Swimmer's Ear

interesting to read this because my daughter is complaining of an ear ache. I was trying to see what I could do I have some sweet oil. I was going to puyt that i her ear. Do you have any other suggestions?

I have a girlfriend who has had problems with swimmers ear as well. Her dr. suggested she "blow dry" her ears after swimming. Keeping the water out prevents growth and has worked great for her.

Get some garlic and olive oil ear drops. Follow directions ( i think it's 2-3 drops in each ear a few times a day) and cover with a cotton ball. This took my sons ear infection away when he was 3, never got another one after that. ( you can warm the drops up slightly too for comfort)

My kids get ear infections every year. The Doctors have always said to mix one part vinegar and one part hydrogen peroxide, put a few drops in each ear as a preventive measure. It helps!

I know this is late N....but one of the easiest ways to make the vinegar/alcohol solution is how my ENT told me... get a bottle of Swimmer's Ear. It is all alcohol. Pop out the dropper stopper. There will be an air pocket above the liquid in the bottle. Fill the bottle's air pocket up with distilled white vinegar. Put the dropper stopper back in and shake. After swimming or water activities fill the ear canal with the solution, have your son lay on his side for a few minutes to get the stuff in his ear, stick a cotton ball in for a few more minutes and that's it.
I, as a grown up, was getting repeat ear infections (sweat from menopause night sweats running in my ear if you can believe it) and since doing this haven't had a single one. We use the same solution for our girls and it is wonderful....plus mixing it this way is much easier than trying to figure out equal parts of alcohol/vinegar either in the ear or finding a container for it.

I know you've received a lot of suggestions- but I did not see anyone suggesting putting a drop of Mineral Oil in each ear BEFORE swimming. The oil acts like wax and keeps the water out. This advice came from our ENT.

My son prefers this to the vinager or alcohol as they burn more. I use that when I forget to use the oil. We have not had a problem since we started this over a year ago...

best of luck- oh and NEVER have your son clean his ear with anything smaller than his pinky...what wax he has he needs...

Kristine

I was a competitive swimmer through college and have lots of experience with swimming problems. My son had problems with swimmer's ear after I took him to his grandparents lake house. I believe swimmer's ear is more common after swimming in lakes (perhaps there was lake swimming and not pool swimming at your son's camp?) My doctor told us to use equal parts of alcohol and white vinegar after each swim. I just used a little medicine dropper and filled his ear canal while he was laying on his side and counted to 10 and then had him roll over and do the other side. We did not use antibiotics at all and he got better. We use the same "recipe" to prevent future infections and I also remember doing this as a child to prevent ear infections. Good luck.

Hi N. ~
I know that you said your son is feeling better, but I have more to add to all your solutions.
My son got swimmer's ear once while we were on vacation, so bad that he was moaning in pain in his sleep! I went to a local pharmacy and bought drops for it that were mostly alcohol, and spoke to the pharmacist who suggested just plain alcohol a few drops a couple times a day. We also did the motrin for pain. But I also remembered a commercial for a book called "Doctor's Home Remedies" (or something like that), that said to try a blow drier for earaches. So we took the blow drier on low and waved it towards his ear canal everytime he got it wet (shower, pool) or if it had been awhile. I think that helped it dry out the best, and my son said it helped with the pain.

I do agree with the last writer, too. Antibiotics are usually for ear infections. While swimmer's ear is from too much water and antibiotics don't do anything for it.

D.

A friend told me that if you heat olive oil to body temp and put a few drops in the ear it helps with ear pain. Her Aunt is a nurse and said that is all that is in the over-the-counter drops. She said her mom did it for her and her brother and when she tried it on her 4 year old he went from fussy to happy.

Good luck!

I don't know if anyone else had this idea...I used to get swimmer's ear constantly. I hated using the solutions that had vinegar and/or alcohol in them because they burned. My doctor suggested making a solution that was 1/2 water and 1/2 hydrogen peroxide. I use them every time I get water in my ears, and have never gotten another case of swimmer's ear. And they're much more comfortable to use!

Hi N.,

I'm a mom and ER doc. All those ideas seem good. I hadn't heard about some of the prevention techniques but I'll consider them with my kids and patient.s Generally speaking, changing the pH is more important than antibiotics. Just be careful if the outer ear gets red and swollen...oral antibiotics would be indicated. If a swimmer ear gets bad it can swell to the point of closing up the canal. Sometimes your doctor might need to put a wick in so it can drain.
One clue in distinguishing outer ear infections (swimmer's ear) from middle ear infections (otitis media) is that outer ear infections usually hurt if you pull or push on the ear while middle ear infections don't.

M. F.

I was actually looking for the same thing on the internet. Here's what I found. I haven't had a chance to use the remedy yet cause I'm out of vinegar. Good luck.

Swimmer's Ear Home Remedies:

Submitted at 2005-03-06 23:44:04
I have 4 kids and this has worked wonders! Mix EQUAL parts of vinegar (I use white) and rubbing alcohol and put drops into the ears after swimming. When you put the drops in (I use a straw as a dropper) make sure that the fluid goes ALL the way into the ear canal by having the child lie down when you do it. Throw the extra away as it does not keep (the alcohol evaporates). I usually make a small amount, like 1 tablespoon of each - it doesn't matter how much you make, just make sure that you make it half and half.

I don't put cotton in the ears, but just mop up whatever liquid runs out when they stand up. If one ear hurts more than the other I'll have them lie down for awhile to keep the fluid in the ear as long as possible.
rating: 7 (97 votes)

Submitted by Shae at 2004-11-02 08:05:23
My grandma used to warm a little sweet oil, tip your head put in ear and place cotton ball.,

This method works, however, it is hard to find sweet oil. I've found it at Eckerd's and the small bottle was a little expensive.
rating: 6 (30 votes)

Submitted by Riss at 2005-04-19 23:23:58
Ever since I was little and had swimmers ear my dad would take baby oil and heat it up untill it was warm take a straw put some in it and then put some in my ear then put a cottonball in my ear just in case any drained out! I'm telling you it works great!!!
rating: 6 (22 votes)

Submitted at 2004-09-26 04:22:03
Mix equal parts water, peroxide, and white vinegar. Use an eye dropper to put a few drops in ear. Let set for a minute. Tip head to let mix drain. Put a piece of cotton in ear. It's better to do before you go to bed. Recipe was given to me by a doctor in Florida. Works great.
rating: 5 (33 votes)

Garlic oil is a Godsend!! I got mine from the natural food store locally. It has another safe botanical that helps with pain as the garlic is clearing up any infection. As soon as my son gets stuffy, I start garlic drops becuase he is also prone to ear infection. They do the trick every time. Even when the antibiotic bothered him, I went right to the garlic!!

My 6 yr old got that and was given a prescription but I was under the impression it was drops to dry out the water in her ear. Are you sure they are antibiotic drops?

Try ear candling. You can buy them at a health food store, I'm not sure where you live, but Kimberton Whole Foods should have them , the Lionville Natural Pharamacy, Whole Foods. It really helps. Directions are on the package and I'm sure you can google it to get more info.

Dear N.,
This advice may be more to prevent swimmers ear, but it really works! Mix equal parts of rubbing alcohol with white vinegar. Put 5 drops in each ear after swimming or if your child complains of water in the ear. The alcohol dries up the water, and the vinegar kills the bacteris which prevents the infection!! Good luck!

Swimmer's ear is different in that you do not treat it with antibiotics - you use the drops because it is the actual canal that is infected. I know not using Qtips too much will help - also there are some drops you can buy (they are basically alcohol) that you can use after swimming to prevent it. My daughter had a mild case and it drove her nuts - some cases get very severe. Keep using the drops, and call the Dr if he still doesn't feel better when they are gone.

Many doctors are now trying to not treat every ear infection with amtibiotics, due to the fact that the bacteria are becoming resistant. Many ear infections will go away on their own. However, if you're son is prone to them, there may be more of a need for antibiotics. Depending on what the drops are, you may be able to get away with just using alcohol and vinegar. If the drops are called Vosol, it's simply an acetic acid soln for minor bacterial infections in the ear. You can use alcohol to dry up the ear, then place a couple of drops of vinegar in his ears with cotton balls. Hope this helps.

Put a couple drops of vinegar in the left ear and hold for a minute and then repeat on the other side, after swimming or after he gets home from camp. Worked wonders for my family when we were kids and has always worked on my children.

Hi N.,

Our 8 year old had a swimmer's ear infection a couple of weeks ago. (He, too, is an ear infection veteran - got tubes at 16 months!) He did have to do the antibiotic routine along with the drops because of the severe inflammation and pain that ran down into his jaw. After that course, though, it cleared up. Then he got it in the other ear! The nurse at our pediatrician's office gave me some great advice.... We continued the Rx drops in his ear and that helped a great deal. She also suggested a solution of equal parts rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. Just a few drops after swimming helps dry out the ear and provide the right acidity balance to help prevent further infection. We didn't have to use antibiotics the second time around! She also said that keeping the ear canal clear of wax will help so the water doesn't get trapped.

Good luck!

Hi N.,
My husband is very prone to swimmers ear and ear infections as well. So far, we've been lucky with my son. Do you have O. of those herb/seed filled cloth bags that you can warm in the microwave? I have always heard that sweet oil, etc. Or the peroxide mixture dropped in is very helpful. Also, have you tried ear candling? Google it. We have been candling my husbands ears a few times per year and am AMAZED at how it has helped his ears. I do it myself but there are places who will perform it for you. It is truly astonishing what gunk it pulls out of the ear. He has trouble with a lot of ear wax and this really helps. Not sure if your son has lots of EI's as well but thought I'd mention it.

My dr told me equal parts of white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and sterile water. We have a pool and he gave us antibiotics and said do this next summer to prevent issues. We did and it works. I do not know if it will heal a current infection however. I would take him to your dr to be looked at just in case. My husband is actually allergic to one of the ear antibiotics and would not heal and had to be switched. So I would be safe and not endanger his hearing. You might even want to take in these "home remedies" you are getting responses with and see what he thinks of them. You might be surprised.

Swimmer's ear is a fungal condition. I found that aloe vera gel (purchased or from the plant) worked best and fastest for my kids. It became a regular routine after swimming to prevent. Aloe is anti-fungal and does not cause any discomfort. It also softens the ear wax for easy removal

when my son was taking swimming lessons, the teacher said to mix a solution on vinegar and rubbing alcohol. I'm sure you could probably find the exact amts. online somewhere. I think it was equal parts, but not 100% sure.

I don't have a remedie for swimmers ear, but I do have a way to help prevent it that our doctor told us about forever ago. Mix one part vinegar (whatever amount you want) with one part alcohol (the same amount) and shake it up. Put it in a container and then put 1 drop full in each ear after every swim (whether pool or lake or river, etc.). My siblings and I used to have swimmers ear every week, but once we started using this remedie, none of us, nor my son, has ever had it! I know it doesn't help now, but maybe in the future...:)

If you use things like alcohol or vinegar often, you should get your kid's ears checked on a fairly regular basis (yearly?) some people who sleep on their side, or have outter ear tubes at a funky angle...

find that the vinegar dries out their ear wax, and creates a plug. (then you will be getting out the mineral oil to get that out!)

good luck!

.