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What is Ear Infection?
Ear infections often occur due to viruses or bacteria which infect the middle ear. Children are usually more vulnerable to ear infection comparing to adults [1].
In order to understand more about ear infection, you need to know your ear. Ear consists of 3 parts which are inner, middle and outer. For the outer part, there is pinna which is the section that sound waves need to go through before going into the ear canal. After the ear canal is the eardrum which belongs to the middle part. Besides eardrum, there are other important components such as middle canal, semicircular, stir up, anvil and hammer. At the end of the ear canal, there is the inner part which consists of nerves, Eustachian tube and cochlea. In here, sound waves will reach the nerves and then they are transferred to the brain for process [2].
What are the symptoms of Ear Infection?
The signs and symptoms of ear infection can be obviously ear pain and tugging inside your ear, trouble with sleeping, headache, lack of responsiveness to sound, fluid draining from your ear, diarrhea, vomiting and high fever [3].
The symptoms of ear infections are various. Each person can have different infection signs from others but the popular symptoms are: pain in the ear, problems when sleeping, headache or draining fluid in the ear, etc [4].
What causes Ear Infection?
There are several factors which either contribute or cause this problem such as the accumulation of wax, upper respiratory infections, allergies to foods or environment, genetics, fetal alcohol syndrome, deficiency of nutrients as well as internal injuries [5].
There are many causes leading to ear infection. This infection often occurs in the middle part of ear, which is easier to treat. If your ear is infected in the inner part, you should go to your doctor to be consulted. Some common causes are: deficiency of nutrition, food allergies, accumulation of wax, environmental allergies, inner injuries, etc [6].
Ear infection can happen at any part of your ear. However, the most dangerous part is the inner ear [7] [8].
Here are the top 12 effective home remedies for how to treat ear infection that you can apply in order to eliminate the infection and protect your ears.
1. Salt
If you get ear infection, don’t forget that salt is the most effective and simplest remedy for how to treat ear infection that you can apply [9] [10].
How to use:
- Boil 1 cup of salt for some minutes. You can use pan, double boiler or microwave oven.
- Put that hot salt on a towel and enclose the open end with rubber band.
- Lie down and apply the towel on your ear when it gets less hotter.
- Leave it on for 10 minutes.
Learn another salt’s benefit at How to Tone Your Hips and Thighs.
2. Garlic
Garlic is a very effective home remedy for how to treat ear infection because the antimicrobial property that garlic contains can help your to relieve pain [11] [12].
How to use:
- Boil 2 garlic cloves with 2 teaspoons of sesame oil till it turns to black to get garlic oil and then filter it.
- Wait till it cools down to drop some oil in the infected ear.
- Your ear infection will become better if you eat some garlic cloves everyday.
Learn other benefits of garlic at Home Remedies for Chilblains.
3. Basil
Minor earache can be treated by holy basil. It helps you significantly on how to treat ear infection and reduce the pain it causes [13].
How to use:
- Squeeze 5 holy basil leaves to get its juice. Rub it on your affected ear. You should remember not to get basil juice in the ear canal.
- Alternatively, you can use the mixture of a few drops of basil oil with some drops of coconuts oil. Steep a soft towel in the mixture and then wipe inside the ear.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is another choice for how to treat ear infection that you might consider as well [14].
How to use:
- Add some apple cider vinegar with the same amount of water. Steep a soft towel in the liquid.
- Place it in the infected ear, allow it on for some minutes.
- Get rid of the towel and use cotton cloth to wipe your ear. You can also use a hair dryer to dry your ear
Besides, apple cider vinegar is also an effective treatment for many others health and beauty problems. Learn more at How to Get Rid of Yellow Nail and Home Remedies for Dry Feet.
5. Olive Oil
Olive oil can help to clear the blockage in Eustachian tubes, formed by the wax and bacteria, the main cause of ear infection [15] [16] [17] [18].
How to use:
- Heat up olive oil in some minutes.
- Drop the warm oil into your ear to make the wax become soft.
- Use a soft cloth or a cotton-tipped swab to wipe and remove the wax.
Note: You should be very careful when using swab because if you put it to deep in your ear, it can damage eardrum.
6. Warm Compress
If you get an ear infection, the sooner you apply heat on your ear, the better it is. Heat can stop microorganism infestation as well as help relieve the pain.
How to use:
- Use a warm bottle of water to compress on your infected ear.
- Remember don’t apply the heat on your ear for too long. The average time is about 5 minutes. Then get rid of the warm bottle for some minute before repeating to compress.
7. Onion
Onion is available in most family. It is one of the ingredients that are used most commonly to cook. However, onion is also a miracle medicine and one of its functions is for how to treat ear infection.
How to use:
- Heat some chopped onion in 2 minutes. Wait till it gets cooler and then refine its juice.
- Drop some onion juice in your ear and allow it in for 5 minutes.
- Use a cotton cloth to clean your ear or simply turn your head so that it can drain out.
- Alternatively, you can use baked onion to treat ear infection. Bake an onion for 30 minutes
8. Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is a rich source of mild antibacterial properties, which can relieve your pain immediately [19] [20] [21] [22].
How to use:
- Heat lightly up the mixture of three drops of tea tree oil, two tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon of colloidal silver and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.
- Put it in your ear and allow it sit in for 5 minutes.
- Use a towel or cotton cloth to wipe and cleanse your ear.
- Repeat this way 2 times everyday in at least 2 days to get the best results.
Tea tree oil is also used to treat blood blisters. Read more How to Get Rid of Blood Blisters.
9. Mango Leaf Juice
Mango leaf juice is another effective home remedy for how to treat ear infection that you can easily obtain [23].
How to use:
- Squeeze some mango leaves to get its juice.
- Heat up the juice slightly.
- Drops it in your ear and leave it in for some minutes.
- Repeat this twice per day till you feel better.
10. Breast Milk
Breast milk is a very useful remedy for how to treat ear infection because it contains natural antibodies – a property that can make your infected ear heal faster. It can also relieve pain and swelling in some days. This remedy applies for both adults and children.
How to use:
- Drop some breast milk in your ear and wait for some minutes before cleansing your ear with a cloth.
- Follow this remedy several times a day until you feel better.
11. Lemon Balm
Lemon balm makes your ear infection recover faster due to the antiseptic, anti viral properties presented in it [24] [25] [26].
How to use:
- Take some lemon balm.
- Put some drops in your infected ear and leave it in for some minute.
- Cleansing your ear with a cloth or cotton swab
- Follow this remedy 2 times everyday to get the best result.
12. Mullein
Mullein is also used as an excellent treatment for how to treat ear infection. It helps relieve the pain and heal the infection better [27] [28] [29].
How to use:
- Add 1 teaspoon of mullein flower to ½ cup of boiling water then wait till it gets cooler.
- Add 1 tablespoon of each mullein tea and olive oil in the solution to make mullein oil and leave it overnight.
- Put some drops in your ear.
- Cleansing your ear with a cloth or cotton swab.
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