Ear Aches

Ear aches range from slightly annoying to keep-you-up painful.

It used to be widely accepted that ear aches were caused almost exclusively by infection. It has since been revealed that earaches are often caused by nasal congestion, changes in elevation, frequent swimming and minor inflammations of the eardrum.

There are many natural cures for a simple earache. These work for both children and adults unless otherwise noted.

Home Remedies for Ear Aches

General Pain and Heat

The simplest home remedy for a general ear ache is heat.

Apply a heating pad, hot water bottle, hot towel or use a hair blow-dryer set on warm to the ear or ears.

Within 20 minutes the heat should promote increased blood flow to the area and the pain should begin to subside.

Congestion and Hot Sauce or Humidity

Some earaches are associated with congestion due to a cold or allergies. This can be relieved with a little spicy food.

Hot and sour soup or a spicy gumbo might do the trick.

This home remedy works because it promotes drainage of your nose, thereby relieving ear aches.

Humidity applied to your nose can also help alleviate ear aches caused by congestion.

A plain saline nasal spray applied multiple times a day can reduce congestion and ear pain.

Flying and the Frenzel Maneuver

The Frenzel maneuver is one home remedy you can apply absolutely anywhere, anytime – though it’s most useful for flying.

Pinch your nose as you push your tongue against the back of the roof of your mouth.

This technique may cause you to yawn or it may work well on its own.

Either way, you should have almost instant relief of an earache caused by air pressure changes.

Tea Tree or Garlic Oil

A recent study of childhood ear infections found that 75% of them cleared up on their own after three days of over-the-counter or home remedies – without the assistance of any antibiotics.

Tea tree oil, found in almost any health food store, applied to the ear has mild antibacterial properties. Be careful, though, it may irritate sensitive skin.

Garlic oil has been found to have an anesthetic effect when applied to aches, including ear aches.

If you don’t want to purchase garlic oil, you can simply puncture a fresh clove and squeeze the juice into the ear.

Garlic also contains a natural antibiotic and can help cure minor infections.

Mineral Oil for Swimmers Ear

Ear aches caused by swimming can be prevented by dropping a little mineral oil in each ear before you dive in.

If pain persists or becomes unbearable or if it is accompanied by a fever you should see a doctor immediately.