Ear Infection Dilemma
75% of kids under the age
of 5 will have an ear infection. 75% of those ear infections are viral in nature. The problem is that because a parent hates seeing a child suffering, they will do anything to help, including giving an antibiotic. Why is an antibiotic a problem? They kill off bacteria. If the ear infection is viral in nature, that drug did nothing to remedy the situation.
The bigger issue at play is that now that antibiotic also killed off any beneficial bacteria. What do the beneficial bacteria have to do with helping a child's immune system? For every 1 human cell, a person (even kids) should have 10 beneficial, symbiotic bacteria. These bacteria feed the immune system. They convert food into usable nutrients. The more beneficial bacteria present also creates an army inside the body to fight off and crowd out any harmful bacteria or pathogens.
At our place, when we help kids with ear infections, we aren't treating the ear, we are supporting the immune system. The #1 way we help is by getting to the root of WHY the immune system isn't as strong as it should be. What ends up happening is we uncover a host of small insults that have led to the larger problem. We call it ear infection by 1,000 cuts.
What all those little insults do is shift the nervous system away from growth and healing to survival and protection. If you are scared or stressed out, your muscles get tight, your blood vessels constrict, your immune system diminishes, and you often don't feel these effects until the stress is over. Your kids are no different, they just express stress in a different manner.
"This place has changed the health of my entire family! Dr. Kurt DC cleared up my toddler's recurring ear infections and kept my 1 yr old from EVER getting sick by boosting his immune system beyond what I could imagine." - Amanda
The stress can be physical stress like they had a hard fall. The stress can be chemical like eating foods that inflame the system. The stress can be emotional/social like if mom or dad is deployed. There are many ways, these are just examples.
Your child's ear drains through some internal plumbing called the Eustachian tube. This tube is a muscle and controlled by a nerve. If the child is stressed (physical, chemical, and/or emotional), that can make the muscles get tight (the Eustachian tube) and clamp down. This doesn't allow the tube to drain properly and fluid builds up. There is a potential for infection now since the fluid is stagnant. It can become red, inflamed, and painful for the child. I know, I was that kid.
Instead of treating it with antibiotics, we focus on supporting the immune system by balancing out that nervous system and addressing the stressors that are within the parent's control. There are often dietary changes, supplement recommendations, and chiropractic recommendations. This may sound like a lot for a perceived simple ear infection but it's effective; not just for overcoming the ear infection but preventing future ones.
Best of all, it's safe and gentle for the child. If you're in the Colorado Springs vicinity, take advantage of our free 15 minute phone consultation to see if we can be a help to your child's ear infections by boosting their immune system.