Children’s Chronic Ear Infections: Why the Vicious Cycle?

Ear infections are among the most common childhood ailments. An ear infection generally takes place in the middle ear and is called “otitis media”. Ear infections most often affect babies on bottled milk after about 4-6 months, or pre-school children in day care settings with many sources of virus and bacteria. It’s rare for a child to get only one ear infection.

WHY? Here’s one familiar scenario, using a fictitious baby:

The baby becomes fussy – crying, possibly feverish and not wanting his bottle. He isn’t teething, so mom doesn’t know what’s wrong.

Mom takes the baby to the doctor. From the symptoms she describes and possibly observing an inflamed ear upon examination (although not inflamed in every case), the doctor prescribes antibiotics. The ear infection goes away briefly but then starts again. She gets more antibiotics. Thus begins the cycle of repetitive ear infections and antibiotics.

By the time the child is two or three, he is still having ear infections, and his hearing ability comes under suspicion. The doctor recommends ear tubes. At wit’s end, mom submits.

The Placement and Purpose of Ear Tubes

The middle ear (air-filled cavity behind the eardrum) can fill with fluid when bacteria or viruses enter through the Eustachian passage and cause infection. Pressure from the fluid pushes on the eardrum, causing pain and possible hearing loss.

For chronic children’s ear infections, ear tubes are placed in the middle ear. The tube placement surgery is called BMT - bilateral myringotomy and tubes. It drains the fluid, allows air to enter, and helps to prevent further infection. The ear tubes generally fall out themselves between 6 and 18 months. But ear infections don’t always stop at that point.

So the child in our story had ear tubes. Things seemed okay for a while, but by age four or five, he’s exhibiting all sorts of food and/or environmental allergies, maybe even skin conditions like eczema, and just seems to catch everything that comes along.

What went wrong?

• In the original ear infection, the fever may have indicated that the white blood cells gathered to fight the infection. This is good. Most temperatures under 100° are nothing to worry about, and ear infections can often resolve themselves or be aided by natural remedies. But mom didn’t know this, and was unaware of herbal and homeopathic solutions on the market or even already in her home.
• As stated on the Children’s Health 101 page, babies and small children do not have fully developed Immune Systems. Giving prescription medicine too early lowers the child’s resistance, and the body won’t have the capability to fight subsequent infections or allergies on its own.
• Ear infections may be from a virus or fungus, and antibiotics only work on bacterial infections. While searching out bad bacteria to kill, the antibiotics also diminished the number of healthy cells that could have fought the first infection if given a chance, and the child’s “good” bacteria (intestinal flora) were destroyed or compromised by the antibiotics.
• Ear infections can be from dairy, like in the baby’s milk. Milk lactose is a sugar and a common allergen. Milk makes the mucus thick, and thick mucus clogs up the airways in both ears and sinuses. A baby doesn’t know how to blow its nose, keep his/her mucus stream clean, or tell you about a “clogged up” feeling. So the thickened mucus just sits in there, likely trapping mold and bacteria. Mom may have tried a non-dairy formula.

There’s a Connection between Ear and Sinus Infections!
See Växa’s complete Sinus Health Section for “Children Can Get Sinus Infections, Too”