How Does Chiropractic Care Help with Ear Infections?

For anyone who still associates chiropractic care only with back pain, they have a hard time understanding how an adjustment can have any effect upon an infection in a child's ear.  It comes down to the fact that the nerves are responsible for communication in all areas of the body.  Simply, if the nerve coming from the brain and going to the tissue around the Eustachian tube (the tube that drains the fluid from the inner ear) is being irritated, it can cause inflammation around the Eustachian tube and not allow it to drain properly.  When the fluid, that is naturally present, is not allowed to drain it builds up in the middle ear.  This excess fluid is a great place for microbes like viruses and bacteria to grow.  If an antibiotic is given, it may kill the bacteria but will do nothing for the fluid.  Chiropractic adjustments on the other hand restore the normal communication of the body, reduce the inflammation and allow the fluid to drain.  If the fluid is not allowed to build up the microbes have nothing to grow in.

 

Understanding The Problem of Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria that cause ear infections (otitis media), pneumonia, and other disease, is one of the biggest concerns in the health care world. By improving the over all health and caring for illnesses in a natural way, chiropractic care can help stem the tide of growing resistance. By limiting the reliance and unnecessary use of antibiotics, we can save the use of antibiotics for when they are needed, i.e. to save a life.

Facts About Antibiotic Resistance from the CDC

"Antibiotic resistance has been called one of the world’s most pressing
public health problems.
The number of bacteria resistant to antibiotics has
increased in the last decade. Many bacterial infections are becoming resistant
to the most commonly prescribed antibiotic treatments.
Every time a person
takes antibiotics, sensitive bacteria are killed, but resistant germs may be
left to grow and multiply. Repeated and improper uses of antibiotics are primary
causes of the increase in drug-resistant bacteria.
Misuse of antibiotics
jeopardizes the usefulness of essential drugs. Decreasing inappropriate
antibiotic use is the best way to control resistance.
Children are of
particular concern because they have the highest rates of antibiotic use. They
also have one of the highest rates of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant
pathogens.
Parent pressure makes a difference. For pediatric care, a study
showed that doctors prescribe antibiotics 65% of the time if they perceive
parents expect them and 12% of the time if they feel parents do not expect them.
Antibiotic resistance can cause significant danger and suffering for people
who have common infections that once were easily treatable with antibiotics.
When antibiotics fail to work, the consequences are longer-lasting illnesses,
more doctor visits or extended hospital stays, and the need for more expensive
and toxic medications. Some resistant infections can even cause death."

Ways To Help Prevent Ear Infections

Chiropractic care can do wonders for children who suffer with ear infections (or otitis media), but of course the best thing for the infant is to never get the ear infection in the first place. There are many things that you as a parent can do to help reduce the risk of your baby getting an ear infection. Here are just a few suggestions:

Breast feeding is probably one of the best ways to prevent not only middle ear infections but also other types of infections in infants. Breast milk contains an antibody called “secretory IgA” that is very effective in fighting off infections. This antibody is not made by infants in significant quantities, but is plentiful in mother’s milk. There is a protein found in breast milk that prevents the attachment of bacteria. If a bacteria cannot attach its ability to cause an infection is severely decreased. There is evidence that the two most common ear infection causing bacteria, H. influenzae and S. pneumoniae, are prevented from attaching by this protein.

If you are bottle feeding your baby, whether with pumped breast milk or formula, try to mimic the nursing position as best you can. This will allow her to be more upright and reduce the risk of the milk backing up into her Eustachian tube (the tube that normally drains the middle ear). If baby is allowed to drink the bottle while lying on her back, say in a crib or playpen, the chances of formula backing up and providing growth material for the bacteria, greatly increases.

Another preventative measure that you can take is to improve the air quality in your home. When there is a high level of allergens and irritants in the air, they can cause inflammation in the nose and throat area. Inflammation in this area can lead to blockage of the Eustachian tubes. The use of an electrostatic furnace filter (significant investment $100-200, but long life-span), and negative ion generators can eliminate many of the airborne allergens and irritants. Identify and eliminate sources of dampness in your home, and do everything possible to limit your baby’s exposure to smoke, whether cigarette or wood smoke. The link between exposure to smoke and ear infections in infants is too great to ignore.

Preventative chiropractic adjustments can play an important role in avoiding ear infections in your baby. Not only have the been shown to increase immune system function but they also help to keep the Eustachian tube open and functioning optimally.

I hope that this is helpful in your pursuit to raise a healthy and happy child.

Ear Infections and Chiropractic Care

"My son has had 6 ear infections over the last 4 years and he is only four and a half years old. We have always given him the antibiotic that the doctor prescribed, but it seems that the ear infections just keep coming back. The doctor wants to put tubes in his ears now, but I am worried since he is so small. Maybe the doctor is right and we need to put the tubes in."

I have heard this same story over and over in my 10 years of practice. The only thing that changes is if it is a boy or girl and how many courses of antibiotics they go through before the ear tubes are recommended. It is such a difficult situation to hear about because you are presented with a parent that cares deeply for the health and welfare of their child, have done what they were told by their pediatrician and now are faced with a situation that may put their child at risk. Are there alternatives to antibiotics and surgery? Why do the ear infections keep coming back if they are getting the antibiotic? and What causes an ear infection in the first place?

I will answer these questions in the reverse order because if we start at the root cause of the ear infection the rest becomes easy to understand. An ear infection or otitis media becomes an infection when a bacteria or a virus grows rapidly within the middle ear. However those microorganisms will only grow in the ear when the conditions are right for them to do so. Every one of us has the very same bacteria and viruses in our ears that is causing the infection in the child's ear. The difference is that in a child that has an ear infection they have a build up of fluid within their middle ear. This fluid which naturally forms in the middle ear to continually wash out the unwanted microbes, will sometimes get backed up within the middle ear cavity. When this happens, the fluid that is present is ideal for the bacteria and viruses to grow in. The primary reason for the back up of fluid is inflammation causing a narrowing of the Eustachian tube. The Eustachian tube is the small passage way that drains that fluid out of the ear and into the nasal passage. The swelling and nervous system dysfunction associated with a spinal misalignment is a likely cause of that Eustachian tube narrowing. Here is a great visual slideshow demonstrating what I just spoke about. Ear infection slide show.

Why do the ear infections keep coming back if they are taking the antibiotic? If the ear infection is due to a bacterial infection the antibiotic will be able to kill the bacteria, but they will not be able to do anything for the fluid that is present. This means that it just takes another bacteria or perhaps a virus, to find its way into the middle ear and start to grow the way that the last one did. This leads to further antibiotic use and the cycle continues on. The next step then is the introduction of tubes in the ear drum to try to relieve the pressure of the backed up fluid.

Is there an alternative to the antibiotics and surgery? Absolutely! Chiropractic care does not directly treat the infection, but gets at the heart of the problem by restoring the proper function of the ear. When gentle chiropractic adjustments are applied to areas of misalignment of the baby's spine, it allows the the inflammation around the Eustachian tube to be removed and the backed up fluid in the ear to naturally drain out of the middle ear. When the fluid is once again washing out the area of the middle ear it no longer gives the microbes a place to grow and thrive.

Stop the cycle of pain and antibiotics, seek help with chiropractic care and get at the heart of the problem not the symptoms.