Ear Infection Causes and Chiropractic Care For Children
This is the time of year when nearly 35% of all pediatrician visits are due to ear
infections in children. Typically, antibiotics have been given as the best way to treat an
ear infection. Doctors are finally beginning to realize that antibiotic therapy may not be
the best way to treat ear infections. They do not always work and they do nothing to
prevent future occurrences.
Reoccurring ear infections are a major problem itself. They can lead to permanent
hearing loss, speech problems and developmental delays. Often, when antibiotics are over
used, the infections keep coming back and will grow more and more resistant.
Before understanding alternative ways to treat ear infections in children aside from
antibiotics, one must first understand the cause of ear infections. Most commonly, an ear
infection results from a build up of fluid in the ear. Anyone who has ever had a child
have an ear infection knows it is very painful and causes much distress. This fluid builds
up and is unable to drain properly, typically after the child has had a cold or allergy
issues. Family history including sibling experiences with ear infections can increase the
likelihood of getting one. Milk sensitivity is another factor. When a child has sensitivity
to cow’s milk, they will produce a lot of mucus and have a constant runny nose. Often
after vaccinations, children will have cold-like symptoms which may also lead to ear
infections. Environmental factors such as seasonal allergies and exposure to second hand
smoke has been shown to increase the number of ear infections a child may have during
their first few years. Being bottle fed and in a day care setting around other ill children
can increase the occurrence of ear infections also.
As you can see, the causes of ear infections are many and can encompass a large
percentage of children today. Luckily for parents, there are ways to treat and even prevent
ear infections altogether that do not involve antibiotics, tubes or any other unnatural or
invasive procedure.
Chiropractic care can bring pain relief from ear infections and there is evidence to
support chiropractic as a preventative tool to ward off reoccurrence of ear infection. It has
been found that in a number of children, the trauma of birth can lead to spinal
misalignment. This biomechanical issue prevents fluid from draining correctly and
disrupts normal nerve function. This also creates stress on the young baby’s central
nervous system which affects the child’s resistance to disease. Chiropractors can correct
this problem in children right from birth. This correction lets the ear drain the fluid
naturally and prevents future buildup. This proper function of the baby’s nervous system
also helps them build up their own antibodies, helping to further prevent unnecessary
antibiotic usage. By correcting these issues as early as possible, a pediatric chiropractic
adjustment to fix birth-caused misalignment is actually treating the root cause of most ear
infections rather than just the unbearable painful symptoms.
This simple spinal adjustment at a chiropractic clinic may have to be done just once or
repeatedly until the ear fluid is able to take care of itself as it should. This gives parents a
medicine free and pain free way of correcting what amounts to a biomechanical problem.