If your child's ears are clear, Kay explains, exposure to a wide range of high quality information and sounds will help develop superior auditory function. Ear infections interfere with the development of good balance and can also put pressure on the visual system and cause tracking and convergence problems.
Frequent tympanograms should be done to ensure that there is no fluid buildup in your child's ears.
Symptoms of an Ear Infection
Here are the eight main symptoms of an ear infection that you should be watching out for, as per Dr. Sears:
Your child may have 2 or more of these symptoms:
- Cold symptoms – keep in mind that ear infections are almost always preceded by a cold. Often a clear runny nose will turn yellow or green before an ear infection sets in.
- Fussiness during the day or night
- Complaining of ear pain or hearing loss
- Night-waking more frequently
- Unwillingness to lie flat
- Fever – usually low grade (101º - 102º); may not have a fever.
- Sudden increase in fussiness during a cold
- Ear drainage – if you see blood or pus draining out of the ear, then it is probably an infection with a ruptured eardrum. DON'T WORRY! These almost always heal just fine, and once the eardrum ruptures the pain subsides.
Your child is unlikely to have an ear infection if s/he has:
1. No cold symptoms – if your child has some of the above symptoms but does not have a cold, an ear infection is less likely, unless your child has had an ear infection in the past without a cold.
2. Pulling at the ears or batting the ears in infants less than 1 year of age. Infants less than one are unable to precisely localize their ear pain. This means that they cannot tell that the pain is coming from the ear or from structures near the ear. Infants can pull on or bat at their ears for two other common reasons:
- Teething – Baby thinks the pain from sore gums is coming from the ears
- Because they like playing with their ears – Infants are fascinated with these strange appendages that are sticking out of the side of their head. They love to explore them, play with them, and especially to stick their finger into that strange hole in the middle.
3. No complaints of ear pain in a child who is old enough to tell you, usually by age two or three.
Allergies & Dietary Solutions90% of ear fluid is caused from allergies. So watch out for food allergies especially to milk and gluten, which is common with our kids, and eliminate them from their diet during these critical developmental years.
For diet, "Super Mom," Stella Smith, recommends:
~~discontinuing all processed foods. How to know the difference? Read the label. If the ingredient list contains things that you can't pronounce then it is processed! Cooking from scratch is how to avoid processed foods. However, scratch cooking excludes opening boxes or jars UNLESS the ingredients fall into the not processed category. This results in shopping the edges of stores (unless it is a true health food store) and buying as fresh as you can. I do use frozen vegetables.
~~Exclude the following ingredients:
^^MSG, soy, soy lecithin
^^Soy (only fermented soy is good for the body. That is why the Japanese ferment soy.)
^^HFCS better known as High Fructose Corn Syrup
^^Artificial anything which includes: flavors, colors, chemicals
~~What we include:
^^When possible we buy Organic. Now this doesn't mean that it is totally clean, it just means that it has less junk in it. The best possible is locally grown without chemicals.
^^Grass fed beef that includes a statement saying that it hasn't received antibiotics or hormones
^^Chicken that includes a statement saying that it hasn't received antibiotics or hormones
^^Milk that includes a statement that the cows are grass fed and haven't received RBST
^^Spelt--(an old form of wheat whose gluten doesn't seem to bother us) bread, noodles
^^Rice--noodles, rice in general
^^Flour: I mix equal parts of Brown Rice Flour with Sweet Rice Flour (I get this from an Asian Market which is MUCH less than the box version). This works well for quick breads, brownies, & pancakes if buttermilk is used to mix it. In other recipes, whipping egg whites to the point of stiff peaks and gently stirring it in at the end, generally adds enough lift to come closer to approximating what we are accustomed to in wheat recipes.
^^Bread--we generally don't eat this since what we like (Rudy's Spelt) comes at $5 per loaf. I am working on making my own, however I haven't located a bread pan large enough that I am also willing to use. (I am only willing to use glass or stoneware.)
As long as this is, this is truly a summary. Given our budget limitations, this is what has been working for us.
How do ear infections occur?
Anatomy lesson. The ear is divided into three parts: the outer ear canal, the middle ear space where infections occur, and the inner ear where the nerves and balance center are. A thin, membranous eardrum divides the outer and middle ear. The middle ear space is also connected to the back of the nose via the Eustachian tube.
Immature Eustachian tube. In infants and young children this tube is much shorter and is angled. It is therefore much easier for bacteria to migrate from the nose and throat up into the middle ear space. As the child grows this tube becomes more vertical, so germs have to travel "up hill" to reach the middle ear. This is one-reason children "outgrow" ear infections.
Colds. When your child has a cold, the nasal passages get swollen and mucus collects in the back of the nose. This environment is a breeding ground for the bacteria that normally live in the nose and throat to begin to overgrow. Mucus is also secreted within the middle ear space just as it is in the sinuses.
Bacterial invasion. Germs migrate up through the Eustachian tube and into the middle ear space where they multiply within the mucus that is stuck there. Pus begins to form and soon the middle ear space is filled with bacteria, pus and thick mucus.
Ear pain. This pus causes the eardrum to bulge causing pain. It is this red, bulging pus-colored eardrum that the doctor can see by looking into the ear canal.
Diminished hearing. The discharge that collects in the middle presses on the eardrum preventing it from vibrating normally. This is what the doctor means by "fluid in the middle ear." Also the fluid plugs the eustachian tube and dampens the sound like the sensation in your ears during air travel.
Treatments
Here are a couple of links. It is fairly easy to order on Amazon.com .
http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.eardoc.info/
A word of caution, if you have any concern about seizures, such as a history of seizures, current seizure disorder, or if you are uncertain if seizures are happening sub-clinically, please do not use this powerful vibration unless specifically directed by your ND or your doctor. Vibration can trigger seizures for some people.
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Dr. Block's massage for ear drainage & fluid monitor
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Stella's approach:
I have lived with ear fluid for years without realizing what it was. It ebbs and flows. ;-) Many things seem to contribute to this. For one thing, what I eat. If there are foods that trigger allergies in me that causes a build up. Adding in minerals has helped but it can still be present. Using the "neti" pot has helped as well. Particularly with all of the airborne things found in Allergy, TX AKA Austin, TX year round. :-)
I have found that there is a combination of things that need to be in place. Proper diet, neti pot, proper supplements and finally: releasing the scalene muscles.
Let's start with the easiest one. Releasing the scalenes.
I had some AIRROSTI work (myofascial) done and the side benefit was that my ears were cleared too. The chiropractor that did the work told me that the eustachian tubes tend to become "attached" to the scalenes because of the fascia. The scalenes are part of the neck muscles that hold the head on. They are the ones that become tense with the stress of life, falling, straining, frustration, etc.
The best (& least painful) way to release the scalenes is with stretching.
~~~~~Scalene Stretch along the Back~~~~~
~~Chin to shoulder hold for 15 seconds.
*Continue moving the chin toward the chest, holding each position for 15 seconds. To do this move the chin in approximate 1/4 inch increments by:
--moving the chin just slightly and pointing the "lower" ear (same side that the chin is turned toward) at the chest
*Once you reach the midline of the body --middle of the chest-- slowly lift the head up
*Repeat the same thing for the other side
~~~~~Scalene Stretch along the Front~~~~~
~~Start with the ear to the shoulder and hold for 15 seconds.
~~Changing the angle of the chin slightly, will adjust which scalenes are stretched.
*The front ones are more "delicate" than the ones in the back.
I think that the best way to get a toddler to do this would be to make a game of it. Model the movements by doing it yourself and having the child copy what you do. If this is not possible, then motor the child through each step.
In any case, hold each position to the point of resistance; the more frequently that these are done the more range of motion will come. To start with, do this 3x per day. Once there isn't any resistance and there is complete range of motion do these 1x daily for maintenance.
##
I mentioned some other components--supplements, diet, neti pot--those things could literally take books to cover. However, having been at this for 9 years now and trying lots of different things, I have found that Chem Balance is the best way to handle supplements and diet. The neti pot helps to clear excess mucus from the body but may be difficult to do with a toddler.
##
On the other hand, if budget is an issue, for supplements I recommend:
~~Jarrow N-A-C (gives the body what it needs to make glutathione in the cells which allows the cells to push out toxins),
~~Jarrow B-Right (our food supply is quite deficient in these & this one has the methylcobalamin form of B12 which is readily used by the body);
~~Solaray Calcium Citrate-Magnesium Citrate in a 1:1 ratio (many purposes: bone growth, body detoxification, etc);
~~Hyland's Bioplasma (a combination of Schuessler's 12 cell salts),
~~Lysine (strengthens the immune system). This is a good minimum for supplements.
Keeping Nasal Passages Clear
Another thing I used is AIR tea, it's a Traditional Chinese Medicine concentrated herbal tea blend that cleared Jett's congestion. It takes a couple of months to fully clear everything and he took it twice a day from age 5-12 months old. It tastes great! My pediatrician recommended it. You take it before you get sick.
I used to be up a lot in the night with the nose drops and "mucus suckers" but not at all anymore. I just clean out his nose quickly with a swab in the morning and give him saline nose drops twice a day. Before, Jett was completely congested, up in his sinuses where I couldn't get to it. Now, I can feel the air coming from his nose which I couldn't do before. Jett has never had a cold or sinus infection. I give him 1/5 teaspoon (1 ml) in the morning and before bed with 2ml of water. He loves it!
It's blended by hand in small, organic batches.
You can get this from your local TCM practitioner ($45-65) or amazon ($16). The website is sjbherbs.com.
A I R (Allergy Immune Respiratory) Tea
Formerly (Zhi Sou Bu Zheng Qi Tang)
Stop Cough & Immuno-Support Decoction
Organic Ingredients:
Glycerin (Plant Source), 生薑Sheng Jiang (Fresh Ginger), 桔梗Jie Geng (Platycodon), 車
前子Che Qian Zi (Plantago Seed), 厚朴Hou Po (Magnolia Bark), 補骨脂Bu Gu Zhi
(Psoralea Fruit), 沙參Bei Sha Shen (Glehnia Root), 蒼耳子Cang Er Zi (Xanthium Fruit),
白芷Bai Zhi (Dahurien Angelica), 辛夷花Xin Yi Hua (Magnolia Flower), Distilled Water
Category: Formulas That Regulates Qi and Stops Cough
Actions:
Traditional Chinese Medicine -- Western equivalent:
Allow Lungs to grasp Qi -- Anti- histamine
Nourishes production of Yin &Yang -- Anti- spasmodic
Resolve Phlegm -- Anti-emetic
Transform Phlegm -- Anti-inflammatory
Eliminate Phlegm -- Functions like Anti-biotic
Open the Nose -- Functions like Anti-viral
Rectifies the Qi -- Stomachic Expectorant
Indications:
All types of Asthma
All types Cough
Rhinitis
Sinusitis (including sinus infection)
Seasonal Allergies (itchy, watery eyes, itchy nose, etc.)
Certain types of Uticaria (Differential Diagnosis Required)
Commentary:
This formula is designed to eliminate any upper-respiratory and/or sinus conditions. The
formula was originally designed several years ago at the request of a local Holistic
Pediatrician who was looking for something to stop coughs and clear infections that also
tasted good.
I just use saline nose drops, non medicated. I recommend Nose Frida to get the mucous out. Gross concept but it works best. Once the AIR tea gets going and releases all the mucous that's backed up, you won't need to use it everyday any more. (I don't have to use at all now.)
At amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/
I can't say Jett likes it at all. But when I did use it, I told him what I was doing every time and told him when I was stopping, etc. He seemed to understand that it was a necessary evil. (The battery powered ones didn't work at all for us. He found them kind of relaxing though. He'd even hold it without batting it away.)
Another one that's recommended is The Baby Vac: http://babyvacusa.com/
And if you just google baby vac, there are some YouTube videos of babies using it on themselves. Be sure to put saline solution in his nose every time before you use this. I understand that it works great for getting the stuff way in the back of the nose that would be difficult to get out with the Nose Frida.
Sources
Kay Ness, Neurodevelopmentalist
Dr. Sears
Stella Smith, Mom
Kris Benson, Mom
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