HOMEOPATHY FOR SWIMMERS EAR AND EAR PAIN

Homeopathy for Swimmers ear and ear pain

If you have ever suffered from ear pain, you probably know how unbearable it can be. Homeopathy is a fantastic natural option for ear pain.

One of my children used to suffer from middle ear infections and the other one from swimmers ear, otherwise known as otitis externa. I remember how difficult it was to see my younger daughter in pain and I was so glad to have remedies at hand for the pain as well as the infection. 

I have treated many ear infections over the years chronic as well as acute and remedies for pain relief are always at the top of my list.
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Outer ear infections are located on the ear canal from the outside of the eardrum to the opening of the ear. They tend to happen from injury to the ear canal from scratching with the fingernails or a foreign object. This can also happen when water gets stuck in that the ear canal and that warm and dark environment is the ideal for bacterial growth.

Symptoms may include redness, pain and inflammation. If you are having ear pain related to a cold, read my other blog for cold remedies.

On the other side, middle ear infections tend to develop with upper respiratory illnesses such as the cold or flu when the germs travel through the connected canals ear-throat-mouth and infect the Eustachian tubes. The tubes become clogged with fluid producing a sense of fullness in the ear and there may be loss of hearing. 
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Symptoms of a middle ear infection include:

• Pain often felt like a throbbing
• Discharge from the ear that may be blood-streaked or smelly
• loss of hearing from that ear
• sensation of fullness
• fever
• feeling itchy inside the ear

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HOW TO TACKE SWIMMERS EAR-AND OUTER EAR INFECTIONS- WITH HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES
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​Swimmers ear is one of the most well know outer ear infections. It happens when water remains in the outer canal and creates a perfect environment for breed bacteria. 
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One of my daughters gets it very often after swimming in the water during the summer and it, in fact, it is very common among children or adults that pass a lot of time in the water.

The typical scenario is that she would go to the swimming pool and the day after, she will wake up with pain, clicking and popping sounds in the ear.

And you may ask, what remedies did you give to your daughter for swimmers ear?

The truth is that there is more than one way to tackle things and for her Belladonna and Pulsatilla used to do the trick although there are many other possibilities.

​​These are the most commonly indicated remedies and you may choose any of the possibilities depending on many factors, which remedies do you have available, how painful it is and what time of the day it is, if this is happening in the middle of the night and you just woke up you may want to choose a combination for your sake or your child's sake!

BELLADONNA 200
This is the first remedy to think during the first days of the infection. This is a big anti-inflammatory remedy and your child may say that he feels " the heart on his ear" which translates to a throbbing sensation which is characteristic of this remedy.
The ear may feel hot and full inside and if you look inside it may be bright red.

Belladonna has kind of suddenness to it, so it may be the case that the symptoms develop really quickly and come and go.

Belladonna also fits swimming ear quite nicely as one of the causations is " head getting wet". All around, a great first remedy.

CHAMOMILLA 200

This remedy is also a big pain remedy and the important note about it, is that the person is finding difficult to "bear the pain". They may become very irritable and besides themselves and can not be appeased demanding something for the pain.

So if you or your child are saying " just give me anything for the pain" this remedy will be very helpful. Use it alongside other infection remedy or on its own.

Chamomilla is considered to be the OPIUM OF HOMEOPATHY! so you know why this is an important pain remedy to keep in your kit.
The pain may feel as if pulsating and the ears can feel stopped.

PULSATILLA 30
With pulsatilla, there is a lot of congestion to the area, there may be even a thick yellow discharge from the ear. 

Have you ever heard your child say, -it feels like a balloon that is trying to push out from the inside of the ear- my own daughter which was helped many times by Pulsatilla used to describe it like this. 

That is the sensation of distension so characteristic of Pulsatilla.

People needing this remedy can also be quite emotional and tearful and children may want more cuddles than usual.

KALI MUR 30c 
This is a helpful remedy to keep at hand and it is complementary to Pulsatilla.

It follows Pulsatilla well and tends to finish the job if Pulsatilla is helping but not completely clearing it. For instance, Pulsatilla is helping with the ear pain and discharge but after a few days, there is no further improvement.

Kali mur is the remedy for discharges, so use it if there is stuff coming out of the ear and it is not drying out.

HEPAR 200 
For this scenario, you will be looking at a bit further than the original first couple of days of inflammation. 

Hepar Sulph is a good remedy for any stablished infection and tends to include a bit of suppuration. The discharge is thick and gluey and can be smelly.

However, Hepar is also indicated if there is not suppuration, the indication is strong ear pain which is always worse by any cold exposure to the ear, so the person may want to have the ears covered all of the time using a scarf or any other clothing.

Pain can be felt like stitching but not the only sensation, so don't worry if the pain is not described like this. Hepar Sulph is a good natural antibiotic in homeopathic terms and is often indicated in infections. It is often prescribed for infections in the Banerji Protocols and there is a good reason for it!

ACONITE+BELLADONNA+ CHAMOMILLA 200 -ABC combination

But what happens when you are on holiday your child has been swimming in the ocean and you are woken up in the middle of the night crying with pain? 

You may not have a full kit or even have the time to start reading this blog at 3: 00 am with a screaming child. Don't worry, that is the beauty of knowing how to tackle problems with different methodologies.

Use this combination of remedies, all together at the same time and it will tide you until the morning and sometimes, that will be all that you need! It may be clear in a day or so.

You are including remedies for inflammation, pain and an aetiology; getting cold and wet to the head. This is spot on.
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BANERJI PROTOCOL

For middle ear infections the Banerjies use

• Hepar Sulph 200 in alternation every 3 hours with
• Belladonna 30

If mastoids bones are affected add

• Symphytum 200 twice per day

​​HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR THE OTITIS MEDIA OR INNER EAR INFECTION
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Inner ear infections can be a bit more painful and produce more discomfort because they build pressure in the tubes.

The most common scenario is a child or adult that has had a respiratory upper infection and after a week or so, he starts to complain or ear pain. That is usually because the discharge is not being able to clear from the tubes and bacteria starts to grow there.

For the first stage, in the first couple of days use the same remedies as for an outer ear infection above. Read my blog for first stages or acute viral infections here.

• Belladonna
• Chamomilla
• or the combination ABC.

​But if these remedies are not able to clear the problem and the infection in the middle ear remains the same or you have passed that stage, then you need other remedies:

HEPAR SULPH, PULSATILLA and KALI MUR  will probably more indicated.

To this ones we want to add a 3rd one that is also commonly indicated:

MERCURIOUS SOL 200
This is also a suppurative remedy and for infections that are stablished. 
The discharge tends to be thin,  green- yellow, quite foul and can contain traces of blood . 

Even though you will be using a deeper remedy like Mercuriuos, you can still alternate it with Bell or Chamomilla to relieve pain and inflammation.

Merc and Bell are very often needed in alternation to speed up the process.

Mercurious is also complementary to Hepar Sulph. So if you have been using Hepar Sulph and it was helping but now things seems to stand still or regress Mercurious  may be indicated.
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