Earache Remedies

An earache home remedy is a simple concoction that can easily be created from items readily available. There are things in your medicine cabinet, bathroom, pantry and even your spice cabinet that will make a perfectly good remedy to cure an annoying earache. When your child is in a bad mood because his ear hurts, you will be glad that you can easily throw together a remedy and quickly rid him of the pain.

Start with your medicine cabinet. A bit of ibuprofen or acetaminophen combined with ear drops or other remedy will help sooth the pain quickly while the drops tackle the cause. A hot water bottle makes an excellent compress, as does a non-electrical heating pad. Just make sure that the temperature is not too hot. A baby’s teething gel becomes a remedy for an earache when a couple of drops are placed on a cotton ball. Hydrogen peroxide, mouthwash, medicinal chest rub and tiger balm work the same way. You should have at least one of these items somewhere in your bathroom if not in your medicine cabinet. Mineral oil is another handy ingredient to have. Warm drops can be placed in the ear to treat an earache. Or they can be used to keep water out. Just use a few drops before swimming or bathing.

Grab the rubbing alcohol from the bathroom and make your way to the kitchen. Get out the white vinegar and mix a 50/50 combination of the two. These drops will help clear up an earache, ear infection or swimmers ear. They are safe to use after every dip in the pool or tub to keep future earaches at bay. A favorite kitchen ingredient in earache remedies is olive oil. By itself, it can be warmed and used as drops. You can mix it with cinnamon, fresh cut garlic or raw onion juice for effective ear drops. Brush it on a piece of a fresh garlic clove and place on the ear for a simple cure. Create a paste by crushing basil, tumeric, garlic, ginger or onions and warm it. When wrapped in a cloth, it becomes a poultice that can be applied to the outside of the ear. Onions can also be used in cooked form. Stick with steaming or baking and leave the skin on. One half of the onion can be held cut side against the affected ear for relief or the onion can be crushed and the juice used for drops. Either way, make sure it isn’t too hot.

Any of these remedies should help relieve the pain of an earache and cure the cause of it. Use hot soup and herbal teas for comfort food. Take vitamin C to help the immune system do battle with the earache. Try making a different earache home remedy each time until you find the one that works the best for you.

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It may take a little more effort to locate an earache home remedy when you’re on the road. Of course, you may also be on a plane or a ship. The point is that an earache isn’t necessarily going to occur only when you’re at home and your medicine cabinet is readily available. You may have to put some work into locating an earache remedy while traveling if you haven’t planned ahead for the possibility. Some earache remedies involve food ingredients, which you will probably want to avoid packing. Others involve ingredients that you may have packed for another purpose, such as mouthwash and cotton balls.

Ideally, you are traveling to visit a friend or family member. In that situation, you can simply raid their pantry and/or medicine cabinet to find the necessary ingredients. Worst case scenario here, they know where the nearest store is and can take you to pick up what you need. If you are traveling with a child who is grouchy because he is sick, you will be glad to easily cure what ails him. Even if you are not visiting someone but are traveling in the same country, you should find it fairly easy to locate what you need. You can ask the staff at the hotel or use the handy dandy GPS to locate a pharmacy or grocery store.

Traveling to a foreign county makes this situation a lot more interesting. With luck, you either speak enough of the language to communicate or you find someone who speaks your language. A lot of times, hotel staff is your best bet with this as well. If you know nothing of the language and can’t find someone to translate, well, you’re not in Kansas anymore. Being sick or dealing with a child who is sick in a foreign country will make for a very memorable vacation. Find the nearest pharmacy or grocery store and go on a treasure hunt. Brand names are often universal, so even if the instructions are unrecognizable, the product should look familiar. As a last resort, you can seek out a doctor or hospital. Sign language should help you out here. You may not understand exactly what the question is, but if you point at your ear and grimace, they should get the idea. This might work with the pharmacist as well.

Other situations, such as being on a plane or ship have their own circumstances. Both place heavy restrictions on what can be brought on board. Chewing gum on a plane will help to work out the pressure built up in your ears. It may not be feasible to use some remedies in these settings, but a small bottle of ear drops and some ibuprofen or acetaminophen may do the trick. When you are going to be traveling, know what ingredients for an earache home remedy you can take with you and don’t forget to pack them.

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Herbs are used for several reasons, in this piece we will talk about how herbs are used as an earache home remedy.

One of the herbs that are used as an earache home remedy is clove. Cloves are notoriously known for their ability to bring comfort to someone with a tooth ache; however they comfort earache as well.  Clove is said to have germicidal properties as well as the compound eugenol which both aid in infection and to numb painful areas, as well as an anti-inflammatory property. When clove is used as a medicinal application however, it is usually in the form of oil. When an earache is discovered, warmed clove oil and sesame oil are usually mixed together and then massaged around the outside of the afflicted ear(s).

Herbs in the form of tea are also used as an earache home remedy.  Herbs such as basil in the form of a tea help earache because it is said to help ease congestion that may be a source of the ear ache. Basil tea is also to be said to help relieve pain caused by earache. Another herbal tea that is commonly used as an earache home remedy is summer savory. Summer savory is known to help the person afflicted with earache to relax, and it is also said to help reduce the pain that the earache is causing.

Herbal compresses are another way herbs are employed as an earache home remedy. Herbs such as chamomile and/or lavender. Lavender is chosen as an herb to use in a compress for an earache home remedy because it is very soothing to the aching ear. Chamomile is used as an ingredient, because it helps reduce the pain. One or both of these herbs are used  in the herbal compress by making an infusion. An infusion is made by placing one or two tablespoons of a herb into a bowl, and then the herbs are covered with hot water and allowed to steep .  A towel is then placed in this warm herbal infusion and placed on the afflicted ear(s). This can be redone as needed, however this method is contraindicated in people that have a perforated or other type of ear drum damage.

Ginger, onion and garlic are other herbal methods used for an earache home remedy. Ginger root is known as an anti-inflammatory, and has analgesic properties as well.  Ginger is used freshly grated, the juice extracted and then sometimes mixed with olive oil or sesame oil, slightly warmed and a few drops are then placed in the ear.  Onion, is used by first roasting it in the oven,  so that the juices are stimulated, this onion is wrapped in a cloth and then placed against the ear to relieve pain. Last but not least, garlic is another earache home remedy. A piece of garlic is cut to fit to the ear, and peeled, wrapped in gauze and then placed in the afflicted ear(s).

These are the some of the ways that herbs are used as an earache home remedy!

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Nutrition can play an important role in maintaining health, and certain nutritional supplements can keep earaches at bay and also be used as an earache home remedy. Nutritional supplements are used in a way as to help build up the immune system, to help eradicate an earache when it occurs and to keep them away as well.

One of the supplements that are used as an earache home remedy is vitamin C. Earache is sometimes caused by a virus, a cold or other type of infection.  Vitamin C helps build the immune system by increasing infection fighting white blood cell counts, and it has a compound that helps protect cells from virus entry. Vitamin C is naturally found in oranges, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits. Vitamin C is also found in non-citrus fruits such as strawberries, cantaloupe, papaya, and kiwi, and vegetables such as broccoli, bell pepper, and cauliflower.  If you are taking vitamin C to help fight a current bout of earache, taking 1,000-3,000 mg of vitamin C daily will help knock it out.  Vitamin C is a good supplement to use as an earache home remedy for both adults and children alike.

Zinc is another supplement that is used as an earache home remedy.  Zinc is considered to be a vital supplement in healing from injury and/or infection. Zinc can also reduce ear infection, as earache can be a sign of an ear infection.  Zinc is usually found in food sources such as meat, turkey, eggs, seafood and other animal derived sources.  However zinc, can also be found in plant sources such as beans, nuts, oats, Swiss chard, and wheat germ.  Zinc can also be found in tablet form, and as a zinc lozenge at your health food store.

Vitamin E is used in fighting earache because it too boosts the immune system. Vitamin E, also promotes healing of the mucous membranes of the ear, which is essential when fighting earache.  Vitamin E is naturally found in avocado, nuts, seeds, enriched cereals and some vegetable oils. The effects of vitamin E are enhanced by taking Vitamin C.

Vitamins B3 and B6 is healing as well, boosts immune system and relieves pressure in the ear(s) afflicted by earache.  Vitamin B has also been found in recent studies to relieve chronic pain.  Good sources of vitamin B3 are salmon, halibut, asparagus

Last but not least, another nutritional supplement that helps as an earache home remedy is lactobacillus acidophilus.  Lactobacillus acidophilus is naturally occurring in the body, however long term heavy antibiotic usage which can happen with over prescribing of antibiotics which can occur in those that have suffered long term with earache. This supplement is said to increase the immune system response, normalize good bacteria in the intestine that may have been disturbed by medication and/or antibiotics.  Lactobacillus acidophilus is naturally found in yogurt, cheese, and milk products, so these are good products to eat while taking antibiotics or after taking antibiotics to keep healthy flora active. Acidophilus is also used by physicians to fight infections, again to say that many causes of earache are caused by infection.

These are some of the ways that nutritional supplements are used as an earache home remedy, as earaches can sometimes be a result of lowered immunity. Remember if earache does not subside within a short amount of time to see your health care provider. Also be sure to check with your health care provider to make sure any supplements that are taken do not interfere with any medication if you are taking them in other forms beside natural food sources.

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