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Ear Infections and Chiropractic Care

Doctors of chiropractic care have helped ear infections with great success for many years, but many people are simply not aware of that fact. Chiropractic care delivered to a child who suffers with ear infections, or otitis media, is truly amazing. Symptoms of the ear infection normally start to resolve within a day or two of beginning chiropractic. So how does chiropractic care help someone who is suffering with an ear infection? First, lets explain what an ear infection is and how it happens.

The common tern “ear infection” almost always refers to a condition called otitis media. This is a condition where fluid gets trapped behind the ear drum in the middle ear and slowly builds up pressure as infection progresses. This pressure can cause severe pain as any parent of a child who suffers with ear infections can attest. In a normally functioning ear, fluid drains from the middle ear via the Eustachian tube. This is a tube that links the middle ear and the throat. This tube allows for equalization of pressure inside the ear and also draining away of excess secretions. When this works the way its designed even infected fluid drains away before it has time to build up pressure and cause the pain associated with ear infections.
Ear Infections

The common medical treatment for ear infections in to prescribe antibiotics to address the infection. The biggest problem with this approach is the overuse of these drugs and prescribing them in cases of viral infections as antibiotics are proven not to work on viral infections. Another common treatment is to implant tubes in the ear that will do the job the Eustachian tube is designed for. These tubes allow for fluid drainage into the outer ear. Chiropractors have long disagreed with both of these forms of treatment as neither addressed the issue of why the Eustachian tube is not doing the job it was designed to do. Couple that with the fact that the medical treatments used have unwanted side effects and the chiropractic approach to ear infections seems to make sense.

A skilled Doctor of Chiropractic will do an evaluation of the patient suffering from ear infections. During this examination special attention is paid to the alignment of the upper cervical (neck) spine. The nerves that exit the spinal column at this level supply nervous system control to the middle ear and Eustachian tube. When the nervous system control is functioning normally, the Eustachian tube stays open and fully functional draining the middle ear. However, when there is interruption to the nervous system caused by spinal misalignment of the upper cervical region, the middle ear starts to malfunction. When this spinal misalignment or subluxation occurs, often the Eustachian tube constricts and closes. This allows fluid to become stagnant and breeds infection behind the eardrum. This stagnation and infection builds pressure leading to the ear infection along with all the painful symptoms.

Antibiotic use at this stage only addresses the infection and only if it’s a bacterial infection. The underlying spinal subluxation and the Eustachian tube malfunction remain leaving the child a high risk for future ear infections. Chiropractic care for ear infections starts with a proper diagnosis of the cause of the ear infection, subluxation in most cases. Then chiropractic adjustments are safely administered over a short period of time to the upper part of the neck. These are specific and very low force in children. This chiropractic care realigns the upper neck, allows normal nerve supply to the middle ear and ultimately opens the Eustachian tube. This reduces the pressure and the body takes care of the infection itself via the immune system.

The chiropractic approach to ear infections also has no side effects save one, lower likelihood of future ear infections. If your child suffers with ear infections contact The Pain to Health Center in Naperville, IL and set up and appointment with one of our Naperville chiropractors. They will perform a specific chiropractic evaluation and show you how chiropractic care can help your child with his or her ear infections.

Call Pain To Health Care Center for an Appointment Today! (630) 922-6500