An ear infection occurs when bacteria enter the ear canal and those who experience it feel sensitivity and pain in their ears. Some of the symptoms of ear infection include redness in the ear, itching and sharp pains from time to time. If wax buildup is a cause of the ear infection, you would take liquid ear drops and apply them on the inside of the ear but you can also use hydrogen peroxide to soften the wax and treat the infection. For other types of ear infection, they can take antibiotics. Most ear infections last a few days and are not severe.
What About Contagion?
Ear infections are not contagious so if you or your child has an ear infection, you will not be able to pass it to others. However, if the ear infection you have is related to the common cold, bronchitis or the flu, you can pass the ear infection to others. In this case you want to stay home to avoid passing the cold to others.
Treatments for Ear Infections
Some doctors recommend colloidal silver to patients because it comes in liquid form and is safe to use in the ears. Other people take antibiotics to treat ear infections but if they have allergies they should alert the doctor so he can determine if antibiotics would be safe for them. It is also a good idea to clean your ears on a regular basis to reduce ear infections and these methods include lightly scrubbing the outer ear with soap and water and adding small drops of olive oil or hydrogen peroxide in your inner ear periodically.
Airplane Ear
This is a minor ear infection that many airplane travelers get after spending hours on a plane. If you have this infection you should spray nasal decongestant spray in your nose and this usually clears things up quickly. You can also take antibiotics to treat the infection or you can have surgery to drain excess fluid out the ear if the above mentioned steps did not work.
Treating Babies’ Ear Infections
The first thing you should do is visit your baby’s pediatrician so that he can diagnose the infection and offer the best treatment. The pediatrician may also recommend having tubes inserted in the baby’s ear if the baby gets ear infections frequently or he may prescribe antibiotics. Ear drops designed for babies are helpful as well as a gentle nasal spray.
Conclusion
An ear infection is painful and irritating, but within a week it usually ends after you use certain treatments such as ear drops or antibiotics. You should not use certain home remedies that you are not familiar with unless you speak with the doctor first because that remedy may make the infection worse. After you treat the infection, be proactive in maintaining healthy and clean ears and when you clean them, do so in a gentle manner.