Let's look at an outer ear infection first. This occurs when some foreign object sits in the ear canal, sometimes it is simply bacteria. If the ear canal doesn’t drain it out then it will sit there in that tight warm, sometimes moist area and grow. Then you get an infection. Then you get pain and swelling. If the person who gets it is little you now get crying and screaming. In the middle of the night your child wakes you up screaming like something is killing them. In their mind it is, this stuff hurts.

But they can’t always tell you what hurts. Sometimes they will be pulling at an ear, but many children do that when they are tired. I have seen children that want that ear next to Mom or Dad. They are seeking warmth to ease the pain, but to Mom and Dad they are just snuggling while crying, so they may not catch on. With an inner ear infection Mom and Dad will sometimes have more of a clue as to what is going on. An inner ear infection is usually when germs from the nose and throat get trapped on the inside of the eardrum. This usually occurs (but not always) after the child or adult has come down with a cold or sinus infection. Most doctors say it is because the small tubes that are supposed to drain that stuff away from the ear drum get plugged, or are just too small to handle the volume. This is when they suggest putting tubes in children’s ears, to allow for better drainage.

WebMD says that the most common treatment a doctor will give will usually not be very effective. They will reach for antibiotics. The side effects of antibiotics include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sore mouth or tongue, fungal infections of the mouth and diaper area, and vaginal infections. Research has shown that most ear infections heal at the same rate with or without the antibiotics, so why take the risk or side effects. An alternative to antibiotics is the Enriching Gifts Lightning Colloidal Silver. It can either be taken internally (for the inner ear) or applied externally (for the outer ear). I would mix a few drops with a small amount of rubbing alcohol just to dry out any trapped moisture in the outer ear. Any time you take Enriching Gifts Lightning Colloidal Silver always follow up a few days later with the Enriching Gifts Pro-Biotic with FOS. This is true if you take antibiotics as well. Both the Enriching Gifts Lightning Colloidal Silver and antibiotics will kill all bacteria, both the good and the bad, so you need to replace the good bacteria before the bad can move in and take over. The difference between the two is that Enriching Gifts Lightning Colloidal Silver doesn’t have the other side effects that antibiotics do.

If the ear infections are causing dizziness, which can cause nausea they will sometimes prescribe an anti-nausea drug. The side effects of most of these are drowsiness (might be a good thing for a child), dry mouth, dizziness, blurred vision, constipation, difficulty urinating and low blood pressure. It always amazes me when the medicine a doctor prescribes has the same symptom you are treating as a side effect. How do you know it is working when you feel the same way? A good alternative is old fashioned Ginger. It will help the nausea, but not the dizziness.

To prevent future ear infections you need to keep the outer ear canal dry and clean. Our mixture of Enriching Gifts Lightning Colloidal Silver and alcohol can be used after every swim for this without undue side effects. For inner ear infections you need to begin building the immune system to eliminate the overgrowth of bacteria in the nose and throat, and to build up a resistance to colds and flu. Enriching Gifts Sterol-Max can be very helpful in this area, along with Enriching Gifts Metabolic Complete.