Introduction
Earache is a very troublesome condition, which occurs more in children than in adults. They happen when the Eustachian tubes (the tubes leading from the throat to the middle ear) get plugged. This can happen due to several reasons. Some of the commonest reasons for earache are:-
(i) Exposure to constant loud sounds
(ii) Common cold
(iii) Pressure differences, like taking a flight
(iv) Extreme pressure on the ear, like if someone hits on the ear or having a fall
(v) Infection in the ear, or an insect entering the ear
(vi) Excessive wax deposition in the ear
(vii) Ear-nose-throat problems.
It is observed that earache is more common in the nighttime than during the day. This is because during the nighttime, the person lies down and stops using the throat muscles. Due to this, the Eustachian tubes can get more congested and hence there is more feeling of pain.
Home Remedies for Earache
Earaches can occur quite suddenly, especially in children. Young babies may not be able to express the problem properly, but when they are tugging at their ears and not seeming their usual self, we ought to understand. It is always difficult to find a medicinal remedy for earache at the spur of the moment. Hence, home remedies are always the best.
Luckily, there are several home remedies that show very good results in allaying earaches. The following is a list of some of the best earache remedies that have been used since ancient times:-
- Take a teaspoonful of sesame oil and add half a clove of garlic to it. Heat it on a flame till it becomes a little warm. Lie on your side on the bed. Put four drops of the oil in the open ear. Lie on this side for ten minutes. Then turn over and put the oil in the other ear also. Lie on this side too for ten minutes. This is one of the useful home remedies for earache.
- Take some licorice and warm it slightly in ghee. Prepare a pasty mixture of the two. Then apply this mixture externally around the ear. After some minutes, relief from the earache is ensured.
- Pluck some leaves of the castor plant. Introduce this in some warm sesame oil and dab the oil around the ears. Apply it as though you are giving light fomentation with the oil.
- The following remedy works if there is a discharge of pus from the ears along with the pain. Take a piece of the guggulu herb (Commiphora wightii) and burn it. Extinguish it before it burns completely. It will start smoking. Let this smoke enter into the affected ear. This will reduce the pain and also stop the pus from oozing out.
- The oil of the ajwain (Bishop's weed) is excellent for ear problems. Take some of this oil and mix it three times of the amount with sesame oil. Warm it a little on a flame. Then put this mixture of oils in the ears. Four drops in each ear at a time would be sufficient.
- Take about four to five cloves of garlic. Put them into some linseed oil and burn them. Then filter this oil and store it in a glass bottle. Apply this oil once in the morning and once in the evening on the ears. The relief from the earache is ensured and will happen within a few short days. This is one of the best home remedies for earache.
- Take some leaves of the tulsi (holy basil, Ocimum sanctum) and grind them to a paste. Put this on a flame and then warm it a little. Then cool it. When its temperature is just about tolerable, put four to five drops of this oil in the ears. This is a sure-shot remedy to get relief from the earaches.
- One more simple remedy is to foment the ear externally with some cotton. Put this cotton in your ear, especially if the climate is too cold.
- Extract the juice of the tender leaves of a mango and make it a little warm. Putting this in the ears – four drops in each ear at a time – helps in the treatment of earaches.
- Chop a radish into tiny pieces. Put these pieces in mustard oil and warm it. Then put this oil in a glass bottle. When there is pain in the ears, put a couple of drops of this oil in each ear. This brings quick relief.
- The following is a very good remedy for whatever kind of earache you might have. With a knife make an incision on the bark of a banana tree and extract some of its juice. Warm this oil a little and put it in the ears before going to bed each night. Put about three to four drops of oil in each ear. In the morning when you wake up, the pain will have gone for ever. This is one of the useful home remedies for earache.
- Warm some juice extracted from a piece of ginger and put a few drops of it in the ears. This brings quick relief in any kind of earache.
- Another easy option is to put some warmed mustard oil into the ears. Four drops of the oil in each ear are enough.
- If there is pain in the ears, then extract the juice of an onion, warm it a little and then put it in four drops quantity in each ear. This has better effects if done when going to bed each night.
- This remedy uses breast milk. So it works if there is an access to breast milk. Grind some bottle gourd into a paste. Extract the juices from this paste. Then take an equal quantity of the breast milk and warm it a little. This brings extremely immediate remedy in case of ear aches.
- Put some seeds of the fenugreek in any kind of oil; mustard and linseed oils are the best. Then warm this a little. After that, cool the oil, filter it and then put it in each ear. About four to five drops of the oil in each ear will do the trick. This helps in eliminating the pain completely.
- If you are lying on your bed and you suddenly develop a pain in the ear, then most times, simply sitting up on the bed will solve the problem. Sit up and shake your head to the left and right, as though you are nodding at something. Another thing you can try doing is to swallow some food. Remember that constant swallowing is good for ear pains. This can also allay the earache. However, remember that these are all temporary remedies.
- Extract some juice of a few garlic cloves and then warm it a little. Put a few drops of this in each paining ear. Garlic is an antibiotic, hence it helps in relieving the earaches. This is one of the important home remedies for earache.
- Earaches that occur due to flying can be easily controlled. Keep a candy or chewing gum handy. When the pain begins, just pop these in the mouth and chew on them. You can also try yawning several types to ease the pain. If you keep the throat muscles worked, the pain will dissipate.
- Earaches obtained from swimming can be controlled with a small preventive measure. Just take some mineral oil and put two drops of it in each ear before going for the swim. This will ensure that the pressure differences inside the water do not bring on a pain.
- The root of the bael (Aegle marmelos) is effective in curing earaches and other ear problems. Take a hard piece of the bael root and then dip it in enough amount of neem (Azadirachta indica) oil to submerge the root completely. Then light the root. Oil will begin to drip from the root from its burning end. This oil is very valuable as it combines the antiseptic properties of the neem with the astringent properties of the bael. Put this oil into each ear – four drops in each – whenever there is earache. Relief is assured.
- Another good home remedy for earache is to take about half a teaspoonful of the seeds of ajwain and put them in 30 milliliters of milk. Wait till the essence of the seeds are seeped into the milk thoroughly. Then filter the milk, and use the filtered milk to put as drops into the ears. Put four drops in each pain. This therapy reduces the congestion of the Eustachian tubes and provides relief from earaches.
- Ginger is an excellent natural painkiller. If you just take an extracted juice of some ginger and put it into each ear. This will heal the earache in most cases.
Avoiding Earache
Earache is a very common problem in children. But it can be avoided if some precautions are taken:-
(i) Keep your ears covered and protected from cold winds. Make sure to cover your ears when traveling against the wind, especially in the nighttime.
(ii) When on a flight, always keep some chewing gum in your mouth. Keep biting on it, especially when the altitude is very high. This will ensure protection from earaches.
(iii) Check your children's ears if they are touching their ears often. Children cannot express earaches properly. You need it to check it for yourself. If you cannot find the problem, put some torchlight into the ear and check. It could be an ant or some insect. Pull it out very gently if you can. If you cannot, put some mustard oil into the ear. The insect will float out.
(iv) Keep children's ears always clean. Use special ear buds designed for children. Ear infections are the primary cause of earaches in children.
(v) If you have got an earache due to common cold, you must take medication for the common cold. The earache will automatically subside.
(vi) Never put any sharp objects into the ears.
(vii) Keep your ears well protected from loud noises. Be careful when you visit discotheques and such places where there are continuous loud sounds.
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