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Recurrent Ear Infections (Holistic)

Recurrent Ear Infections (Holistic)

About This Condition

Infected ears can lead to symptoms such as fever, irritability, and sleeplessness. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful.
  • Try xylitol

    Control mouth bacteria that cause ear infections by chewing gum or eating candy sweetened with xylitol, a natural sugar found in fruit

  • Steer clear of smoke

    Stop smoking and avoid all sources of passive cigarette smoke exposure to reduce ear infection recurrences

  • Pass up pacifiers

    Reduce ear infection risk in babies by weaning them off pacifiers

  • Uncover food allergies

    Work with a knowledgeable health professional to find out if food allergies are causing infections

About

About This Condition

Many children suffer recurrent infections of the middle ear, a condition also known as otitis media (OM).

Symptoms

Ear infections can cause irritability, difficulty sleeping, runny nose, fever, fluid draining from the ear, loss of balance, mild to severe ear pain, and hearing difficulty. Untreated infections can cause permanent hearing impairment and can also spread to other parts of the head, including the brain. Frequent or persistent ear infections in children can reduce their hearing when normal hearing is critical for speech and language development.

Healthy Lifestyle Tips

When parents smoke, their children are more likely to have recurrent ear infections.1 It is important that children are not exposed to passive smoke.

Humidifiers are sometimes used to help children with recurrent ear infections, and animal research has supported this approach.2 Nonetheless, human research studying the effect of humidity on recurrent ear infections has yet to conclusively show that use of humidifiers is of significant benefit.

Use of pacifiers in infants increases the risk of ear infections.3 , 4 , 5

Practitioners of spinal manipulation recommend chiropractic as a treatment for ear infections, though this has not been well demonstrated in research.

Eating Right

The right diet is the key to managing many diseases and to improving general quality of life. For this condition, scientific research has found benefit in the following healthy eating tips.

Recommendation Why
Avoid sugar
Eating sugar is known to impair immune function, so some doctors recommend that children with recurrent ear infections reduce or eliminate sugar from their diets.

Although sugar intake has not been studied in relation to recurrent ear infections, eating sugar is known to impair immune function .6 , 7 Therefore, some doctors recommend that children with recurrent ear infections reduce or eliminate sugar from their diets.

Uncover allergies
Work with a knowledgeable health professional to find out if food allergies are causing infections.

The incidence of allergy among children with recurrent ear infections is much higher than among the general public.8 In one study, more than half of all children with recurrent ear infections were found to be allergic to foods. Removing those foods led to significant improvement in 86% of the allergic children tested.9 Other reports show similar results.10 , 11 In one preliminary study, children who were allergic to cow’s milk were almost twice as likely to have recurrent ear infections as were children without the allergy.12 People with recurrent ear infections should discuss allergy diagnosis and elimination with a doctor.

Supplements

What Are Star Ratings?

Our proprietary “Star-Rating” system was developed to help you easily understand the amount of scientific support behind each supplement in relation to a specific health condition. While there is no way to predict whether a vitamin, mineral, or herb will successfully treat or prevent associated health conditions, our unique ratings tell you how well these supplements are understood by the medical community, and whether studies have found them to be effective for other people.

For over a decade, our team has combed through thousands of research articles published in reputable journals. To help you make educated decisions, and to better understand controversial or confusing supplements, our medical experts have digested the science into these three easy-to-follow ratings. We hope this provides you with a helpful resource to make informed decisions towards your health and well-being.

3 Stars Reliable and relatively consistent scientific data showing a substantial health benefit.

2 Stars Contradictory, insufficient, or preliminary studies suggesting a health benefit or minimal health benefit.

1 Star For an herb, supported by traditional use but minimal or no scientific evidence. For a supplement, little scientific support.

Supplement Why
3 Stars
Xylitol
8.4 grams daily divided into several doses of chewing gum
Xylitol, a natural sugar found in fruit, helps control mouth bacteria that cause ear infections.

Xylitol , a natural sugar found in some fruits, interferes with the growth of some bacteria that may cause ear infections.13 , 14 , 15 In double-blind research, children who regularly chewed gum sweetened with xylitol had a reduced risk of ear infections.16 , 17 However, when they only chewed the gum while experiencing respiratory infections, no effect on preventing ear infections was found.18

1 Star
Echinacea
Refer to label instructions
Children with recurrent ear infections may benefit from taking echinacea, as it has been reported to support healthy immune function.

Echinacea has been reported to support healthy short-term immune response . As a result, it has been suggested that some children with recurrent ear infections may benefit from 19 1–2 ml (depending on age) of echinacea tincture taken three times per day or more.20 Doctors who use echinacea suggest that supplementation be started as soon as symptoms start to appear and continued until a few days after they are gone. Nonetheless, research has not been done to determine whether echinacea supplementation either reduces symptoms or prevents recurrence of ear infections.
1 Star
Garlic
Refer to label instructions
Ear drops with mullein, St. John’s wort, and garlic in an oil or glycerin base are traditional remedies used to alleviate symptoms, particularly pain, during acute ear infections.

Ear drops with mullein , St. John’s wort , and garlic in an oil or glycerin base are traditional remedies used to alleviate symptoms, particularly pain, during acute ear infections. No clinical trials have investigated the effects of these herbs in people with ear infections. Moreover, oil preparations may obscure a physician’s view of the ear drum and should only be used with a healthcare professional’s directions.
1 Star
Linden
Refer to label instructions
An unpublished clinical trial found that linden tea was effective at speeding recovery and reducing complications such as ear infection in children with colds.

An unpublished clinical trial of children with colds found that linden tea, aspirin , and bed rest were more effective than antibiotics at speeding recovery and reducing complications such as ear infection.21 (Aspirin is no longer given to children due to the threat of Reye’s syndrome.) However, no research has yet confirmed the use of linden for preventing ear infections.
1 Star
Mullein
Refer to label instructions
Ear drops with mullein, St. John’s wort, and garlic in an oil or glycerin base are traditional remedies used to alleviate symptoms, particularly pain, during acute ear infections.

Ear drops with mullein , St. John’s wort , and garlic in an oil or glycerin base are traditional remedies used to alleviate symptoms, particularly pain, during acute ear infections. No clinical trials have investigated the effects of these herbs in people with ear infections. Moreover, oil preparations may obscure a physician’s view of the ear drum and should only be used with a healthcare professional’s directions.
1 Star
St. John’s Wort
Refer to label instructions
Ear drops with mullein, St. John’s wort, and garlic in an oil or glycerin base are traditional remedies used to alleviate symptoms, particularly pain, during acute ear infections.

Caution: It is likely that there are many drug interactions with St. John's wort that have not yet been identified. St. John's wort stimulates a drug-metabolizing enzyme (cytochrome P450 3A4) that metabolizes at least 50% of the drugs on the market.22 Therefore, it could potentially cause a number of drug interactions that have not yet been reported. People taking any medication should consult with a doctor or pharmacist before taking St. John's wort.

Ear drops with mullein , St. John’s wort , and garlic in an oil or glycerin base are traditional remedies used to alleviate symptoms, particularly pain, during acute ear infections. No clinical trials have investigated the effects of these herbs in people with ear infections. Moreover, oil preparations may obscure a physician’s view of the ear drum and should only be used with a healthcare professional’s directions.
1 Star
Vitamin C
Refer to label instructions
Supplementing with vitamin C stimulates the immune system and may help prevent ear infections.

Vitamin C supplementation has been reported to stimulate immune function .23 , 24 As a result, some doctors recommend between 500 mg and 1,000 mg of vitamin C per day for people with ear infections. Nonetheless, vitamin C supplementation has not been studied by itself in people with ear infections.

1 Star
Zinc
Refer to label instructions
Zinc stimulates immune function, so some doctors recommend zinc supplements for people with recurrent ear infections.

Zinc supplements have also been reported to increase immune function.25 , 26 As a result, some doctors recommend zinc supplements for people with recurrent ear infections, suggesting 25 mg per day for adults and lower amounts for children. For example, a 30-pound child might be given 5 mg of zinc per day while suffering from OM. Nonetheless, zinc supplementation has not been studied in people with ear infections.

References

1. Ethel RA, Pattishall EN, Haley NJ, et al. Passive smoking and middle ear effusion among children in day care. Pediatr 1992;90:228–32.

2. Ross A, Collins M, Sanders C. Upper respiratory tract infection in children, domestic temperatures, and humidity. J Epidemiol Community Health 1990;44:142–6.

3. Jackson JM, Mourino AP. Pacifier use and otitis media in infants twelve months of age or younger. Pediatr Dent 1999;21:256–61.

4. Niemela M, Uhari M, Hannuksela A. Pacifiers and dental structure as risk factors for otitis media. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 1994;29:121–7.

5. Niemela M, Uhari M, Mottonen M. A pacifier increases the risk of recurrent acute otitis media in children in daycare centers. Pediatrics 1995;96:884–8.

6. Sanchez A, Reeser JL, Lau HS, et al. Role of sugars in human neutrophilic phagocytosis. Am J Clin Nutr 1973;26:1180–4.

7. Bernstein J, Alert S, Anus KM, Suspend R. Depression of lymphocyte transformation following oral glucose ingestion. Am J Clin Nutr 1977;30:613 [abstract].

8. McMahan JT, Calenoff E, Croft J, et al. Chronic otitis media with effusion and allergy: modified RAST analysis of 119 cases. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1981;89:427–31.

9. Nsouli TM, Nsouli SM, Linde RE, et al. Role of food allergy in serous otitis media. Ann Allerg 1994;73:215–9.

10. McGovern JP, Haywood TH, Fernandez AA. Allergy and secretory otitis media. JAMA 1967;200:134–8.

11. Roukonen J, Pagnaus A, Lehti H. Elimination diets in the treatment of secretory otitis media. Internat J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 1982;4:39–46.

12. Juntti H, Tikkanen S, Kokkonen J, et al. Cow’s milk allergy is associated with recurrent otitis media during childhood. Acta Otolaryngol 1999;119:867–73.

13. Tapiainen T, Kontiokari T, Sammalkivi L, et al. Effect of xylitol on growth of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the presence of fructose and sorbitol. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2001;45:166–9.

14. Kontiokari T, Uhari M, Koskela M. Antiadhesive effects of xylitol on otopathogenic bacteria. J Antimicrob Chemother 1998;41:563–5.

15. Kontiokari T, Uhari M, Koskela M. Effect of xylitol on growth of nasopharyngeal bacteria in vitro. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1995;39:1820–3.

16. Uhari M, Kontiokari T, Koskela M, Niemela M. Xylitol chewing gum in prevention of acute otitis media: double blind randomised trial. BMJ 1996;313:1180–4.

17. Uhari M, Kontiokari T, Niemela M. A novel use of xylitol sugar in preventing acute otitis media. Pediatrics 1998;102:879–84.

18. Tapiainen T, Luotonen L, Kontiokari T, et al. Xylitol administered only during respiratory infections failed to prevent acute otitis media. Pediatrics 2002;109:E19.

19. Brown DJ. Herbal Prescriptions for Better Health. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing, 1996, 213–4 [review].

20. Schilcher H. Phytotherapy in Paediatrics: Handbook for Physicians and Pharmacists. Stuttgart: Medpharm Scientific Publishers, 1997, 43–5.

21. Weiss RF. Herbal Medicine. Gothenburg, Sweden: Ab Arcanum and Beaconsfield, UK: Beaconsfield Publishers, 1985, 227–8.

22. Markowitz JS, Donovan JL, DeVane CL, et al. Effect of St John's wort on drug metabolism by induction of cytochrome P450 3A4 enzyme. JAMA 2003;290:1500–4.

23. Leibovitz B, Siegel BV. Ascorbic acid, neutrophil function, and the immune response. Int J Vitam Nutr Res 1978;48:159–64.

24. Vojdani A, Ghoneum M. In vivo effect of ascorbic acid on enhancement of human natural killer cell activity. Nutr Res 1993;13:753–64.

25. Duchateau J, Delespesse G, Vereecke P. Influence of oral zinc supplementation on the lymphocyte response to mitogens of normal subjects. Am J Clin Nutr 1981;34:88–93.

26. Fraker PJ, Gershwin ME, Good RA, Prasad A. Interrelationships between zinc and immune function. Fed Proc 1986;45:1474–9.

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