Protect Your Children From Ear Infections!

Bradley Weinstein, D.C., offers an alternative way to protect your children from ear infections.

Ear infection, or Otitis Media, is the most common reason for visits to the pediatrician’s office. According to USA Today, 85% of all children will suffer from an ear infection before the age of 3. Diagnosed ear infections have increased over 300% since 1975.

Historically, the treatment for ear infection has been antibiotics. This method of treatment has come under attack over the past several years for many reasons. The first reason is that with so many cases of ear infections, there is an over use and over prescription of antibiotics leading to what is termed “antibiotic resistant bacteria” or “super bug”. The second is that research has not demonstrated that antibiotics are actually effective in treatment of ear infections. And finally, antibiotics are only an attempt to treat the symptoms of the ear infection and not eliminate the actual cause.

A more drastic treatment approach involves putting a hole in the eardrum. A small tube is implanted to drain the middle ear. This treatment carries the general risk of anesthesia. Results can be short-lived, produce scar tissue, invite infection and, again, don’t address the real cause of the problem.

One of the more holistic, natural approaches involving ear infections is Chiropractic care. The Chiropractic approach involves determining the cause of the problem. There is a direct link between the nerves in the neck (superior cervical ganglion), the muscles of the Eustachian tubes (tensor veli palatine) and the middle ear. The middle ear drains through the Eustachian tubes. These tubes open and close through the action of a muscle, which is controlled by a nerve. When this nerve is not functioning normally, the muscle may go into spasm, which constricts the Eustachian tube, restricting drainage and thereby causing fluid build up in the middle ear. This fluid, along with a stressed immune system, may result in an ear infection.

Ultimately then, it this “nerve interference” that may cause young children to suffer as they do. It is the job of the Chiropractor is to detect this nerve interference and correct it. The correction is a gentle “adjustment” to the cervical spine, creating proper alignment. By correcting this interference the cause of the problem is removed. This gives the body’s natural recuperative ability the opportunity to heal. The Chiropractic “adjustment” is simple, safe and effective.

An October 1997 study in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic in Pediatrics evaluated three hundred children. Most of these children experienced several infections occurring less than six months apart. Children with mild infections were given three to five treatments to cervical vertebrae. The infections in these treated children cleared in an average of seven to nine days. Most notable, however, is that six months after their initial visit, 80 percent of the children had not suffered a recurrence. During this time, some children received three to four maintenance adjustments; others required none (as determined by the practitioner). Chiropractors apply extremely light pressure, therefore your child should feel no discomfort during the spinal adjustments, Chiropractic care doesn't treat earaches, but it often revives the body's own inborn natural healing ability without drugs or surgery.

Dr Bradley Weinstein is a Chiropractor practicing in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Dr. Weinstein has written many articles pertaining to various health related topics and is also a guest lecturer. Dr. Weinstein is also a regular contributor to CommitmentNow. For more information on Chiropractic or to contact Dr. Weinstein, please email DrBradleyWeinstein@gmail.com.