Earaches and ear infections are a common occurrence in children.  If you take your child to a traditional doctor for an  ear infection you will most likely be handed a prescription for an antibiotic and possibly pain relieving ear drops.  Instead of a using a prescription you can easily make a home remedy using three ingredients that will both heal and soothe your child safely and naturally.

My family no longer uses antibiotics to treat an ear infection. Antibiotics actually do very little to speed up recovery from an ear infection and they actually raise the risk of negative side effects.  A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found:

“80 out of 100 otherwise healthy children would recover from an acute ear infection within a few days if given medication only to relieve pain or fevers. If all 100 were given antibiotics instead, 92 would be better in the same period, said Dr. Tumaini Coker, the study’s lead author.

AND

“we would also expect three to 10 kids to develop rash and five to 10 to develop diarrhea,” said Coker, a pediatrician at Mattel Children’s Hospital at the University of California-Los Angeles.”   You can read more on the study here.

Instead of using antibiotics for an ear infection I make garlic mullein oil.  This oil soothes their ear aches and heals any ear infection that they may have.  Garlic mullein oil is a staple in our medicine cabinet.  My kids ask for it when they have an ear ache.

I discovered this remedy in my favorite natural remedies book ‘Naturally Healthy Babies and Children’ by Aviva Jill Romm (click on image for more details).

If you don’t want to make your own you can also purchase it at most homeopathic or health food stores.  But if you would like to make it here you go!

Garlic Mullein Oil:

What you need:

1 bulb finely chopped fresh garlic, 1 ounce mullein flowers, and 1 pint olive oil

How to prepare:

Place the ingredients in a saucepan.  Simmer on low for 30 minutes.  Strain, cool, and store in refrigerator for up to 2 years.

How to use:

The oil should be at room temperature when you use it.   To warm it put the drops in a glass eye dropper, or spoon, and hold a match to it for about 2 seconds.  Test to make sure it is not too hot!  Place 3 to 7 drops of the oil into the affected ear.

You can read what led my family to turn to homeopathic remedies here.

Another handy tool that I have in our medicine cabinet is the Dr. Mom Otoscope.  I use this to look in my children’s ears for sign of infection.  This otoscope even comes with a chart so you know what to look for!

If you enjoyed this post you may also like Homemade Hand Sanitizer

or The Healing Power Of An Onion:  Homemade Cough Syrup

DISCLAIMER:
The statements made here have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

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