9 million children in the United States will develop an ear infection this year.
Over 8 million of those children will take antibiotics that are no more helpful of ridding the child of the infection than doing nothing at all.
More and more parents are looking to find answers regarding their children’s health- not based on the symptoms their child is experiencing, but rather the function of their body.
Boats, however big or small inherently have one large flaw. If they take on water either by formation of a hole or waves over the edge, they begin to sink. There are only two options to counter this problem.
The most popular way to approach the issue is to fight the disease, or in this case water flowing in by bailing it out with a bucket. This approach may seem to work for a short period of time, but does nothing to solve the cause of the problem nor does it decrease the chance of the boat from taking on water on another voyage. Sooner or later you will need to use large auxiliary pumps (more rounds of stronger antibiotics) to just keep up with the water sinking your boat. This approach is identical to the way most modern medical providers address a child with an ear infection.
An ear infection is essentially a plumbing problem. The ear naturally drains through the eustachian tube. When the eustachian tube does not open and close appropriately, this causes a plumbing issue and a backup can occur along with an infection setting in. The smallest muscle in the body, (tensor veli palatine) is responsible for the proper opening and closing of the eustachian tube.
TRUE CAUSE
The actual cause of the ear infection is not the fact that your child does not have enough amoxicillin in their system. The true cause of the infection is a lack of proper function. If the nerve flow to the tensor veli palatine muscle (open and close of the eustachian tube) is impinged, it will cause a backup, just like a pool of sitting water will cause bacteria and such to collect and set in.
As I touched on earlier, there are essentially two options when combatting an ear infection. I mentioned the bucket approach. Bailing the water out of the boat or throwing antibiotics at such an infection does not go after the cause. The second option is to do just that…go after the cause. Finding, and specifically eliminating the interference between the proper nerve flow and optimal function of the eustachian tube is a sure way to remove the cause of the infection as well as reduce the chances of subsequent infections. If we continue to use a bucket approach and not build higher walls and a stronger hull, the chance of a hole forming or waves crashing over the edge will be ever present.
Eliminating the cause of these infections reduces the harmful effects of having to take multiple rounds of antibiotics. Studies have shown that one round of antibiotics before the age of two can increase a child’s chance of having asthma by 40%. Antibiotics are great when they are needed, but the over use of these medications greatly weakens your child’s overall immune function and can cause gastro-intestinal, respiratory, and liver issues along with many other negative effects.
I will never forget meeting Parker’s mom. While holding back tears she explained to me that her 3 year old son has had ongoing, chronic ear infections since he was 5 months old. She said they had been on at least 12 rounds of antibiotics, and that her child’s health was anything but good. She had watched her little one battle chronic illness from pneumonia to gut infections and sleep issues. We found that he had entered this world through a traumatic c-section, and we know this can have a direct correlation to a child’s proper nerve function and overall health. With some specific, easy and safe adjustments, Parker was taken off 2 drugs, and has never had another ear infection to this day. His health to say the least has skyrocketed!
In our office, we specialize in full family care including pediatrics and prenatal. Letting parents know that they have real options when it comes to their children and their health is a priority of ours. Common issues we see in our office are ear infections, reflux, constipation, asthma, ADHD, nuero-developmentel disorders, anxiety and much more.
Our goal is to create happy healthy families. We strongly believe that having health comes from proper function, and proper function comes from an optimally functioning nerve system. Too many families are just surving when actually they should be THRIVING!
If you are interested in creating a happy healthy family please contact Thriving Families Chiropractic and set up a time to sit down and talk with Dr. Nathan.
Dr. Nathan Wall
Family Chiropractor
Pediatric/Prenatal Specialist
1) Steinberg, Bruce, & Doerr, Ashley. “Resolution of Chronic Otitis Media, Constipation & Sleep Disturbance Following Adjustment of Subluxations in a 2-year-old Child: A Case Study & Review of Literature.” Journal of Pediatric, Maternal, & Family Health. 2016.4 (2016): 75-79.
2) Harley Bofshever D.C. International Chiropractic Pediatric Association Newsletter Nov-Dec, 1999
3) Muminov AI, Karimov KhIa, Khakimov AM, Arifov SS. [Article in Russian] Vestn Otorinolaringol. 1999; (3): 33-34
