Scientific Research Referenced In This Article
When Are They Safe To Use
Many people believe that because essential oils are natural and plant based, they are safe for everyone to use for any ailment. However, this is not always the case. Some essential oils may not be safe or helpful for middle ear infections. Some may also be less tolerable to certain people and can cause adverse side effects.
Before you start any home treatment for an ear infection, talk to your doctor. They can help you determine whether essential oils and which ones are right for you and your condition.
How To Make Oil Of Oregano At Home
by Komal Narwanilast updated – July 22, 2021
Achoo! Yes, yes, its the viral season. Looking for a cure? Heres oregano oil to the rescue. Though we might like to add that it may not only be used to cure fever or any viral infection, but also, blisters, ear infection, and migraines! While it might easily be available in the supermarket, heres a recipe that will ensure you have it stocked up in your pantry on those unfortunate days it isnt available in the market.
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Should I Consult A Vet
YES. Note the capswere super serious about this one. If your dog is pregnant, nursing, or has a medical condition, consult a vet knowledgeable in essential oils prior to use. The following are general recommendations for use. If your pet has a known health issue, please consult your veterinarian before administering essential oils. If your vet suggests other usages, defer to those recommendations. Even if your dog is healthy as a horse, please consult a vet to ensure that there arent any underlying issues.
Why So Many Different Recipes
Some recipes are specifically targeted to support a healthy immune system, and others are designed to ease discomfort or help with ear wax. Generally speaking, the reason for so many different options as that we all react differently. So try multiple recipes and see what works best for you and your family.
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What Causes An Ear Infection
Ear infections are caused by bacteria and viruses that travel to the middle of your ear and prevent the fluids that are normally in your ear from draining out. The bacteria infects the fluid, which causes swelling, pressure, and ear pain behind the eardrum.
Ear infections are common after bouts of sickness such as a cold or flu, but they can also arise routinely from swimmers ear and by having an allergic reaction. These illnesses all cause congestion and inflammation of nasal, oral, and ear passages in your body. Children are at an increased risk for ear infections because all of their passages are shorter, making it easier for them to clog up when an illness arises.
Natural Remedies For Ear Infections In Children
by @wesomeWG | Apr 26, 2016 | Blog
Ear infections are a very important topic. This is commonly the condition that starts children down the antibiotic path of which is hard to switch them back to natural remedies. Dr. Jim Bob Haggerton, D.C. states in his blog, Not all ear infections are actually infected ears, or even infections. Childrens Eustachian tubes are not slanted down like those like adults. Their canals are straight across or horizontal, making it hard for your baby to get much help from gravity to move the fluid from the lymph nodes and the ears into the throat and out of their body.
So, what do you do if your child is fussy and having issues with one or both of their ears? Are there things you can do besides medication? Absolutely!
Manage Fluid:
Immune Boosters:
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Causes Of Ear Infections
Ear infections are most common in babies and kids , but they can definitely plague us adults as well .
To understand the cause, you have to understand the ear mechanics a bit.
The middle ear is teeny, tiny space right beyond your ear drum. It has to be ventilated properly in order to stay dry and clean. When it gets clogged or swollen, it gets dampand a closed off, damp, warm middle ear area is like a welcome sign for bacterial or viral infection.
Since our little ones have even tinier, narrower middle ear canals, their risk of infection goes up.
This middle ear clogging can happen for lots of reasons:
Then were left with that familiar pain, pressure, fullness, and drainage. When your child is too young to describe these symptoms, they will often tug at their ears, remain irritable, not eat as much, cry a lot, run a fever, etc.
At this point its time to spring into action, but maybe not in the way you originally thought.
You May Be Wondering If Essential Oils Are Safe For Pets
They are when you use the right brands and at the right dosages. Learn more about essential oils here: Are Essential Oils Safe for Dogs and Cats?
Here are essential oil companies we trust and love for essential oils for your pets:
Using natural remedies can be a great way to avoid excessive vet visits, drugs that can come with side effects like hearing loss, and empower you as a pet parent to help your pet so that they feel their best.
However, one of the areas thats commonly missed when treating ear infections in dogs is the diet. We end up focusing the symptom which is the irritated ear, and dont look for the root cause of why the ear infection occurred.
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Essential Oils For Earache
Ear pain can occur for different reasons, including infection and injury. The type of ear infection reported most frequently in the United States is called otitis media commonly found in young children. This type of infection affects the middle ear by blocking the eustachian tube, which is normally used to drain fluid created in the middle ear.
When the fluid becomes trapped between ear and throat, pain, fever, and hearing loss may ensue.6 Another type of ear infection, otitis externa, affects the outer auditory canal, and causes painful inflammation in the tissues there. Essential oils have been used in folk medicine for thousands of years, and many have reported antifungal, antinociceptive , or anti-inflammatory qualities. In fact, some essential oils are said to work as well as pharmaceutical anaesthetics in cases of acute otitis media .4
In a 2001 study, which tested a natural essential oil for ear infection remedy against a commercial ear drop, researchers found that participants felt the same relief from a mixture of essential oils as they did the pharmaceutical medication.4 This data presented future support for the use of essential oils as home remedies for earache.
Combining Essential Oils For Earaches
All of these essential oils can be combined to make specific recipes based on a childs individual health needs.
For example, chamomile and lavender essential oils work even better when they are used together.
Basil and lemon essential oils are a good combination too.
And so are rosemary and tea tree oils.
Just dont forget to always use a lightweight carrier oil that is gentle on the skin with all of them.
As you can see, these essential oils are all easy to use to treat an ear infection.
However, it should be noted that it is still best to take children to the doctor to be sure that the ear drum hasnt perforated before using essential oils for earaches.
A hole in the ear drum requires special care from the doctor to ensure that it heals properly.
Otherwise, a childs hearing could be severely impacted by it.
So if there is any blood or fluids leaking from the ear, immediately take the child to the nearest emergency room for treatment, especially if the bleeding happened after trauma to the head.
If the child complains that they felt a sudden pop before the bleeding began, then it is most likely a perforated ear drum.
It should also be noted that all of these essential oils are effective for adults earaches too.
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Ways Lavender Oil Can Help With Ent Problems
Home » 3 Ways Lavender Oil Can Help with ENT Problems
While it is always recommended to visit a physician for proper diagnosis and treatment of ENT problems, we understand that there are times when time or money constraints might not permit us to do so right when we start feeling the symptoms. For those times, there are certain natural remedies that might provide temporary relief of symptoms. One of these natural remedies is lavender essential oil, which can be used to treat the following ENT problems:
Natural Dog Ear Infection Treatment
Next, youll want to use a natural remedy to treat the yeast and/or bacterial infection that will also help with the inflammation that is creating the pain and soreness in your dogs ear.
Once again there are numerous at-home natural dog ear infection remedies. A super simple natural remedy for your dogs ear infection, whether its bacterial, yeast or you need to reduce the inflammation, is to use a combination of essential oils diluted with colloidal silver and distilled water or green tea.
To make this natural ear treatment, take a 10 oz spray bottle:
- Add 5 drops of lavender essential oil
- 5 drops of copaiba essential oil
- 5 drops of frankincense essential oil
- 1 tablespoon of colloidal silver
Top off the bottle with either distilled water or cooled, brewed green tea which has natural anti-inflammatory properties. You can spray this mixture on the ear flap and folds 2-3 times a day until the ear infection has resolved.
Dont forget to clean the waxy debris every day before applying the spray to help resolve the ear infection faster. As always if your pet is not doing well with this or the infection is not going away, please seek the advice of a veterinarian.
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Tea Tree Essential Oil
One of the most effective anti-fungal, antibacterial and antiviral essential oils today, tea tree essential oil is reputed for its efficacy as treatment for infections.
Directions: Never use tea tree oil internally as this could be poisonous and lead to inflammation in the ear canal. Instead, dilute a little tea tree oil in olive oil and apply it to the affected area with a cotton ball. After applying it, hold it in position for a while. This will help the oils get absorbed into the surrounding tissue.
Common Causes Of Dog Ear Infections
What causes dog ear infections?
Some of the common types of ear infections are bacterial or yeast overgrowths. These are typically secondary to inflammation in the ear canal that is caused by food sensitivities or environmental allergies.
Here are some related posts to learn more about allergies and the root cause for those pesky ear infections:
Another common cause of your dogs ear infections during the summertime is foreign bodies, specifically foxtails or grass seeds in their ears, which cause irritation and inflammation that lead to secondary infections. This is why its important for your veterinarian to look down the ear to rule out a grass seed.
Many pet parents are worried that their pet has ear mites when they see black yeasty discharge.
However, ear mites, or Otodectes, are actually quite rare in dogs. They are more common in cats.
So if you see this type of wax in your cat and their ears are really itchy, make sure you take them to the vet so they can do an ear swab to rule out ear mites, since the treatment needs to be adjusted.
Another thing to keep in mind is that most ear infections are not contagious to other pets.
The only contagious infection is ear mites, so you dont need to worry about your pets passing their infection to others in the household unless ear mites are present, which is less likely compared to a Malassezia or yeast infection.
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Essential Oils For Ear Pain
Published: by Wendy Polisi Modified: Jul 28, 2022 · 1563 words. · About 8 minutes to read this article. This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own.
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Most doctors agree that antibiotics arent always necessary when it comes to treading earaches. In fact, many of them go so far as to say that they are often overused. Learn how to support a healthy immune response and combat discomfort with Essential Oils for Ear Pain! Also learn important safety concerns with babies and children.
I must confess: I am a super lucky mama! There are a lot of reasons, but one thing Im really happy about: none of my kids have ever taken an antibiotic.
Now – let me be clear – had they ever needed one I most certainly would have gotten one for them.
Weve just been lucky enough to have access to natural remedies, and they have been very effective in keeping us healthy.
Since we spend much of the year in a warm climate where we swim most days, water in the ear is something we deal with on a regular basis. Most of the time, this it isn’t a major issue, but from time to time an earache will develop.
The Best Essential Oils For Your Dogs Ears
| Oil |
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Oregano oil is best used with coconut oil, olive oil or aloe vera juice.
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If you are using it in liquid form, drop 1-2 drops into the ear and massage gently.
Let you dog shake its head afterward to help disperse the oil and break up debris.
If you are combining it with coconut oil and leaving it as a solid, a small amount can be applied using a cotton pad and wiped on the outer ear canal and flap.
To boost its natural effects, oregano oil can be blended with:
Though eucalyptus is generally a gentle oil, it still possesses a strong fragrance.
Eucalyptus needs to be diluted to ensure it doesnt irritate your dogs nose or skin.
Eucalyptus is a potent antibacterial, anti-fungal, and antiseptic, making it perfect for cleaning your dogs ears.
How to Use It
Eucalyptus oil can be diluted with coconut oil, olive oil, or aloe vera to make an ear wash.
It is best to use it in liquid form to be able to use it as a wash.
After properly diluting the oil, drop 1-2 drops into each ear. Next, gently massage your dogs ear to work the oil in. Finally, allow your pup to shake its head to better distribute and aid in breaking up debris in the ear canal.
To boost its natural effects, eucalyptus oil can be blended with:
Niaouli is a potent antiseptic, which makes it ideal for cleaning our dogs ears.
How to Use It
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Basil Essential Oil For Middle Ear Infection
Another essential oil for earache is basil, which was tested in a 2005 animal study on test subjects who had developed acute otitis media. When basil essential oil was applied to the external ear canal, 81% of the subjects were cured, while only 6% began healing after a placebo application. Researchers determined that it was the antimicrobial quality of basil essential oil which made it one of the most useful natural ear infection remedies.2
Basil Ear Pain Essential Oil Recipe
Like other essential oils for fluid in ears, basil essential oil should only be applied to the external portion of the ear. Try 2 drops of basil essential oil mixed with 4 drops of sweet almond oil, and use the cotton ball or massage method to rub it around the outer rim of the ear canal for relief from ear pain.
How Do I Apply Essential Oils To My Dog
First and most important: Dogs are highly sensitive to essential oils. What smells like the faintest hint of Lavender to you might smell like 100 acres of lavender botanicals to little Beethoven. Gradually introduce oils by using them on yourself first. Acting as a human diffuser keeps all those new scents from overpowering your pup.
If youre the proud owner of a new puppy, patience is a virtue. Fur reals. Avoid using topical oils on newborn dogs. For medium- or large-breed puppies, wait until theyre over 8 weeks old. For toy or small-breed puppies, wait until they are over 10 weeks old.
Once you start applying essential oils, pay close attention to Lulus behavior. Remember, she wants to be near you and will stay by your side even if shes feeling uncomfortable. Contrary to popular animated films, pets cant tell us if something is working or not. Please exercise cautionuse oils on that loveable lapdog safely and responsibly.
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