Chiropractic Alternative to Otitis Media (Earaches)

Few occasions make parents feel as helpless as when their children suffer from an ear infection. "Otitis Media" (ear infection) is the most common childhood health problem. It is the reason for 35 percent of all pediatric visits in the United States. It is important to equip yourself with the latest information to understand the cause, prevention and the successful care options. Your doctor or chiropractic offers and alternative.

An earache can result when the eustachian tube, which connects the middle ear with the throat, enlarges and becomes inflamed. This inflammation prevents proper drainage. Fluids can become trapped behind the eardrum, often putting painful pressure on delicate tissues. This dampness creates a perfect environment for bacteria or viruses.

A common treatment is the use of oral antibiotics. But, as most parents can attest, and some research shows, this treatment is often ineffective. In fact, the use of amoxicillin and other antibiotics can actually prolong the problem and increase its recurrence by creating drug-resistant germs!

The most drastic treatment approach involves putting a hole in the eardrum. A small tube is implanted to drain the middle ear. This treatment carries the general risk of anesthesia. Results can be short-lived, produce scar tissue, invite infection and don't address the real cause of the problem.

Instead, more and more parents are seeking chiropractic checkups for their children. Chiropractic practitioners can evaluate a child for spinal problems that could affect the nerve supply to the ears. Chiropractic adjustments can help restore the integrity of the nervous system damaged by spinal stresses such as the birth process and learning to walk.

An October 1997 study in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic in Pediatrics evaluated three hundred children. Most of these children experienced several infections occurring less than six months apart. Children with mild infections were given three to five treatments to cervical vertebrae.  The infections in these treated children cleared in an average of seven to nine days. Most notable, however, is that six months after their initial visit, 80 percent of the children had not suffered a recurrence. During this time, some children received three to four maintenance adjustments, others required none (as determined by the practitioner). Chiropractors apply extremely light pressure, therefore your child should feel no discomfort during the spinal adjustments, Chiropractic care doesn't treat earaches, but it often revives the body's own inborn natural healing ability without drugs or surgery.