What We Do for Ear Infections

It's that time of year when ear infections abound and people ask regularly what we do in our house to heal ear infections while avoiding antibiotics.  I am not a medical professional, so please do not take this as medical advice.  All I can do is share with you what works for us.  With that said, here goes:

1.  Olbas Oil outside your ear.  A drop or two behind and under your ear lobe.  And another drop in front of your ear on that little piece of cartilege that sticks out.  Recline for 5-10 minutes to get the fluids draining down.

2.  Garlic & Olive Oil drops.

• 2-3 tbsp. olive oil in a small pot.  

• Add 1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped into 4ish pieces.  

• Heat on medium-low for five minutes, stirring regularly and making sure garlic browns but does not burn.  

• Wait for the oil to cool just a bit so it's warm but not hot.  Test on your wrist or some other sensitive area.  It's better to err on the side of cool than to burn the inside of your ear, so be careful here.

• Use a medicine dropper to draw up some oil

• Lay on your side, fill your ear canal with the oil, and let it sit for 1-2 minutes.  

• Flip your ear over onto a towel and let the oil drain out and repeat on the other side.  

• Cover your oil in the pan for re-use.  I often leave the garlic cloves in the pan for the second heating and then remove them for subsequent heatings so they don't burn.  When you're reheating you only need to warm the oil (as opposed to heating to hot and then cooling).  

• We do this every 2-4 hours 

 3.  Cut out pasteurized dairy and refined sugars.  Also limit the amount of grains, fruits, and other starches being consumed since sugar feeds infection.  Grains cause our bodies to produce more fluids of all kinds, so in addition to the fact that they turn to sugar and will feed the infection, the extra fluids give a breeding ground for infection.  Consume lots of good quality broth.

4.  Lots of water, of course.

5.  A warm compress on your ears can help a lot too.  I often do this at the same time that I do the Olbas Oil, and it's very helpful.

6.  Drinking hot tea can also help.  We like the Traditional Medicinals brand and often choose the Breathe Easy or the Lemon Echinacea Throat Coat varieties when we have ear, nose and throat issues.