Stars 4 Kidz

Archive for May, 2011

Ugh, earaches! They can keep your child and you up all night! A child’s tears caused by painful earaches can be heartbreaking. And, it seems that so little can be done to prevent and treat them, even with medication. Earaches come in all strengths and sizes and occur at all ages. As a writer of health articles involving children, I’ve previously written that by the age of three years, more than 70 percent of children will have had at least one episode of earache; and nearly a third of those will have had three or more! It may not surprise you, as a parent of young children, that earaches are the most common reason for a visit to a pediatrician. But, it may surprise you that earaches are also the most widespread reason for children under the age of five years to be taken by parents to see a chiropractor!

That’s right. There is an alternative treatment that is healthier for your child than the general treatment by pediatricians of a course of antibiotics for middle ear infection. In fact, advanced medical research has determined that this type of treatment is often imprudent because the basis for a child’s middle ear infection may not be due to bacteria. Antibiotics, as we all know, is only effective against bacterial pathogens so there can be no positive result by giving a child antibiotics. Antibiotics are tough enough on a child’s body when necessary, but given when they will not be effective in the least is a risky practice. Since middle ear infections can be generated by a virus, and viruses do not respond to antibiotics, children who are given antibiotics can actually develop chronic ear infections!

A pediatric chiropractor can determine whether or not a child’s inability to combat an earache or ear infection is generated by inflammation of the small nerves in the spine (called free nerve endings). An abnormal tension in the small muscles of the neck is created when these nerve endings are irritated, and such muscle tension can place pressure on the lymphatic drainage ducts. This results in inadequate drainage from inside the ear and prevents the child’s body from being able to naturally fight the problem.

If a chiropractor feels elevated tension in the neck and paraspinal muscles on the side with the earache, this is indicative of inadequate drainage of lymphatic ducts. In addition, the chiropractor will palpate to see which spinal vertebrae are either moderately out of alignment or not moving within their normal range, which may have been the result of any one of the variety of bangs, jolts and falls that almost all children experience in the early years of their life. Frequently, a short series of spinal adjustments and manipulation of the neck muscles can help to restore normal lymph drainage.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), ear infection in children accounts for at least 6 million courses of antibiotics are unnecessarily prescribed for the problem! So remember, if your child is suffering from an earache or an ear infection, contact a pediatric chiropractor who may be able to provide the the type of effective treatment necessary to end your child’s pain and discomfort naturally.

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