On Going Ear Infection

My daughter was plagued with ear infections as a baby to the point where they were going to put tubes in her ears. I read about stopping milk and sugar and starting on soy. This helped immediately. No more ear infections and no tubes. Hope this helps!

E.

Hi B.,
I have not experience with ear infections but I did have my little guy adjusted by a chiropractor when he was 3 weeks old. He still gets an adjustment every now and then. It helped his gas and I have heard many people talk about it helping ear infections. I see Dr. Hansen in Elk Grove. He is so great!

My son did the same thing. 3 rounds of antibiotics and it finally kicked it. It was about a month and a half.
I would do the chiropractor thing, before the ENT. My thoughts are because what the chiropractor is going to do is much less invasive. I almost took my son to my chiropractor. I had to go for some back issues and I had an ear infection. He wiggled my ear all round. I felt a pop and felt drainage. I really think the chiropractor would work. I was really nervous about taking him. But the don't adjust them like they do us.

Hi B.,

My son started with the chronic ear infections at 6 months. We went through the exact thing that you are going through right now, medicines, timeline, EVERYTHING. This last for over 1 year. Finally she referred us to an ENT and he suggested putting tubes in his ears. Our pediatrician figure that would need to happen but wanted to wait until after he was 1 year which is why she waited for the referral. For us, putting the tubes in was the BEST thing. He was already trying to talk, and doing fairly well, but after the tubes, he talked non-stop. From the minute he was no longer drowsy, he was talking. When we went in for his post-op appt, I mentioned this to the doctor and he said it was because he could finally hear clear(he had had 70% hearing loss in one ear) and was better able to make out words. It was amazing. He also stopped talking so LOUD. After the tubes were in for about a year, they fell out, as normal. We were good for about a year and a half before we had to get another set. He also used the drops as mentioned in an earlier email. Those work really well. Ask for them.

I never took my son to the chiropractor, but I have used one myself. And my sister, who has MS, has a weekly appt. He had told us, the correct spinal alignment does help with asthma, allergies, ear infections, etc. I have both allegries and asthma and chronic sinus infections, but I have never gone spinal treatment to see if it would help. Not because of fear, just old fashion, I guess. It wouldn't hurt to try taking your son to see if it helps. I know I feel really good after leaving, my back is the issue, so I focus on that. I'll have to think about having him do other things to help with my other ailments.

I know I'm going on and on, but don't be afraid of the tubes. Look at all of your options and decide which will be best for you and your baby and family. You know your son best, pick the best one suited for his personality.

God bless.

Hi B.,
I would talk to your chiropractor neighbor more. The anibiotics might be doing more harm than good. An adjustment might open the ear canals. CranioSacral can help with this too plus boosting the immune system. You chiropractor might do this. You can also go to www.upledger.com to find a CranioSacral Practitioner. Naturopathic or homeopathic treatments might be good too. They help the body to heal itself as does CranioSacral Therapy.

D. Bohr, B.S. NCTMB
Mom and grandma
retired elementary and early childhood teacher
CranioSacral Therapy/Maternity Massage

I would definately get him an adjustment! Chiropractic for babies and kids is great, very helpful for more than just muscle aches etc. Good luck, I hope your baby is better soon.

My Grandmother was a Chiropractor (for 50 years) and adjusted my baby when she was little (just once).

My girls did not have ear infections, but were not on dairy or OJ for that goal. Once I thought my daughter was coming down with an ear infection (my youngest and I have ear wax build up)... we use (d) an ear candle to pull the wax out.

Hi B.

You should get into an ear specialist right away! First you can not continue to give the medicines this is sooo bad! But also this long an infection can damage your childs inner-ear and promote hearing loss. My husband is deaf in one ear completly due to this kind of thing.

Good luck!

C.

B.
My second child was like yours. Ear infection after ear infection. We did all the antibiotics, but knowing(RN) that too much antibiotics can years later cause antibiotic resistant bugs (YUCK) chose to have tubes put into my little girls ears. This was a great decision and it was a simple 20 minute procedure. Yes they put her under, but with such little sedation that it was over in 20 minutes and she was awake. No more ear infections and I have a hard time with chiropractors twisting my childs neck etc. I see one all the time, but I am still on sitting on the fence about them. I think they help my back, but your on your own about this one. The tubes just seemed easier.
Good luck

There is a completely natural and incredibly effective remedy you can get at any drug store called Similisan (sp). I used to have chronic ear infections every time I would get sick. The last time, I was sure my ear drums would pop. I found these drops to be extremely effective. So much better than antibiotics. No side effects either. I hope your baby feels better.

Whatever you do, DO NOT LET the Dr. put him on Gentamicyn. It's a very old reliable antibiotic with debilitating side effects!

Make sure you replace the good bacteria your child needs that has also been killed off with the bad bacteria. If you go down to the health food store ( even some grocery stores will now carry probiotics in a natural section). The good bacteria help immune function by producing vitamin K and keeping an healthy balance throughout the body. Probiotics taste great, kinda milk and come in a powder to mix with a liquid of your choice. My son would just lick the powder off my finger. It may take a few weeks of repetative dosages to replenish the good bacteria. Remember the dosage on the back of the bottle is a maintainace dose, but should be suitable, even halved, for a nine month old.

My daughter had chronic ear infections too - the antibiotics worked, but gave her really bad yeast infections. Her pediatrician & I discussed alternatives - chiropractics being one of them (especially because she isn't a fan of tubes either). She told me she wasn't 100% convinced it its effectiveness, but didn't discourage me from trying either. I am glad we had my daughter adjusted!!! She had 1 more ear infection months after that.
To sum up the experience, I was honestly nervous because I thought the chiropractor would adjust her the way he did me (obviously more gently) & that scared me! However, our chiropractor held our daughter & "jiggled" her - if you didn't know any better, you would have thought he was just playing with her! He moved his hands up her spine and just pushed everything back into alignment, including her neck. Remember that babies are still really flexible, so this is possible, easy, AND it doesn't hurt the child in anyway.
Good luck!

try Chiropractic care, my kids have never held onto an ear infection, I use some garlic oil (or fresh garlic and olive oil) in their ear (for a few minutes then flip the head to the other side and drain). Then we go to a Chiro and a slight adjustment (with one who deals with kids on a reg. basis) to the neck will drain out the infection.

try garlic-mullein ear drops, available in any health food store.
also, one drop of hydrogen peroxide is supposed to do wonders. Try that first.Just use a dropper.
I do recommend chiropractic, it may not help with this infection anymore, but will help with overall helth.
Also give him some acidophilus (health food store) to replace the good bacteria lost with all the antibiotics. I would consider seeing a homeopath. My son had many ear infections until we changed doctor, and started alternative treatments.
Try Dr. Song in Belmont.
Good Luck.

Hi B.!
It worked for my son at that age. I believe in reg. chiro appts for my children after that experience.

My chiropractor in Alameda shared that she had treated an infant similarly plagued with ear infections and all was well. Our youngest ended up getting tubes after recurring ear infections... and eventually they fell out and he seemed none the worse for wear. (It took about 5 minutes for them to put the tubes in while we waited.. not fun, but FAST.) If I'd known about chiropractic care for infants, we would have tried that first. but the tubes were a workable solution. Best of luck to you... this was 13 yrs ago!

Step up and try to get to the ENT quicker. The thing that the ENT can do that will hurt but really help is clean out his ears and get the old dead cells out and allow new skin to grow and heal. When this isn't done, the bacteria grow and multiply in that dead skin and just eats away at the new skin that's trying to grow and heal. The longer the infection goes on the better the chances of other problems like an impacted eardrum, which REALLY hurts! I would be leary of chiropactric adjustments for a bacterial infection in the inner ear... it might alleviate the baby's pain, but it won't do anything for the bacterial infection. It could affect his hearing later, so it's imperative that you get the infection controlled! Good luck!!!
Boxers are so wonderful aren't they??? :)

B., while I have never heard of sending a baby to a Chiropractor it sounds like a great idea. My daughter (now 6) had one ear infection after another between the ages of 6 - 18 months. I could no longer tell where one stopped and another started or if it was still the first one. We too tried every antibiotic in the book, often resulting in cases of hives and she had allergic reactions to sulfer based antibotics. Finally, her pediatrician said "enough is enough" and stopped treating her with antibiotics. He said that 75% of all ear infections will clear up on their own in the same amount of time as they will with antiobiotics, so let's give it a shot for awhile. We started using warmed garlic oil ear drops, plenty of humidity in her room while sleeping, and constant rubbing of behind her ear to help loosen the mucas caught in the ear. While I don't think any of these things cured her, both her Dr. and I felt better knowing that we weren't pumping her full of useless drugs and letting the body take it's course. She never had a very high fever however, so we had the luxury of taking this course. Hope this info helps...

Hi B.,
What a frustrating situation...9 months old and already 4 antibiotics?! You're smart to be asking for some different. I'm a chiropractor and I whole-heartedly agree with your neighbor-chiropractic helps ear infections!! We see it all the time, and kids respond so quickly. And it's 100% natural-no side effects! So it's worth a try.
Best of luck,
L.

L. Clum, DC
Oakland Specific Chiropractic
www.OaklandSpecificChiropractic.com

Since you are giving antiboctics to you little, you really should be giving them a Probiotic as while, Acidopholis.. Go to a good health store and get Acidophois for babies. It's a powder that can get mixed with milk or food. It helps the body naturally fight infections and is naturally found in the digestive system, but when you give antiboctics, the antiboctics kills what's in the digestive system naturally. Another holistic approach is chiropractic. Have your neighbor adjust your son as often as possible. It really works. My son has been adjusted since he was a day and a half . He has never been sick and has never had an ear infection. My niece had cronic ear infections and we started taking her to the chiropractor. She did much better. The other thing is to not put them down to sleep with a bottle, because the liquid goes into the ear. PLEASE PLEASE GET HIM ADJUSTED, ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU HAVE ON RIGHT NEXT DOOR!!!!
GOOD LUCK RAE

Sometimes milk allergies contribute to constant ear infections. You could try taking him of dairy and see if that helps. Does he take a bottle to bed? Sometimes that causes ear infections too.

B.:
The antibiotics only cause more recurrent ear infections and all the kids end up with the tubes. Try a more natural approach, and also improve his immune system with calostrum. I give my boy the gold liquid from www.kirkmanlabs, it's wonderful (unless you are breast feeding him).
One thing that the drs. never tell you is to give probiotics while you are giving antibiotics. The last ones destroy the good flora in the intestine and most of the children end up with yeast, which sometimes take years to eliminate. The yeast beast is a terrible thing to have. It can give them behaviors that can lead the drs. to misdiagnose the kid later in life (ADHD, etc).
Yeast infections in kids are incredibly common. My son has had it for years and I can not treat it because he is unable to swallow the anti-fungals (this is the reason he craves only carbs).
Craniosacral therapy would be a good alternative as well.
Good luck.

Yes! Chiropractor adjustment really helped my child. He would drain the tubes. Ask him to show you how to do it also. We got tired of the meds for our son and the chiropractor adjustment really helped!!! Good luck!

When Western medicine fails you - it's time to try the other way. I go to a fabulous acupuncturist who treats these kinds of things with Chinese herbs (one does not have to use acupuncture - he has many avenues of finding optimum health)His name is Scott Sommer. He is from Elk Grove but his office is in Orangevale. He was a med student at UC Davis and then decided this path was a better way to help folks. His number is ###-###-#### - it's called the Natural Life Center and it's on Madison and Main off off of the Hazel exit (Hwy 50). It's helped me in amazing ways when I too could not get relief by constantly going in to see the doctor. Good luck.
T.

We had similar issues with my now 6 1/2 year old and my 2 year old when they were both 9 months old. I don't know about chiropractics on a baby, but if you'd want to consult with someone I highly recommend from my own personal use, for an opinion or second opinion, try Johnson Chiropractic next to the Livery. Dr. Johnson has 2 children and would be a trustworthy source I think. I would also ask your pediatrician about this type of treatment. You want to make sure you go to someone who really knows what they are doing - we've all heard of chiropractors who screw people up worse than they were when they came in...

In regards to tubes, both of my childen, mentioned above, were given tubes at 9 months with Dr. Hsieh in Walnut Creek (I think he shares with Dr. Jacobs, who I've also heard is great). These tubes have absolutely changed our lives! My 2 year old needed a second set one year after the first ones were put in because his ear infections came right back. I would absolutely recommend tubes. The procedure is about 5 minutes, and my babies were perfect, a little sleepy, but just fine, after the surgery.

Good luck making your decision!

Are you giving him something for him something for his runny nose and fever? Like Tylenol Cold?

You are only giving him medication for seven days per antibiotic? If so, that's not long enough. TEN days is how long you need to be on most antibiotics. I can only think of one that you don't and that's Zithromax. . .

I don't see how an adjustment will help the ear infection, that makes no sense to me (I love chiropractors btw), but I see no harm in getting him adjusted, though I would advice against having her adjust his neck. Since he's so small she can accidentally damage the cartiledge in his neck, and it's rather a scary experience especially for a small one to have your neck adjusted.

I have not had the issue of ongoing ear infections, but my daugher and I see a chiropracter weekly. We have a good one here in Sacramento that believes it is important for children as young as possible. He has pictures of the subluxation, or adjustments to the spine, that a baby undergoes as it is being born. My daughter has seen our chiropracter off and on for a few years (she is six now), but this year she has been seeing him on a regular basis for the winter. This is the first winter she has not come down with a serious cold for the season. I just talked with my chiropracter and he suggested that you might want to try Dr. David Barton with Barton Chiropractic in Concord, CA, phone # ###-###-####. I know it is a little distance from you, but if it helps your boy, it is worth it. God bless you and your children.

Hello,
I do not have this experience, but I am a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing. Ear infections only cause a temporary loss during the infection. But as the problem solves or persists I would recommend using sign language with you child. I used it with my hearing son and he learned to talk a lot earlier and we were communicating a lot before he was one year old. It is a great tool to use for bonding and great so that persistent ear infections don't cause a delay in language due to the ears being filled with fluid. Just a suggestion and extra precaution that only does good. You are free to e-mail me if you have questions.
J.

We have a 13 mo old boy, he can't seem to drain either and gets double & back to back ear infections. I started him on PROBIOTICS, which has helped with his immunity (cough, cold, runny nose) but not w/ the ear infections.

I've never heard of a chiro helping w/ ear infections although I do love my chiro. They can't adjust the way his little infant middle ear is pointing... nice of her to offer though. :)

At the end of Feb, he got a double ear infection again. We went from one antibiotic to the next, he finally had to go into get 3 shots (over 3 days) of antibiotics. It finally cleared up. It was 2 weeks before he got his next one - which was just this week. We saw an ENT, we're putting in the tube on Monday at Stanford. UGH. Scared but will be glad not to have him in pain again. If he held off any longer w/o one, we would have not done the surgery but I hate to see him on so many antibiotics, and then building his immunity to them. We're dealing w/ his hearing & speech here, so ENT here we come. Everyone we've talked to say do the surgery - so we are.

Good luck to you.

My son had an ongoing ear infection and was on constant medication for a year. We finally had tubes put in his ears. His Doctor wasn't doing anything to try to find the root of the problem which in the end I figured it to be allergies. So all the medicine and surgery for nothing. I would definately try the chiropractor, I think what they do is give the adjment in hopes that it will relieve some pressure in the eustation tube. Hyland homeopathic also has an ear infection medicine that is all natural and available at Walgreens or Whole Foods. Urge your Doctor to try to find the underlying cause of the infection allergies to dust, pet dander, or even seasonal allergies may be to blame. Sometimes babies just have small eustation tubes which cause them to get blocked and infected all the time. Good luck on getting the little guy better. It is so sad to see our children hurting and frusterating when the doctors just keep giving medicine instead of really trying to find out what is wrong with our babies. B.

Hi B.,
My son was very healthy until the day he turned one and started a four month double ear infection. We could not get rid of it. He was on four different antibiotics at various times. The way the dr described it was that the first antibiotic catches the 'usual' infections, the second antibiotic (started when the first didn't work) would catch some other types of infections, and so on. My husband and I had also heard that bottle feeding to putting a kid to bed also has an effect on ear infections. So we took this time to wean him from taking his bottle to bed. I had also heard that formula can sometimes cause this problem as well. We started to wean him from formula at night, and just keeping his formula during the day. The last month of his infection my son was on no medicines, and the dr wanted to wait and see what would happen. The infection was way better and by the end of the fourth month, the infection had completely cleared up on its own. We aren't sure if it was the three months of antibiotics or the other things we tried, but in the end, no infection! so we were thrilled!!! Plus the every two weeks of going to the dr. One side note, my son was really sick the first week, then he acted like a normal little boy for most of the time, except for a runny nose. The ear infections really didn't bother my son that much. Hope this helps some!!! We aren't sure if the entire 4 months was the same infection, or if he was getting recurring ones..but weaning from the bottle at night really helped, I am sure.

B.,
I have heard of chiropractics on a baby. None of my kids have had that done at that age. At this point I would try
anything you can. Has the dr. given anything to stop all the drainage he is having? I took us 3 years to figure out that our son has sever allergies and that was the cause of the Asthma, drainage, repeated bronchitis and
one case of severe pneumonia. I took him in every day for a week and the Dr. decided I was just neurotic and told me it was asthma. I went back the next day and demanded to see someone else, his fever was 104 and he was non responsive, we were personally walked over to the hospital by the dr. and admitted right then. I spent 3 days at the
hospital with him. He was only 15 mos old, and had one and a half lungs full of fluid. Also, does he have
large tonsils? Our daughter had that problem for years because she had huge ones that she never could grow into.
Be sure to check into the medicine to dry up the mucus drainage. Good luck.
W.

B.,
I am a massage therapist and I use to work at a chiropractors office. Most times i have seen chiropractic adjustments make a difference. I saw a litte girl who had repeated ear infections and had tubes in her ears, get completely better and not have to get an operation, the list goes on. Babies heads and necks go through allot going through the birth canal. I went to a class on sudden death syndrome being connected to the axis being out, and that's why babies should not be put on their tummies because of turning their heads. I think you should go and see for yourself, but remember all the antibiotics he has taken, will be h*** o* his system, and may cause other problems. If you are still nursing I would take extra probiotics, if not give him some 3 times a day to help replace the good bacteria. These are things I learned years after I was on antibiotics as a baby and had more problems. Good Luck and I would talk to your neighbor she may know of some good probiotics. S. S

After 3 ear infections in a row and two rounds of antibiotics I used "Mullen Garlic Tincture" by Herb Farm for ear infections. I put the drops in my infant daughter's ears and it worked. She never got another ear infection. This company has been in business for over 25 years and they still make this great product.
I didn't know a chiropractor then or I would have had my daughter adjusted. I found out the benefits later. A chiropractic adjustment can open up your lungs, your ears and have an amazing positive effect. It is all about coming into alignment which is the goal of good health. If you get a good feeling from your chiropractor neighbor then let her help. You will be surprised. It works. (My youngest when 2-1/2 would climb up on the chiropractors table and wait patiently till he was adjusted. It was my appointment, but my chiropractor thought it was so cute that he would work on him for free.) My son stayed very healthy!
GOOD LUCK,
Gale

I don't now about ears and chiropractic help, but my advice is to get the appt with the ENt FAST. My niece has permanetn hearing loss because too many ear infections went by without being fully treated, and now she is paying the price. My daughter had an er infaction and affected temporarily her hearing, and I agressively got an appt and she had surgery to put 'tubes' in her eardrums to drain the fluid from behind her eardrum. In some countries such an operation is routine, in others doctors are more hesitant. You are wonderful to be staying on top of it, but I would raise the possibility with the ENT and find out about options. Your child seems very young for surgery, my daughter was 6 when she had it done. But I can assure you, it saved her hearing. And before 6 she never even had an ear infection. Best of luck.
Regards
P.

my name is T. my son had ear infections from day 1 so we took him to the Dr. he had a fever 103 so they gave us antibotics no improvement. so they referred us to a ENT the Ent tells us he has no hearing in his right ear.all those infections caused my baby to be deaf it's in his inner ear he;s 18 now he can't even go to the military because of this problem.i wish u good luck.

I would take him to see the ENT. It can't hurt to have a specialist take a look at him. My daughter was having ear infections regularly and another mom told me that water can sometimes get trapped in the little ones ears and could cause an infection. Now I don't know if that is true, but I have been extra careful washing her hair these days. I don't know about the chiropractic work on your baby. I wouldn't feel comfortable with someone adjusting my babies bones. Your little one is still just a baby! Hope he feels better soon!

Hi B.!
My youngest boy had very serious and chronic ear infections as a small child from the time he was 2 weeks old. He had 3 sets of tubes by the time he was 3 and 1/2 years old AND he became allergic to all antibiotics except for erythomycin by the time he was one year old. We had no choice. We had to turn to homeopathy and rely upon traditional western medicine with greater discretion. Long story short:

1. We worked with an excellent chiropractor and holistic healer (homeopathy, nutrition, accupressure, acupuncture, etc.). We also worked with physcians who supported our efforts here. There was a lot of collaboration. The advice our chiropractor gave us the the adjustments worked wonders. (His name is Richard Tyler, located in Rocklin ###-###-####. Tell him J., Kevin's mom sent you if you decide to speak with him.)

2. In the process of getting my child well (it took 10 years in our case because he was allergic to so many antibiotics) this is what we learned:

a. Antibiotics leach the good flora from the digestive system, and unless you counter that with good flora (i.e. pro-biotics) then the body cannot properly digest food and it shows up in the bloodstream as "incomplete food breakdown molecules" and the immunune system reads it as something pathalogical. An immune system response triggers fluid/ear flareup - which perpetuates the cycle. So be sure to give pro-biotic supplements before, during and after adiministering antibiotics.

b.We relied upon vitamin C and other herbs including echinnacea and golden seal to help fight ear infections, along with chiropractor adjustments, and ear massages. There are also some accupressure points that you can administer to help the recovery. It requires more time and energy on your part, but I found that my son responded very well to my time and energy and my "healing touch".

3. Check out this book: Childhood Ear Infections by Dr. Michael A. Schmidt. It is well written and provides excellent information about your childs entire immune system with regard to ear infections.

4. We involved every expert that we felt needed to be consulted because there were also serious learning implications from chronic ear infections over his early childhood years. My son had exererienced significant hearing loss from the ear problems - even with 3 sets of tubes. While today, at 17 years of age, he is a normal hearing child, doing well in school and work, his response to the hearing loss required additional support in the form of speech therapy and counseling; he is very intelligent and had learned to read lips and anticipate what people were saying, so he had to re-learn how to LISTEN with normal hearing ability as he matured.

AND we learned that hearing loss in young children can also delay the neurological portions of the brain responsible for motor skills that hold a pen or pencil to write, but it does not affect the neurological portion of the brain responsible for motor skills of the mouth for speech, and touch type. So we discovered he had a limitation for writing with pencils and pens that was out of his control. This was a very strategic discovery and helped him adapt and succeed in school.

By the time he was 10 years old, he was on his way towards complete recovery .

Now that is our situation. I am not saying that your child will travel my son's path. Some of our hindsight may help you deal with potential residual impact of chronic, long term ear problems. Hopefully your nine-month old will not endure years of chronic ear problems. I am happy to discuss further in private if you like: ____@____.com

Best wishes,
J.

Try the chiro, it can't hurt. I totally believe in them. But you really need to try to eliminate the things that may be causing the ear infection. Such as an allergy to smoke or dust or a pet. My granddaughter had an on going ear infection for two years until her Dad went into the Army and wasn't around her for long periods of time. He smoked outside but the little that he carried on his clothes was enough to cause major issues. She is very sensitive to even fireplace smoke and the neighbors burning leaves. Good Luck,
C. Brown
Busy Bees Child Care 2o years experience

Hopefully the fourth antibiotic will work, it is surprising that one of those hasn't.
My opinion which I am sure will annoy many is that chiropractics on babies is silly, and especially for something like an ear infection. What relationship could there possibly be between microorganisms multiplying in an ear and musculoskeletal stuff? It makes no sense. If you try the chiro and the ear infection goes away it will seem to be cause and effect but will probably be coincidental. Hope your baby feels better soon.

Hi B.

My now 2.5 year old son had a similar experience when he was 1 year old that lasted for 2 months. We had just put him in day care, he got sick a week later and stayed sick. Like your son, mine also at times seemed cheerful and playful so I thought maybe he was getting better but the fluid never cleared out of his ears and he'd soon have fever again. The doctor kept trying different antiobiotics, then we had to start taking him daily for shots of an antibiotic. The doctor finally said we needed to either put tubes in his ears or find a different care solution. We took him to an ear specialist (she used to be ENT then went to specializing just for ear) who said his ears were normal (in the sense of how they were formed, etc.) so it was hard for her to recommend tubes, the bugs at the day care were just too much for his system so the fluid didn't get a chance to drain. She said we would probably have to do tubes if we couldn't take him out of day care or find another care solution. I did then try chiropractic at a friend's recommendation but did not see any change or improvement. We were not comfortable getting tubes put in and fortunate in that my husband had just been laid off so he decided to stay home and care for him rather than find another job. Once home with Papa, he got well pretty quickly and hasn't had trouble since that. (I understand our circumstances are special, in that my husband was willing to do this and my work was enough to cover the bills at this time.) Best of luck to you!

B.-

You've gotten a lot of responses, and as most people who read other's responses know, a lot of opinionated people reside here! Good, bad or indifferent, you will hear it all! (Many from those who haven't experienced the problem or don't think things will work because they don't agree or understand). I don't understand it all, but chiropractic techniques helped my daughter who had many ear infections & had to have tubes and the whole banana in that loop. Joanna who answered regarding the homeopathic technique & chiropractic techniques is absolutely right on. I think if you go with what she has suggested you'll have the tools you need to help your child heal. Take each response with a grain of salt & don't let yourself be offended by some who just don't get it. They really do mean well.

D. (a 'been-there' mom of 5)

B....Perhaps the ENT Dr. will take a culture from your little guys ears to find out exactly what the infection is. Then he can perscribe the correct antibiotic that will cure the infection. That is what our ENT did when our twins had chronic ear infections years ago. Our sons ears were so infected they had to be lanced and drained.

God Bless..P.

In the meantime breast milk (if you're nursing or have a nursing friend) straight into the ear helps wonders instead of antibiotics. I would try the CranioSacral or Integrative Manual Therapy, the IMT worked for my daughter. She use to wake up screaming in the mornings and after the IMT it completely stopped. It was like a miracle.

While I do not have experience with chiropractors and cannot comment to that, I wll say that my son had cronic on and off ear infections for over six months starting at about 5 months old. While it wasn't always infected, there was always fluid behind the ear drum because his eustachian tubes didn't drain properly. This is genetic, because I had the same issue as a child.

Our pediatrician finally referred us to an ENT after countless different antibiotics. They waited until he was 1-1/2 years to put ear tubes in, but when they did, they worked immediately. No more ear infections.

Eventually, the tubes fell out after several years, and the ear infections started coming back, so he got another set of tubes put in. He is almost 9 now, and his eustachian tubes have naturally adjusted to work properly (I was told by a doctor that this naturally occurs around 7 years old). After the second set of ear tubes, he has never had an ear infection since.

Good luck!

Hi B.,
The couple of times my son has had an ear infection, he has been on antibiotics for at least 10 days. A week might not be long enough, and the infection might be becoming increasingly resistant. My understanding is that either 10 or 14 days is what's needed. Personally I would not recommend a chiro for a young child because they tend to use more force and less direction to make adjustments than either osteopaths (whom I love) or cranio-sacral specialists. I have gone to all three types of practitioners myself and have had ones I like from all disciplines. Based onb my personal experience, I would recommend an osteopath or C-S specialist for this particluar situation. A few months back I had a sinus infection and a decent amount of fluid in my ears, which was driving my crazy. A cranio-sacral specialist I know got my ears to drain significantly in about 10 minutes. I can tell you from personal experience that both osteopaths and C-S people can drain inner ears (they tug on the ears in a certain way -- to open up the eustacian (sp?) tubes). I could feel my ears draining. Acupuncture might also help, though I don't know how old your child needs to be.
K.

Hi B., I had the same problem with my oldest son. After many sleepless nights getting up with my son, doctor appointments, and antibiotics, I finally decided to try something else. I went to a holistic doctor and changed my son's diet. Turns out that dairy was the culprit for my son (wheat is also common). Once I changed the diet the ear infections stopped! We were so happy. Good luck to you and your son! --L.

My son has the same problem, he had ear infections constantly when he was under the age of one, Now that he is four years old the ear infections are once or twice a year. He gets them from "Post Nasal Drip" I know sounds strange, but when their little noses run and they are sleeping it all drains down the throat and back into their little ears. They seem more common when his allergies are bothering him, and yes he did have allergies when he was smaller in years. We are not able to use the 5 day medications, they seem to get better and when he is done with it in a few days it seems to start over. The doctor and I have come to find he just does not take well to those antibotics, now we take Biaxon( i think thats how to spell it) and it works great. He takes it for 10 days and does very well, the last ear infection we had was around Halloween and we took the new medication and within 24 hours I could tell he was feeling better and after the 10 days of taking this new stuff, it was gone and he was much happier. They also have ear drops the doctor can write out a script for, they numb the ear so they are not hurting. Good luck, some little ones just seem to get ear infections more so than others.

I had my daughter adjusted within 3 weeks of birth. Birth is a trauma to the neck. I worked for a chiropractor up till the time I became pregnant, then I stayed home to take care of baby. I had a wonderful birth experience and as soon as I was up and out of the house I took her in. My son was the same way. My children are 10 & almost 8. They have never had an ear infection. They recieved regular chiropractic adjustments since birth (at least 1x a month). As they grew and were more active I took them in 1x a week.
Also my children are on very excellent healthy diets and the best supplements I have ever researched. Anyway, my friend who had multiple ear infections with her daughter used GSE drops for the ear found in most health stores. She claims they work better than the drugs which can have toxic side effects. Also there are some supplements that are safe at that age. You are welcome to give me a call if you like ###-###-####.
S. Weckter, Nutritionist
Global Wellness Concepts, Inc.

I have never heard of having a chiropractor working on a baby. I would never do that either. THat is a very scary thing. My daughter had chronic ear infections from the time she was 4 months to 8 months. We finally had tubes put in her ears, a very simple operation. After the operation, the doctor said she had so much fluid draining from her ears, that she felt it was one continuous ear infection. We brought her home that day and after she ate, she was a totally different baby. She was so much happier and guess what? She is now 4 1/2 and has never had an ear infection since! It made a world of difference for her! You migh want to talk with your ped. about tubes. It's a simple out patient operation and only the first 1/2 hour when the baby is waking up is it hard. After that, they are usually back to normal!
Good luck!

Our youngest daughter had ear infections from six on until she was eleven months. We would take her in to the doctor and she would have one in her left ear be off of medicine for two days and then her right ear would get infected. I made sure when I feed her I keeped her in an almost upright position like the doctoer told us. It was very frustrating so our peditrician sent us to the ENT and they did a hearing test on her at 11 months old and she was totally deaf. They put tubes in her ears immediately the next day and told us that she would probably still not try to walk for a few more weeks because her balance would still off. She came from her surgery the same day and started pulling her self up to the coffee table took two steps and started walking and within one hour was running after her big sister. She is now twenty and the tubes were a god send for us. She still had a few ear infections over the years when she would get a bad head cold but that was far better then month after month with her screaming in pain. Good luck with your little guy, I have been there and it is not fun watching your child be in pain.

I know a medicine over the counter at Longs for ear infections. I used it once and my son's ear infection went away. If his right ear is infected, have him lay on it so it can drain. It tickles a bit, but it does work. Some people say to use alcohol in the ear. I don't know about small children.
Being around smokers can contribute to ear infections too. If he has congestion, maybe a humidifier can help, if not hold him in your arms above steamed water.

I had ear infections when i was that little. Try adjusting him and taking him off dairy and see if that helps because i know that happens for alot of people. Also what happend to me i became constipated.

My daughter is 29 now, but when she was little as soon as it got cold she would have ongoing ear infections until spring. The antibiotics eventually discolored her teeth (horizontal stripes). I took her to an allergist when she was 11 for another reason. She is allergic to trees, grasses, dust, etc. The allergist said, "She has a long history of ear infections, doesn't she?" After that, using allergy medication (we could just use benidral occasionally), she didn't have a problem with ear infections.
Just remember prescription drugs effect everyone differently. We could use benadrill, but some people have adverse (sleep) reactions.

I have used chiropractors for over 40 years and have had excellent results for all sorts of ailments, NOT restricted to backaches. My children have had adjustments from birth and have been quite healthy. I have had them adjusted for ear infections successfully. Chiropractors are generally more tuned in to the body than medical doctors and can offer suggestions on improving your child's diet to alleviate many of the 'normal' childhood ailments. Give your neighbor a try--you may be quite surprised by the results!

Hi B.

My oldest son use to have ear infections every month with high fevers. We were alway at the emergency dept. One suggestion is not to lay them down with a bottle. My son ended up seeing an ENT specialist and he had fluid in his ears that would not drain properly. They put tubes in his ears which is an out patient procedure that only takes about an hour plus an hour of recovery. Eventually the tubes fall out and my son never had another ear infection. Hope things work out for your baby.
Sincerely J.

B.,

My daughter had an ongoing ear infection when she was 11 months old. She took two rounds of Amoxicilin, and a round of Augmentin and it wouldn't clear up. Finally we went to a different doctor that gave us Ofloxacin ear drops...5 drops per ear twice a day for 10 days. After fighting the infection for a month the drops took care of it. Ask your doctor if this is something that might work for your son.

As far as the chiropractor goes, I don't think I would let a chiropractor touch my baby. I have never heard of a chiropractor working on a baby and I just don't see how adjusting your son could possibly help his problem with ear infections. Just my opinion though, I don't have any personal experience on that one, but I do know the Ofloxacin ear drops helped my daughter. Good luck, I hope something works for you son soon.

my baby had her first ear infection at 7 weeks old...continued on pretty much non stop rounds of antibiotics till 7 months...allergy tested put on singulair and zyrtec every day even though nothing really showed up on her test because they say she was too little got tubes and 4 days later double ear infection and sinus infection that lasted 2 months ...on every antibiotic out there to the point they no longer work for her...as a last effort someone suggested chiropractor and reluctantly we brought her after leaving the peditrition recheck showed ear infection was worse then when that round of antibiotics was started...he felt around and without me telling him of her current infection he could feel it...made me feel the lumps behind her ears and down her neck. after he adjusted her they were gone and her nose began draining ...by the time we got home the fever was gone. we have continued to go 3 times a week for the last 10 months..he has been the only thing that has helped my baby. i was a huge sceptic of chiropractors before but now anytime i hear of someone say their baby has ear infections i suggest go straight to chiropractor. everytime our chiro is on vacation or gone for a few days out of the office she immediatly gets a sinus/ear infection. i say go for it whats the worst that can happen..and just think no more rounds of yucky medicine!!!!

Yes. Chiropractic works very well. Cranial Sacral (some chiropractors offer this as part of their practice) therapy also works very well for ear infections. The very small bones of the ear and the eustachian tube are all connected to the spinal bones of the neck & head. Very subtle manipulation of the bones here allows things to open up and for the mucus to drain through the eustachian tube as it should. I highly recommend someone who works on children regularly. There are several of them in the bay area, and you can locate one through the Berkeley Parents Network referral section. Contrary to what some people think it is quite common for children to go to chiropractors and is extraordinarily helpful for many conditions. There are board certified pediatric chiropractors for this reason.
In addition acupuncture (with or without needles for children) and Chinese herbal medicine work wonders in building the systems immune function so that your baby can fix this himself in the future as well as help rid the body of any current symptoms. This is what I do in my practice and recommend either or both of these options to help your baby.
Also please note that the American Pediatrics Association no longer recommends doctors prescribe antibiotics for ear infections. They now finally recognize the research that has been done showing that kids who receive antibiotics for ear infections get more subsequent ear infections and poor results in treatment. Antibiotics don't work because the far majority of ear infections are viral, which antibiotics will do nothing for.
I am an acupuncturist in Emeryville and I specialize in working with children. This is probably the most common thing I see in my office and I watch child after child get better with natural treatment. If you have any questions about anything I've said I am happy to answer anything I can. Hope this helps.

J. Stevens, L.Ac.
www.yourwholefamilywellness.com
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Infants have short direct tubes called "eustation" tubes that go from the inside of the childs mouth to the ear. It is common for infants to get ear infections partially due to this. If the child is drinking a bottle still, than depending on his/her position while feeding, such as laying down can contribute to your problem. They need to be in an upright position. I found this with my son who also had frequent ear infections. Also I was told that an ear infections can end and restart in a matter of hours, with a different infection. Viruses can't really be treated with antibiotics, and the miss use of antibiotics is what causes resistance to the medications. One other thing that made a difference was that I quit allowing any second hand smoking around my child, the physician said that this was also a contributing factor to the problem. And last but not least all of the medication needs to be taken and no missed doses. This was also something I learned from the physician. As far as a Chiropractor and an infant....children have very flexable bones at this point, and hard for me to believe tha they could be out of place. Any adjustment the wrong way could end up being a lifelong challenge for your child. I would be very very careful allowing anyone to ADJUST my infant for any reason, but than I am not you. I don't know if any of these things apply to you, but I hope this helps somehow, good luck!

B.- My cousin is a Chiropractor and yes it does help. My daughter is almost 8 months and she has been adjusted several times with excellent results. My daughter had symptoms of colic, and once she was adjusted, she was a new child.

Another thing to look at is, are you feeding your child while he is laying flat. It has been shown that if you feed your child when they are laying flat for example in the middle of the night handing the bottle to your child to feed them selves, this allows fluid to be trapped in the middle section of the ear.

Best of luck for you and your son.

I have never heard about adjustments for ear infections. I am an advocate for Chiropractic at times. If I were you I would be cautious about having my baby adjusted. If your neighbor is not great at his work, he could possibly hurt your baby. Proceed with caution.

Also, most ear infections are viral and are not helped by antibiotics. I would take you baby off the antibiotics and allow his immune system to do its job. My daughter was an ear infection baby and we made it through without ever giving her antibiotics. She has now made it an entire year without one. Antibiotics are over prescribed and are contributing to antibiotic resistance. I would talk to your doctor and find out if he believes your baby's infections are viral or bacterial. It seems that if the antibiotics are not working that the infection is of viral nature.

Good luck

Hi B.,

A few people mentioned that your baby might have a milk allergy. I suggest getting your baby tested. Doctors do not like to test baby, so you might have be assertive.

For the future, I suggest you get an otoscope to check ears at home. Another sign that your child might have an ear infection is diarrhea. Another mom gave me this tip. My pediatrician had not heard of this but it in true for my son.

Hope your little guy is feeling better soon!

Angela

Never heard of the chiropractor used for ear infections. But a head's up, a lot of ear infections have to do with an alergy to corn.

Corn is in almost everything that is processed. It is used as a sweetner, and even in breads because yeast needs a sweetner to activate it. Check on taking corn out of the diet, see if that helps. Later on you can re-introduce it to their diet.