Ear infections are unpleasant. They can put one person completely out of activity for the day and for children, who are especially prone to them, an ear infection can last for weeks. The medical term for an ear infection is otitis and there are three different areas in which the infection can thrive:
Table of Contents
External otitis
This is generally referred to as swimmer’s ear and affects the outer ear and canal. With this type of pain, the ear is increasingly sensitive to the touch and may appear red or swollen. The cause is usually a bacterial build-up or fungal infection on the skin of the tube in the ear.
Otitis media or middle ear infection
This type of pain occurs as a result of the perforation of the eardrum or the accumulation of fluid behind the eardrum. This is more common in children, but it can occur at any age. The pain is more of a deeper stabbing sensation and can often cause fever and headaches.
Internal otitis
This inner ear infection can cause hearing loss and balance problems as the inner ear includes sensory organs for balance. When the inner ear is inflamed it can lead to vertigo and high fever and headaches. So what can you do to ease the pain and help your ear heal when you’re struggling with an infection?
Unless symptoms have progressed rapidly, it is worth trying natural remedy methods before rushing to antibiotics.
It is not only the infection that you want to get rid of, but also the pain that may be the most annoying part. Here is one of the best tricks to comfort an ear infection that can also help flush toxins out of the ear:
Natural remedy for ear infection
Salt and sock method
Basically, that’s all it takes a plain old white (clean, of course) sock filled with coarse ground sea salt.
Not only are the minerals in sea salt antiseptic, they also have wonderful healing properties, the salt can retain heat so well that it helps soothe inflammation in the ears and reduce pain right away.
This is what you need:
1 large clean athletic sock (in case you have an ear leak, the sock being white you will see immediately)
2 cups coarse sea salt
Fill the sock with your salt and tie a tight knot so that you can have a packet the size of your hand. Simply place the salted sock in a clean saucepan and dry over low heat and turn constantly for about 5 minutes to achieve a moderate to hot level of heat.
Place the sock over your ear and under your ear and jaw. Feel the pain subside. It really is that simple. You can keep your salt sock in the fridge and reuse it whenever you need it.