Natural Earache Remedies and Cures
Filed Under: Do It Yourself, Susatainable Living on June 27, 2009
When I was younger, I was very prone to ear infections and the resulting earaches. My father, being a medical type, had thousands of wonders to inflict cure me with. For his generation, the wonder drug that cured everything was penicillin. I had large lumps in my butt more than once from penicillin injections.
Later, after a particularly serious infection in my right ear (I had a habit of swimming in ponds, ditches, etc.), it was determined that no amount of ear drops or penicillin was going to cure me. So my parents packed up my grubby butt and hauled me to the hospital. This was a trek for us, since the tiny 3-bed “hospital” my dad ran in our farm town was 45-50 miles from the nearest actual hospital.
Long story short, it was found that I have a peculiar genetic thing in which my ear canals have “channels” that bypass the ear drums, which is why I don’t notice altitude changes or get painful ears when diving. It also means infections are easier for me to get.
Well, once I was under my own medical control, I began finding out what I could do to keep from getting ear infections (besides becoming a hermit) and how I could treat them when they did come. Without pharmaceuticals. Thanks to my childhood, I now abhor needles, pills, and just about everything else from established, modern medicine.
If you or your children get an earache (all kids do, I think), there are several things you can do to minimize the pain and remedy the problem. If you or your child are prone to earaches, I’ll go over some preventive things you can do to keep them at bay too.
Types of Earache
There are three basic types of ear infection: outer, middle, and inner ear infections. Most infections that people get are in the outer ear.
The outer ear is the ear from the eardrum forward to the outside world. This is where most infections take place and where all of the remedies I’ll be giving are effective.
The middle and inner ears are from the eardrum to the ear canal and the ear canal and small bones, respectively. Infections here are much more serious. Middle ear infections are extremely painful (this is what I had, above) and can cause serious complications and hearing loss. Inner ear infections are unusual and usually have no pain involved, but will cause the person to lose balance and often become confused spatially. These are extremely dangerous.
If your infection is in the middle or inner ear, you definitely need to see a doctor–the sooner, the better. These require antibiotic treatments, careful care, and maybe more. Don’t fool around with these.
Treating an Earache, Naturally
There are a lot of natural remedies that aren’t difficult to use to relieve an earache. Nearly every one here I have personally used or given to someone else. All have had some kind of success, some more than others, depending on the situation.
Hydrogen Peroxide – your first and immediate move when treating an earache is to tilt your head and fill the ear (outer) with hydrogen peroxide. This stuff is so useful, you should keep it by the gallon anyway. It’s a proven tetanus fighter, great for small wounds and infected bites (cats, dogs, etc.) and more. It’s iodine’s little brother. When you very first feel an earache coming on, pour hydrogen peroxide into the ear canal, let it fizz in there for a minute or so, then tilt your head back and let the remainder run back out. Wash the ear with warm, distilled water or rubbing alcohol. 8 of 10 times, this will fix an earache if it’s done very early.
Wonder Oil – this is a commercially available product that is made up of eucalyptus oil and menthol and is made in Canada. This stuff can be droppered into the ear and then rinsed (as above). It is also a great ear wax buster for regular use too.
Olive Oil – for a throbbing earache, there is nothing better than warm olive oil. Use a teaspoon or dropper to put it into your ear, then stuff with a cotton ball to hold the oil in. Do it as often as you’d like to abate the pain. The heat helps with the swelling (that is most of the pain) and the oil soothes the skin in your ear.
Garlic – this stuff is good for a lot of things and one of those is accelerating the healing process. Garlic oil can also be used in your ear canal (as olive oil, above) if you’d prefer. Garlic is also a disinfectant, so it helps in that regard as well.
Onion Oil/Juice – taking the outer skins of an onion (or wherever it’s juiciest) and squeezing or pressing the juice from them to put into your ear is another good remedy. It works similar to garlic (above). Red onions work best, but just about any onion will work, I think. I’ve used both white and red.
Vitamins A, B and E – taking these three vitamins, separately or as part of a multi, will do wonders to speed up the healing process. While they don’t remedy the earache itself, they accelerate the healing process and help your body take care of the problem faster.
Heating Pads – hot water bottles, heating pads, or any other safe source of soothing heat you can use is another great reliever for earaches. Lay on or strap the heat to your ear and around it, wherever it feels comfortable and is doing the most good. Heat lamps might also work, though this I have not tried.
Urine – I’ve put this one last because many will probably not be interested in using it. I haven’t, but it’s an old remedy that the codgers attest to. Basically, you just pour urine into the infected ear, let it sit for a while, then wash it out. Makes sense, as urine is full of ammonia–a very potent disinfectant.
Preventing Earaches
Since I am somewhat prone to earaches, I have learned how to prevent them so they don’t happen. Your overall general health is important, of course, so keeping yourself healthy will prevent any sickness and disease in general. For specifics to ears, though, knowing the likely causes will show you how to prevent it.
Weather – this is probably the number one reason most people get earaches. Cold wind, wetness, chills, etc. cause earaches, colds, and more. Staying warm, wearing protection from the wind, and generally staying clean are all at the top of the list of earache prevention.
Water and Liquids – any liquid in the ear, even water, is asking for trouble. If you’re a swimmer, keep rubbing alcohol or Wonder Oil with you so that when you get out of the water, you can dry out your ear canal. I did this for years while on the swim team in school and never had a swimming-related earache. Most swimmers are also familiar with the “foot hop,” where you stand, slightly tilted, and hop with your head tilted so the ear with water in it is pointing at the ground.
All of these are great earache remedies and cures. Prevention, of course, is worth much more than any cure. Allergies also cause earaches, so if you’re prone to stuffiness at certain times of the year, if you keep yourself clear (blow your nose, let the sneeze happen, etc.) you’ll be less likely to let your nasal passages clog your ears.
Good luck and hope this helps!
