A pain in the ear- natural ways to help an ear infection

Ear infections, if you have children and haven't experienced one, you're very lucky! They seem to come on quickly and can be very painful. They are one of the top reasons for visits to the doctors office for children and usually end in unnecessary antibiotics being prescribed. In health you should always trust your instinct, if something feels totally wrong, it probably is. Usually the cause of chronic ear infection is due to antibiotic use or allergies so obviously taking more antibiotics may just continue the problem. Majority of ear infections will clear up on their own with no intervention. The question then would be, how do you keep your child or yourself comfortable while letting your body do its work? We have had great success with this method:

I take an old sock, fill the bottom with about a cup of rice and tie it shut. This should be heated till its nice and warm and applied to the infected ear. The heat will soothe your ear and allow some fluid to work its way out.

Make a garlic oil. Garlic is full of amazing benefits, one is that it is antiviral and will help to wipe out the infection in your ear. To make the oil I mince up one or two cloves of garlic (depending on size). Heat 2 tbs olive oil on the stove, after its nice and hot (no boiling) remove from heat and throw in the minced garlic. Cover and steep at least 30 min. After that, strain the oil and store in a container. Put two drops of oil in the infected ear (make sure its not hot but you want it warm so it soothes the ear). Continue to administer the oil as needed. Store the oil in the refrigerator, it will keep for 4-5 days. The warm rice sock works perfectly with the oil, after the oil has sat in your ear, heat up your sock and place it on your ear to draw out the fluid.

If an ear infection were to last more than 48 hours, I'd think about calling the doctor for my children but certainly not before that (unless I had reason to suspect they had lodged something in their ear, there's no messing with foreign objects in your body!)

Chronic ear infections can usually be helped by seeing a chiropractor. A few adjustments and you will probably notice the infections are showing up as they were before. You will also reap the other countless benefits to chiropractic care!

In health you should always trust your instinct, if something feels totally wrong, it probably is. 
However, you also have to be able to decipher between your instinct and your emotions. Children drive us nutty with emotion but keep in mind, if you let their bodies fight for its health now, it will be a much happier, healthier body for them as they grow.

~Janet