wax as a sort of safety seal-to keep dirt and bacteria out-and doesn't need pushing in on the wax. Plus, eventually, excess wax and oils push themselves into the outer ear canal, where you can easily reach them with a wash­cloth and a pinky finger.

If there is a heavy buildup of wax, and it is causing pain or affecting hearing, a home remedy of baby oil can help. Simply ease two or three drops of oil into the ear and let it do its work. It will soften the wax buildup, often overnight, making it easier to clean and safely remove (again, with a washcloth, not with an ear swab, in the outer ear canal). Some doctors prescribe "softening drops" for wax, but others say baby oil works as well and is less expensive.