| It doesn't matter if you are a child or an adult; having an ear infection can be an incredibly painful and annoying experience. Unfortunately, you may not always have the time or opportunity to visit your doctor as soon as you would like to. When that happens, it's a safe bet that you will be looking any ear infection home remedy you can find. Still, if it all possible, you should still see your doctor as soon as you can.
The good news is that there are plenty of ways to ease the discomfort of ear infections without having to leave home to do so. In general, the sooner into the ear infection, the more effective home remedies foe ear infections will be. More sever cases will usually require the attention of a doctor to get full relief.
However, before you dive into the big bag of home remedies, it's a good idea to learn what you can about the specific kind of infection you're most likely to have.
Swimmers ear, as one example, is typically the result of a fungal infection. Yuck! Yes, it sounds kind of gross, but the advantage is that fungal infections are pretty easy to treat if caught early enough. One possible way to treat swimmers ear is with a solution that's 50% white vinegar and 50% water. Place a few drops into the troublesome ear. You can shake your head slightly to help it work. Then be sure to rinse the ear thoroughly
The above home remedy works because vinegar changes the pH level of the water to the point of being fatal for fungus. It's usually effective enough top be felt in a few moments, and can completely clear overnight. If you don't have any vinegar on hand, then you can try lemon juice. It works on the same basic principle, and works wonders if it's a fungal infection.
Put a sock in it! No, no, I'm not telling you to shut up, I'm referring to another ear infection home remedy. It's easy. Pour a cup or so of dry rice into a clean sock and warm it up in the microwave for about a minute (be sure it's not too hot). This will provide instant pain relief to the infected ear, and repeated applications can promote the draining of any build up in the affected ear.
As long as we're in the kitchen, you can try this recipe for an effective home remedy. Simply chop up some garlic and onion, then cook them with some olive oil and water in a saucepan. Once the concoction has been cooked down, drain the oil into a container. All you have to do is apply a few drops of this oil to the inflamed ear for fast relief.
If for some reason an ear infection home remedy isn't working, or if the pain persists or recurs, then it's best to see your doctor. Also keep in mind that you may have to try the right remedy for the kind of ear infection you have. |