Does chiropractic care help ear infections?

Are you searching for effective ways to manage ear infections in your child or yourself? Tired of fighting with reoccurring infections? Chiropractic care for otitis media offers a natural, non-invasive option to complement traditional treatments. At Grovetown Chiropractic near Augusta, GA, we help families find relief through safe adjustments tailored to support ear health.

Otitis Media

Otitis media, or inflammation of the middle ear, is a very common disorder and besets adults and children alike. There are varying degrees of otitis media marked by the presence or absence of effusion as well as the persistence of the disorder, which is to say how frequently it seems to occur and how long the episodes last. Management of otitis media can run the gamut between watchful waiting and medical interventions that might go as far as inserting tubes (myringotomy, the surgical implantation of tympanostomy tubes) into the ears. The possibility of antibiotics becoming medically necessary as well as surgical intervention would compel the prudent mind to take the conservative management of otitis media more seriously.

The role of eustachian tubes

It turns out, as you might know, that we are all already equipped with tubes in order to keep our middle ear chambers clear. They’re called the eustachian tubes, and it turns out that any number of inflammations or infections are eligible to impede the function of our own eustachian tubes. Anyone who has ever pinched their own nose in order to employ a brief expiration to clear their ears while swimming or chewed gum to get their ears to pop while flying has seen their own eustachian tubes in action.

Medical guidelines for ear infections

The American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery has published clinical practice guidelines [1] which describe best practices based on a large body of evidences for the decision-making regarding the implementation of tympanostomy tubes. The protocols clearly depict space for conservative management, like chiropractic care for ear infections and ear pain. Potential infections are serious business and we recommend including your pediatrician on the decision-making for possible conservative management of otitis media.

Chiropractic Care for Otitis Media

It turns out the chiropractic care has a long tradition of being helpful for chronic otitis media in both children and adults. I have found cervical spine management and soft-tissue reduction techniques for the eustachian tubes to be effective. I have also found that most patients that present with the need to manage eustachian tube patency are also inflamed. Attempts to reduce impatent eustachian tubes while they are inflamed often yield poor results. I have found that a course of several days intake of cod liver oil (preferably emulsified) (2) to facilitate more effective adjustment results and achieve stability with fewer adjustment encounters.

Serving the Grovetown/CSRA Community

We are excited to be here and of service in the Grovetown/CSRA community and we hope sharing information such as this to be of benefit. Ready to explore chiropractic care for otitis media? Contact Grovetown Chiropractic in Grovetown, GA today for a consultation!

[1] Rosenfeld, Richard M., et al. “Update! Tympanostomy Tubes in Children.” AAO-HNS Bulletin, vol. 41, no. 1, Feb. 2022, https://bulletin.entnet.org/home/article/22030715/update-tympanostomy-tubes-in-children.

[2] Swanson Health Products. Swanson Premium Emulsified Cod Liver Oil – Mint Flavor. 16 fl oz, Swanson Health Products, https://www.swansonvitamins.com/p/swanson-premium-emulsified-cod-liver-oil-mint-16-fl-oz-474-ml-liquid.

Written by: Donaid Seals D.C

Dr. Seals is a practicing Doctor of Chiropractic with over 25 years of experience caring for people. His thinking is the product of his education, practice experience and many years in the natural foods and fitness industry. He has become living proof that old muscleheads don’t die-or fade away; sometimes they grow up to bring real-world expertise to the clinical picture. Traditional background information is available here.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Seals, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Seals and his community. Dr. Seals encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.