By Raisa Weisspapir
After a long cold winter, everybody enjoys the beautiful sunny warm summer!Many of us are spending family time by the pool or at the beach.Splashing around in the pool or lake is a favourite form of summer fun for our children!
Finally, the cold and flu winter season has passed but throughout the summer months swimmer's ear is very common especially among children. Learning how to prevent swimmer's ear will make your summer that much more pleasurable for you and your family.
What is Swimmer's Ear
Swimmer's ear (Otitis External) is an infection that occurs on the skin of the outer ear canal and/or externally to the eardrum. It differs from an ear infection, which occurs in the internal ear space behind the eardrum. It can affect children and adults.
What causes it
Most often it is caused by bacteria, or sometimes by fungus or a virus. Infection is most likely to occur after swimming in Lake water but less likely from ocean water.
If you swim frequently, the oily wax that normally lines and protects the outer ear canal can be washed away. Water can remain in the outer ear canal after swimming eventually irritating the skin and creating a warm, moist environment that's perfect for bacteria or fungus growth. This infection can occur over a few hours or can take several days to build up.
However, you don't have to swim to get swimmer's ear. Taking a shower, scratching the ear canal, vigorous ear cleaning with Q-tips, or inserting foreign objects like bobby pins into the ear can increase the risk of infection.
How do I tell if my child has Swimmer's ear
ear pain, which can get worse when a child pulls or touches his/her ear
fullness or uncomfortable feeling in the ear
the outer ear becomes red and swollen
enlarged and tender lymph nodes around the ear
discharge from the ear canal might be clear at the beginning turning into cloudy, yellowish, or pus-like later
temporary hearing loss if pus or swelling blocks the canal
fever is not common, however, it can be high if internal ear gets inflamed
How to cure Swimmer's ear
Homeopathy is one of the excellent natural solutions for cure and prevention of swimmer's ear. An individual approach to every patient quickly relieves acute symptoms and gently heals the patient with chronic problems.Homeopathic remedies are highly effective and extremely safe to use for babies, during pregnancy and while breast-feeding. They are made from a minimal amount of natural substances like plants, minerals, or animal sources that boost your body's power to heal.
Helpful tips
Avoid swimming in unclean pools, ponds, lakes, oceans. Dirty water means more bacteria.
Do not let water remain in your ear -it's tricky, but try to shake your head in the direction of the affected ear to dislodge the water.
Using homemade ear drops containing rubbing alcohol and white table vinegar in each ear after swimming or bathing helps fluid in your outer ear canal to evaporate faster. The white vinegar kills bacteria and fungus. The alcohol absorbs water and may also help kill bacteria and fungus
Garlic drops also help as a natural bacteria-fighter
But Do Not use any ear drops if you suspect ruptured eardrum and you have fluid draining from your ear
Please call your doctor if the ear pain gets worse. If left untreated the infection may spread into the middle ear
Do not use Q-tips! It may cause injury to the skin and can disrupt the antibacterial and natural protective function of ear wax As my teacher said: “Don't put anything in your ear that's smaller than your elbow”.