Ear infections are one of the most common reasons that kids visit the doctor. It is estimated that 80 percent of kids will be diagnosed with an ear infection by the time they turn three and around half of these kids will have three or more ear infections by their third birthday. Although you can get and ear infection at any point, the prime time kids get ear infections is between 6-24 months old.
How do kids get ear infections?
Ear infections can occur when the eustachian tube is swollen or blocked. This can cause fluid to build up in the middle ear which leads to bacterial/viral breeding grounds and can become very painful. Some causes of this eustachian tube blockage can include:
- Allergies
- Colds
- Too much mucus
- Smoke from cigarettes
Approximately 61 percent of the colds that kids get are accompanied by an ear infection. This is due to their Eustachian tubes being short and narrow.
How are ear infections treated?
Usually, an antibiotic is prescribed, but unfortunately, sometimes this only helps a small number of kids to feel better and return to health. In addition, if a child has had subsequent ear infections, it is usually recommended the child gets tubes in the ears. This is a very invasive and costly procedure and can be ineffective.
Is there another way?
Yes! There is another, safer, more effective way to treat ear infections….chiropractic care! Dr. Dody’s adjusting style is super gentle and very effective. In fact, he adjusts newborn babies!
How can chiropractic help kids’ ears?
Chiropractic looks to find the root cause of the problem instead of just treating the symptoms. In the case of earaches, oftentimes we will see nerve interference in the upper cervical spine of the child, which may be the underlying issue causing the symptoms.
What Does Research Say About Chiropractic and Ear Infections?
This was also shown in a study published in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics. The study indicated that there is a strong correlation between chiropractic adjustments and the resolution of ear infections. The study looked at 332 children with chronic ear infections. The children in the study, ranging in age from 27 days to 5 years, were given a series of chiropractic adjustments. Here is the interesting thing: the results showed that close to 80% of the children did not experience another ear infection within the six-month period following their initial visits! This pilot study can serve as a starting point from which the chiropractic profession can begin to examine its role in the treatment of children with chronic ear infections. While the study is promising, the author asserts that large-scale clinical trials need to be undertaken in the field.
What are the side effects of chiropractic adjustments?
Chiropractic adjustments are a conservative, drug-free approach to consider if your child has a history of chronic ear infections. There are no side effects like there are with drugs. In addition, you are getting to the root cause of the problem when you use chiropractic care, instead of masking the symptoms. Also, there are no invasive procedures.
Serious side effects from spinal adjustments are very rare. An Integrative Medicine article showed the low risk of serious complications from chiropractic adjustments. In the literature review, the estimated risk for serious complications from neck adjustments is 6.39 per 10 million adjustments. For low back adjustments, it is 1 per 100 million adjustments. Most of those adjustments being of the manual manipulation style of adjustment, not the gentle KST method.
With Dr. Dody’s specific approach, chiropractic adjustments are gentle, painless, and easy for your child. Dr. Dody’s adjusting style is very gentle, but very effective as well. Check out this video of Dr. Dody adjusting a six-month-old-
