Ear Infections; The Truth Every Parent Should Know
Ask most any parent about ear infections, and you will most likely hear one horror story after another. Ear infection, or Otitis Media, is the most common reason for visits to the pediatrician's office. And is the #1 reason for visits to the emergency room. In fact, visits to the doctor's office for ear infections have increased over 150% from 1975 through 1990. It is estimated that over 30 million visits are made very year in an attempt to deal with this problem.
Otitis Media is the general name for several conditions affecting the middle ear. The most common symptoms are earache, a feeling of pressure, and perhaps difficulty hearing due to increased amounts of fluid. Teething often produces similar symptoms; therefore one must carefully observe before jumping to any conclusions.
Historically, the treatment for ear infections has been antibiotics. This method of treatment has come under severe attack over the past several years for many reasons.
The first reason is overuse and over prescription of these antibiotics has led to what is termed "antibiotic resistant bacteria". These bacteria have "evolved" and changed so that the antibiotics no longer affect them. Because of this phenomenon, stronger and stronger antibiotics are being used, which is leading to more and more resistance.
Another reason use of antibiotics has come under fire is because study after study has demonstrated that they are not effective. In other words, they don't work! Sure, many times the infection will go away, but it quickly returns with a vengeance, and so begins the antibiotic roller coaster.
The reasons they continually reoccur is twofold:
The more physical reason children suffer from ear infections is because of the actual anatomy of the young ear.
The obvious question from most parents now is: what can we do? The answer lies in a new level of thinking.
There is a direct link between the nerves in the neck (the superior cervical ganglion), the muscles of the Eustachian Tubes (tensor veli palatini) and the middle ear. Let me explain: The middle ear drains any fluid through the Eustachian Tubes. These tubes open and close through the action of a muscle, which is controlled by a nerve. This nerve originates in the neck. When this nerve is not functioning normally, the tensor veli palatini muscle may go into spasm, which constricts the Eustachian tube; restricting draining and causing fluid build up in the middle ear. This fluid, combined with a stressed immune system, may result in an ear infection. Ultimately then, this "nerve interference" may cause your children to suffer as they do. My job as a chiropractor is to detect this nerve interference called subluxation, and correct it. A subluxation is a misalignment of a bone in the spine that pinches, stretches or twists a nerve resulting in interference. By correcting this interference, the child's body accesses the potential to heal and be well as it was intended to. With proper chiropractic care, your child will be able to live a life free of nerve interference and free from drugs. Through advances in technology such as Surface EMG and Thermal Scans, a chiropractor can easily detect these subluxations and monitor their correction as well. This enables chiropractors to be accurate and objective, allowing you the best care possible. Treating the symptoms of ear infections with antibiotics has proven to be ineffective. Correcting the cause through chiropractic has been shown to help over 90% of all children with ear infections. Give your children a fighting chance with chiropractic. It could change your lives! |