I'm getting desperate for some relief. Thanks in advance!

They can be found at any local drugstore/WAlmart, etc...in the pharmacy isle.

The ear drops for Swimmer's Ear (although they may or may not help depending on your infection).

I am very susceptible to ear infections. I am not a doctor, abut these are a few things I can dispense:

Get an "ear candling." It works for me, but it might not work for you. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_candling

I've heard garlic drops can help as well.

Keep your nasal passage very clean- Use a sinus rinse daily.

Years ago I cured an infection in my toddler's ear using garlic oil.

Warm olive oil, just a drop or two. And something to decongest you like sudafed, to dry things up and drain better.

I'm not a doctor.

Just don't use ear candles.

there is a remedy you can buy at your local natural food store. just go and let them know you have an ear ache and they will know what to provide you with! It works well. I have used it can't remember the name of it
you might try this as well it works very well just not super quick.

take a clean long sock, most likely a mens sock, put about a cup of rice in the sock and heat it in the microwave for about a min. then put it on the ear that is hurting and take some pain med. not only does this take away the pressure causing the pain but if you do this often enough it will drain the build up in your ear



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/2011 09:36PM by cpalmer312.

cpalmer312 Wrote:
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> take a clean long sock, most likely a mens sock, put about a cup of rice in the sock and heat it in the microwave for about a min. then put it on the ear that is hurting and take some pain med. not only does this take away the pressure causing the pain but if you do this often enough it will drain the build up in your ear

A colleague made something like this for me when I first went into teaching. She sewed together a long, cloth tube and put barley inside of it. There were twine handles on each end. I would heat it in the microwave for about two minutes, and then put it one whatever part of my body needed some heat relief -- neck, shoulders, sinuses, etc. It was one of the most useful gifts I was ever given. Nowadays you can buy a commercially made version in drugstores.

you may want to invest in a NETI POT. I have found that the sinus cavities are all interconnected so if you keep your sinus cavities clear you are less likely to get ear infections.

If it's bad...very painful + fever, you need an antibiotic.

To prevent them means you need to understand what is causing them, especially if you get them often, like once a month.

Could be allergies, could be water in the ear, maybe wax buildup.

If you are in pain, I would see the doctor or go to an instacare type place if it can't wait until tomorrow. If it just stuffy, you can try some of the things suggested. Ear infections can be serious and if it hurts and you are feeling sick, I would see a doctor tomorrow at the latest.

If it's an actual infection you will be better off going to the doctor to get antibiotics. If it is just an ear ache, or fluid in your ear, you can use a blow dryer to dry it up and it really helps with the pain. Then use decongestants and ear drops for pain relief.

I have chronic sinusitis due to abnormally thin sinus cavities, and I'm super susceptible to ear infections because I have small ear canals. I deal with earaches and ear infections on a regular basis.

I've tried over-the-counter remedies with no real luck. If you do have an ear infection, you need antibiotics or it will just get worse. Plus, many otc remedies will make the pain WORSE because they can cause irritation (I found that out the hard way). I'm sorry to say I have never had good experiences with OTC remedies for ear pain or infection and I've given up trying because I've had enough bad experiences.

My advice: go to the doctor.

I was prescribed antibiotics and a nasal spray. That will do (it). :-)

Thanks for everyone coming to my aid. Love you!

The very best -- Warm Oil of Cloves - It not only soothes but kills ear infections

JB

Home Remedies For Earaches: – Earaches will be very intolerable. Most are because of ear infection and fluid buildup within the cavity. Different causes embrace the cold, wax within the ear, blockage within the nasal passage, physical harm to the inside of the ear, a rise in gas pressure and so on. Earaches commonly occur more in children as compared to adults. But do not worry about this because there are many home remedies to get rid of earaches.
For more information check out the link given below
http://www.crazyhealthplan.com/home-remedies-for-earaches/

Well, her ear infection is either better by now, or, she no longer needs a doctor.

Not a bad thread to revive for this time of year, but the OP is resolved, by now.

If it isn't bad, keep it warm and covered and take an over the counter pain medication.

I hope you get better, you are in my thoughts and prayers.

In a worst case scenario the eardrum can burst and you can lose your hearing.
Sometimes you just have to go to the doctor.

You need an antibiotic for an infection. They are not sold over the counter. Go to urgent care.

I just stumbled across this thread, and I'm glad I did. I realize that the thread started a long time ago, but I wanted to put in a PSA. Slight correction to Elyse: a ruptured eardrum is not the worst thing that can happen from an untreated ear infection. The worst thing that can happen is a little known side effect called "Death". If you have an ear infection, get competent medical help (i.e., a real licensed professional). Do not get ear candling. Do not use hot oil, whether olive or essential. Get real antibiotics, of the prescription-only kind. Non-prescription remedies may help depending on what exactly is the problem, but I prefer to get diagnosed by someone who had been to medical school and actually knows their ass from a hole in the ground. Death, after all, is the final word.

I concur with the 'seek professional medical guidance' routine.

Ear infections are nothing to mess around with.

Antibiotics are the most efficient means of treating them in my experience, and not treating them can cause by far greater damage than doing nothing or going the home remedy route.

I am (in general) okay with neti pots, but they must be used properly, which means:

The water used in them, in particular, needs to be absolutely sterile (in other words: boil the water first, let it cool, and make sure the neti pot itself in sterile, and has been rinsed out with sterile water ONLY, before you pour the boiled-and-sterilized water, that you will put into your own body, into the neti pot).

Google: "neti pot death" to get the details of "why." This preliminary sterilizing of the neti pot itself, and of the water that goes into it, is really important.

try drops of hydrogen peroxide or tincture of Iodine. Iodine is a vicious bacteria killer