EARACHES

  Earaches are fairly common in children from 6 months to 7 or 8 years old. There are three types of ear affections, those of the external, middle and inner ears. Some earaches are infections whereas others are caused exposure to cold, windy weather. Many reoccurring earaches are caused by dairy and wheat sensitivities or allergies. It is important to restrict these foods when there are ear problems. The Eustachian tubes may also become block causing pain, a stopped up feeling, hearing loss, and pressure in the head. Whenever there is a discharge from the ear, the ear drum has been ruptured so there may be temporary loss of some hearing. This will be restored by proper treatment. The following remedies are most useful in treating acute attacks. They may remove the tendency for such problems. Chronic reoccurring earaches should be treated with constitutional remedies. These remedies should be use to prevent any further problems from arising.

Materia Medica

ACONITE (2). Useful in early acute stage. External ear hot, swollen, red, meatus red and narrowed, painfully sensitive. Earache with sharp pains, worse < at night. Acute pain, caused by exposure to dry, cold winds. Bright red cheeks, high fever, dry skin, rapid pulse, with thirst for cold drinks. Child holds the ear and is restless, anxious, fearful. Worse < violent emotions, fright, shock; cold, dry winds; night in bed; pressure and touch. Better > open air and by a warm sweat. Suits plethoric, sanguine and nervous types

BELLADONNA (3). Acute infections of the middle ear, sudden onsets, sharp, shooting, cutting pains in and around the ear. Great heat, dilated pupils, throbbing of arteries in the throat, eardrums, head and body, sweats on covered parts. Tympanic membrane is red, bulging with predominate blood vessels. Pain makes the sufferer almost delirious, rolls head from side to side, jerks during sleep, child cries out in sleep. The patient is either delirious or has very little anxiety or fear, no thirst with fever (acon, thirsty). Worse < drafts, hair cuts or washing head; noise, jar, touch, motion, pressure; after taking cold or cold air. Better > bed rest, sitting semi-erect. Suits plethoric sanguine types.

CAPSICUM (2). Soreness of the mastoid area of the temporal, mastoid threaten by inflammatory action, pain and swelling behind the ear. Deep pain within the ear worse < night, supparative infections with itching deep in ear. Chronic suppuration with bursting headache, chilliness, ears are hot, red, and pain goes to the throat, discharge is thick, yellow and purulent. Sub-acute inflammation of the Eustachian tube with great pain and dryness with heat in the throat. Aching in one or both ears when coughing. Excessively peevishness, peppery deposition, homesickness. Worse < open air, uncovering, draughts. Better > from heat, while eating. General uncleanliness of body, suits individuals with lax fiber, diminished vital heat, plethoric, sluggish, nature; pseudo-plethoric phlegmatic. Red face yet cold to touch.

CHAMOMILLA (3). Violent stitching pains in ear which cause screaming and great tossing about. Earaches with tearing pain, extorting cries, the patient becomes almost furious and can not bear the pain. Children are very irritable, fretful and must be carried all the time. The ears are hot, red, or one cheek red and hot, the other cold and pale. Fever with hot, sweaty head and thirst. Worse < anger. cold air, bathing, change of weather, dentition, puberty. milk. Better > lying on painful side, dry climates.

FERR PHOS (2). Dull, heavy, full feeling in head from dilation of blood vessels, face flushed, feels swollen, meatus and tympanic membrane are red and infused with blood. Useful in the first stages of inflammation with redness or if there is hemorrhages of blood. High fever with a lack of accompanying symptoms, thirst is not marked. Better > by quiet and recumbent position, Worse > night (4 to 6 A.M.), noise, cold air, by sudden or continued motion which aggravate the beating and hammering. Not as violent as Acon or Bell yet is attended by pulsations and heat.

HEPAR SULPH (3). Extreme sensitiveness to contact, dread of contact out of proportion to the actual pain. Canal filled with white, cheesy, bloody pus, and surrounded by irritated, scurfy skin with little pustules in meatus and auricle wherever the pus has touched. In advanced stages the discharge is green, thin, offensive, and smelly. Sore throat, with sharp stitching pains that extend to the ears when swallowing. Worse < cold, uncovering, touch, lying on painful parts. Better > heat, head wrapped up. Suits, irritable, bad tempered individuals who sweat without relief and are very chilly and hypersensitive to the slightest cold draft.

KALI MUR (2). Catarrh of middle ear, retracted tympanic membrane, thick white mucus, tongue coated white or grayish-white, swollen Eustachian tubes with swollen cervical glands. Ears problems due to flying or rapid ascend and descend, snapping noises in the ears.

(a). Kali Bich (3). Discharges of thick, yellow, stringy, mucus or pus. Inflammation of the middle and inner ear.

(b). Kali Phos. Discharges of watery, dirty, brown, fetid pus with easy bleeding.

(b). Kali Sulph. Discharges of an orange yellow, sticky nature. Useful after Pulsattila where the remedy does not complete the cure.

MERCURIUS (3). Ear infections with swollen parotid glands, offensive breath, moist mouth with swollen tongue showing the indentations of the teeth and thirst. Acrid, thick yellow-green, blood streaked, or fetid bloody discharges. Pains in the ear extending to the face and teeth. Excoriation and ulceration of the meatus, ulceration of the tympanic membrane which bleeds on the slightest touch, ulceration of concha. Constant cold sensation in the ears, creeping chilliness, sweat much without relief, sensitive to cold and heat, great weariness, prostration and trembling. Suits individuals who are slow in answering questions, memory weakened and loss of will power. Mistrustful and weary of life.

(a). Mercurius Iod. Flav. Sudden sharp pains in the right ear, throbbing, boring from within outward.

(b). Mercurius Iod. Rub. Left Eustachian tube affected. Ears close for a few moments at a time.

(c). Mercurius Dulc. Middle ear infections, closure of Eustachian tube, ear troubles in scrofulous children, membrane tympani retracted, thickened and immovable. Pallor, flabby bloatedness and turgid flaccidity.

PULSATILLA (3). Inflammation of the external ear, heat, redness, sensation as if something was being forced out of the ear, or of a plug with defective hearing. Discharges of bland, inoffensive, yellow or yellowish greenish pus or mucus. Suits fretful, whiny, tearful individuals who seek sympathy and are better > by consolation. Adapted to warm constitutions who are worse < warmth and closed rooms and seek fresh open air (even if chilly). Thirstless even with dry mouth. Worse < warmth, warm air, closed rooms, evening, rest. Better > by cold, fresh open air, uncovering, gentle motion, erect posture and weeping or being held and consolation.

SILICA (3) Itching of Eustachian tube and in ears, the child bores into its ears when asleep, causing discharge of blood and pus. Stopped up feeling in the ears, passing off when yawning or swallowing. Offensive, watery, curdy discharges with soreness of inner nose and crust on upper lip. Necrosis of ear bones, mastoid (comes in after Caps.) or perforations of the drum that refuse to heal. Suits chilly, yielding, nervous, excitable individuals who seem to lack grit and have a tendency to foul foot sweats or sweat on the head during first sleep. Obstinate children who do not outwardly object to what they are told but just tend to ignore advice and do what they want. Worse < cold air, drafts, uncovering, new moon. Better > warmth, wraps to the head, wrapping ear.

SULPHUR (3). Much itching in the ears, changing to pain when attempting to scratch them. Dirty, offensive, sometimes sour-smelling discharges. Children who are averse to washing, feeling as if there is water in the ear. burning. Suit to those who with heat on the vertex, palms or burning feet with a tendency toward skin itching eruptions. Fever with hot head and cold feet. Ill effects of suppression of discharges from the ears.