Earaches are one of the most common reasons parents bring their child to a doctor. An estimated 80% of kids will have at least one acute middle ear infection before age three.

Recent guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics advise doctors to treat conservatively at first in most cases, with a watch-and-wait strategy, rather than to prescribe antibiotics immediately. This allows for a window of opportunity to use homeopathy and other natural methods.

The nature of ear pain may be in one ear or both, can vary in intensity, and the pain may be described as sharp, throbbing, dull, tearing or stabbing. Earache typically occurs due to one of two reasons. The first is an infection in the middle ear (Otitis Media) and the second is a secondary or referred cause in which the pain is felt in the ear through a primary issue in another part of the body. It could be from a problem in the teeth (cavity, cutting a tooth, tooth abscess), sinusitis, pain in jaw, trigeminal neuralgia or a throat infection such as tonsillitis.

Homeopathic medicine can help! Homeopathy targets the root cause of ear pain which may be due to infection, inflammation, allergies, sore throat, cold or flu. When evaluating which homeopathic remedy would be most suitable to treat the ear infection, you must always follow the symptoms.

Most Common Homeopathic Remedies for Earaches:

Treating ear infections with homeopathic medicine will often break the cycle of recurrence because homeopathy supports the immune system and can shift an overall pattern of illness. If you can’t seem to get good results on your own, consider working with a professional homeopath to get to the root cause.

• Pulsatilla is an excellent remedy for children who are clingy, needy and whiny/crying when ill. If the ear is viewed with an otoscope, thick yellow pus might be visible building up behind the eardrum. The pain is often worse at night and there may be difficulty hearing as the ear feels stuffed up or full. The child may feel as if "something is trying to push out of the ear".
• Chamomilla is useful for children of a different temperament: the excruciating earache makes them act out, asking for things then throwing them away with inconsolable screaming. These kids might get an earache while teething; both ears might be red, or just one cheek might be red. The ear will be very sensitive to touch and will feel blocked. Chamomilla is one of the best remedies to use in cases when ear pain comes on during teething.
• Belladonna is excellent for painful earaches that come on suddenly. The pain is throbbing, tearing, or shooting, and the pain feels very deep-rooted. The ear is hot and sensitive to touch. The child may have bright red cheeks with heat and dilated pupils. In some cases, pain from the ear will spread to the face. Noise will aggravate the child as will chewing food.
• Merc Sol is useful when there is also a sore throat and the pain in the throat extends to the ears. The pain may be shooting or tearing, and the pain gets worse at night from the warmth of the bed. There may be thick yellow discharge and there would be a foul odour from the ear and often the mouth.

 All the above remedies are best used in a 30C or 200C two to three times a day, always stopping with improvement.

Tissue Salts

Kali mur is the tissue salt to have on hand during cold and flu season as it helps with enlarged lymph’s and glands and will help absorb fluid from the middle ear.

Lymphatic Drainage

Gently pulling on the ear can help to drain it. Hold the ear itself (not the ear lobe) and exert the gentlest of pressures outward and a little downward. It’s safe for babies if you’re really gentle. Do it daily for kids who are prone to ear infections. In addition, gently stroke with your fingers from in front of the ear down over the neck. This helps drain any built up lymph fluid.

Preventing Recurrence

Consider possible food allergies or food sensitivities in a child that gets frequent ear infections. Often removing offending foods is often enough to stop them from reoccurring. Dairy is a common cause of ear infections as is wheat, corn, and eggs. Trial elimination may help determine which food the child is sensitive in.

Eliminate Sugar

Sugar decreases the activity of the immune system for hours after it is eaten and makes us more susceptible to colds and flus. The science? When white blood cells are exposed to high levels of sugar in the bloodstream, they are less able to kill off foreign invaders and will have a weakened resistance to infections. If a virus is already in full swing, refined sugar is going to stop the immune system from fighting and doing what it needs to do, ultimately increasing the duration of the illness.