Prevent Ear Infections with Chiropractic Care
Many children suffer from painful ear infections, whether bacterial or viral, or some adults can experience frequent ear infections as well. Some instances of chronic ear infections might result in surgery to place tubes in the ears. Every year, 500,000 children have tubes placed in their ears, yet most of these children still suffer from occurrences of ear infections after the tubes are put in. Before subjecting children to a risky procedure, consider chiropractic care for reducing or preventing recurrent ear infections.
Why Children Are More Prone to Ear Infections
Eustachian tubes, which connect the middle ear to the back of the throat, are responsible for properly draining liquid from the ear to prevent blockage and infection. The Eustachian tubes of children are parallel to the ground, causing them to sometimes retain fluid, leading to either bacterial or viral infections of the ear. In adults, these Eustachian tubes are slightly tilted, which allows for proper drainage and it the reason why adults don’t get ear infections as often as children. When fluid cannot drain properly, a vacuum is created which pulls the fluid toward the middle ear and throat without a way out. When fluid sits stagnantly in the Eustachian tubes, it is sure to lead to chronic, painful ear infections.
Treating the Root Cause
80% of ear infections will resolve themselves, but because they can be painful, parents often seek solutions for speeding up the recovery process. Antibiotics have commonly been the method for ridding children of ear infections, and while antibiotics do cure the infection temporarily, they don’t treat the root cause. Thus, ear infections will come back again, requiring another round of antibiotics. Sometimes ear infections are caused by a virus, which antibiotics can do nothing to treat. Furthermore, antibiotics will […]
Statistics show that ear infections are the number one cause of childhood doctor visits. Additionally, five out of six children will have at least one ear infection by their first birthday. Kids up to age 6 are the most likely to get ear infections, with the likelihood peaking around age 2. It is estimated that about 80% of ear infections will go away on their own within a few days, yet medical doctors are still regularly prescribing antibiotics to treat these infections, many of which are viral and are not affected by antibiotics. Thankfully, most doctors nowadays support “watchful waiting” with most ear infections, meaning they wait 1-2 days before prescribing an antibiotic to see if symptoms lessen on their own.