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| Earaches: A Common Children's
Condition |
Earaches are commonly seen in children from
as early as 6 months of age until 7 years. These can be broken down
into 3 types otitis; serous, infective and external. Both infective
and serous otitis often follow upper respiratory infections, but are also
seen in children who bottle nurse while lying down and those who have been
exposed to cold, windy weather. A strong association with chronic
earaches and food allergies has been made, especially milk, dairy products
and wheat. Breast fed children have less incidence of ear infections
than do those who received formula or cow's milk. Younger children
tend to get earaches more often than older ones because of the anatomical
position of their eustachian tubes.
The eustachian tube runs from the inner ear to the throat and helps to
equalize the inner ear's pressure. In infants and younger children
this tube is shorter and more horizontally placed than in older children and
so does not drain as well. If it is blocked due to swelling from
allergies or enlarged adenoid tissue, a back pressure is created which
causes a fluid buildup in the ear which becomes a good place for bacteria
and viruses to grow.
An acute infective earache will more likely occur during the winter
months and may be announced with a high fever, throbbing of the ear,
irritability, tugging at the ear and pain. Fever may or may not be
present and the person affected may be lethargic and complain of not feeling
well. If a discharge is seen from the ear canal, then the eardrum has
ruptured and there will be some hearing loss for a period of time until it
has been able to repair itself.
Serous otitis is accompanied by a sense of fullness, hearing loss,
ringing in the ears and little or no pain. This type can be most
damaging to a developing child as it may go unnoticed for a longer period of
time which can lead to a slower development in school. In this
condition, there is a buildup of fluid behind the ear drum which causes the
hearing loss. If left untreated, it can develop into an infective
condition.
External otitis is characterized by an inflammation of the external ear
canal. Otherwise known as swimmer's ear, it is caused by repeated
wetting of the canal which allows for more bacterial or fungal growth.
High chlorine content in swimming pools also adds to the problem by
destroying friendly bacteria and allowing unfriendly organisms to grow.
In part, it is also related to the high dietary intake of saturated fats.
Antibiotics have been shown in studies to be an ineffective therapy for the
treatment of earaches, especially serous otitis. Mastoiditis, an
inflammation of the bone around the ear is a rare occurrence and most bouts
of earaches will clear on their own in 10 to 14 days without therapy. |
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| © Scottsdale Natural Medicine &
Healing Clinic, LLC latest revision 2.4.2006 |
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