Dr. Bell's Blog

Childhood Ear Infections & Why Chiropractic Can Help

Otitus Media, commonly known as an ear infection, is one of the most commo n childhood illnesses in the world.  Based on numerous research studies, as well as clinical proof within my office, I believe if every child on the planet were under regular chiropractic care, ear infections wouldn't be the epidemic they are today.

The two most common medical approaches to ear infections involve antibiotics and ear tubes, however, they rarely if ever offer a permanent solution, nor do they without significant risk.  When it comes to antibiotics they claim to shorten the infection, but many times not by much, and they come with the risks of diarrhea and a development of a resistance to antibiotics.  Furthermore, taking antibiotics lessons the body's natural immune response, therefore making it even more difficult to fight off the infection.

How Chiropractic can help....

The nervous system controls the function of your ears, overall immune system, as well as every other cell, tissue, and organ in your body.  When there is nervous system interference from a spinal misalignment (particularly in the upper portion of the neck), your body will frequently develop sickness and disease.  Chiropractors are trained to specifically detect and correct that nervous system interference to facilitate full health and healing in your body.

What the research says...

The 2012 article critically evaluated 49 articles and discovered that several case reports, case series and clinical trials all confirm the same conclusion: chiropractic adjustments can nip ear infections in the bud like few things on the planet can!  Here are the details:

Of the 15 case reports included in this study each explained how otitis media symptoms were regularly decreased after chiropractic adjustments. And this just didn’t include the random case of OM. Nine cases described chronic 3 acute and 3 recurrent OM. One encouraging finding was that no adverse effects were observed during the treatment of the patient. 

Of the 4 case series that were published, similar findings were observed. 

The study also uncovered 4 articles describing 3 different clinical trials connecting chiropractic to helping children with OM. A total of 167 patients were evaluated into these clinical trials, and a majority reported a decrease in symptoms. 

The bottom line is, always try the least invasive procedure first when it comes to any health problem, including ear infections.  

Chiropractic First.  Drugs Second.  Surgery Last.


Look out for my next blog, where I will give you 9 tips you can use if you suspect your child has an ear infection...