The ears, nose and throat are closely connected, which is why they are often dealt with by the same medical expert. The science of dealing with problems of the ear, nose and throat is called otolaryngology; the practitioner is an otolaryngologist.
There are many different types of ear problems. For example, ear pain may be caused by infections of the tonsils, jaw or sinuses. Chronic infection, for example, glue ear, can cause hearing loss that can affect learning and lifestyle, and exposure to loud noise can also damage hearing.. Middle ear infection is also known as otitis media or glue ear.

What are the symptoms of middle ear infection?
The main symptom is an earache. It can be mild, or it can hurt a lot. Babies and young children may be fussy. They may have trouble sleeping and also have fever.

You may see thick, yellow fluid coming from their ears. This happens when the eardrum bursts and the fluid flows out. This is not serious and usually makes the pain go away. The eardrum usually heals on its own. They may have trouble hearing, but their hearing usually returns to normal after the fluid is gone. It may take weeks for the fluid to drain away.

Causes of ear infections
Outer ear infections can spread from general skin infections, or might just happen on your ear. They can be caused by:
• Viruses like herpes,
• Bacteria or
• Fungi, which causes thrush.

Inner ear infections are often caused by:
• Common cold, which spreads through the tube that connects your ears and nose
• Common childhood illnesses such as measles, or
• By getting water in your ear when you have a burst eardrum.

Natural Remedies for Ear Aches
Before antibiotics, parents used home remedies to treat the pain of ear infections.
• Drops of tea tree oil may be beneficial. This herbal treatment has mild anti-bacterial properties, but it may irritate the skin.
• Studies have reported that Otikon, an extract made of various plants, including garlic is an effective anesthetic in treating the pain associated with ear infections. Plants contained in Otikon may have side effects.
• Due to the high risk of burns, ear candles should not be used to remove wax from ears. There is no evidence to indicate that these candles are safe or effective for treatment.
• High fever, severe pain, or other signs of complications should warrant immediate attention by a medical professional.
• Using, ear dropper put 2-3 drops of basil(tulsi leaves) in the infected ear
• Onion juice also relieves ear infections and pain.
• Jetun(olive)oil few drops of olive oil can clear the obstruction in the Eustachian tube and the earwax can easily be moved out of the ear.

Most of the ear infections and aches can be prevented by keeping ears clean using ear buds and keeping the ears dry using soft cotton fabrics. However before following any of the above remedies the otolaryngologist should be consulted to avoid further infections.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 31st, 2008 at 8:31 am and is filed under Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.