Summer Health Alert: Swimmer’s Ear

So, you’re loving the summer heat, taking your kids to the pool, and spending hours in the water. It’s how it should be this time of year. Kids are out of school, or almost out of school. You’re signing them up for summer camps or arranging your family’s beachside getaway. And then it happens. Soon after pool playtime, your sweet little girl comes running to you, crying, “Mommy, my ear hurts really bad!”

Swimmer’s ear. It may cause redness or swelling in the area outside the ear canal. The pain can occur in one or both ears. The condition is a result of several possible causes. Your child may have accidentally scratched the ear canal by sticking their fingertip inside there. Or, because of excessive exposure to the water, the ear wax inside the inner ear could have become eroded away. When the waxy surface no longer exists, the water that is left in contact with the ear canal is unable to drain out of the ear canal as easily. The standing water can begin to grow bacteria, and develop into an infection. Oof!

Now, I have lots of experience with water. I was a competitive swimmer into high school.  My event was called the Individual Medley, which means doing a race with all four swim strokes. I may have had swimmer’s ear once or twice in my day. And because of those painful experiences, I am an advocate for preventative measures (don’t remove wax from your ear canal, etc.). But I also realize that for some families, this may still happen, despite careful prevention. If you suspect that your child has swimmer’s ear, see a doctor for a correct diagnosis. Discuss treatments, but I encourage you to also consider alternative and holistic care.

Some of the best advice I’ve found for an easy home remedy for ear infections is to “clean your ears regularly with soft and safe buds. Make sure that you are gentle enough especially if you are cleaning a baby’s ear.” Also, I advise “minimize itching and swelling through drops that contains anti-inflammatory steroids.” Most importantly, see a doctor if necessary. Left untreated, swimmer’s ear can cause serious damage.

Reference: http://naturalremediesbest.com/popular-swimmers-ear-natural-remedy-ear-infection-treatment-and-remedy-in-new-jersey/