Tea Tree Oil: Using tea tree oil for ear infections

Tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifola) has been used by the Aboriginal people native to
Australia for thousands of years, and with powerful results. This oil possesses some
incredible anti-bacterial and antiseptic properties that are impressive in the fight against
bacteria and inflammation.
Ear infections can be incredibly painful, and though are most commonly suffered by
children; adults can just as easily contract a debilitating ear infection. Ear infections occur
then liquid becomes trapped in the ear. While sitting stagnant in ear canal, it can trap and
become infected with bacteria. This creates painful inflammation, as the ear is one of the
most delicate body parts. Typically, this type of infection is treated with a strong round
of antibiotics, but the problem arises (especially in children) when ear infections reoccur.
There is great concern with the overuse of antibiotics, as with increased use comes the
potential for antibiotic-resistant super infections that have the potential to cause even more
damage. Tea tree oil provides a great alternative remedy to multiple rounds of powerful and
disruptive drugs.
How to use tea tree oil to treat an ear infection:
Tea tree oil should be diluted in some way before being applied into the ear.
For use with water, mix 3-5 drops of tea tree oil with ¼ cup of water. Use a dropper to place a few drops of this mixture in each ear, and then gently place a cotton ball in each ear to allow for the treatment to penetrate. Repeat as needed.
For use with oil, add 5-10 drops of warm tea tree oil to 1 Tbsp. of carrier oil, such as olive oil or jojoba oil. Mix thoroughly and use a dropper to place a small amount into the ear while tilting the head and covering the ear with a cotton ball to minimize leakage. Allow for this mixture to penetrate for up to 10 minutes, and then gently wipe away any excess. Repeat this up to 3 times a day and especially at bedtime.
Mix five drops each of tea tree oil and lavender oil in a small bowl, and add a small amount to a cotton ball. Place the cotton ball gently inside the ear and allow for the oils to penetrate the ear canal and fight the infection.
Tea tree oil can also be rubbed directly onto the skin behind the ear for added external bacteria-fighting power.
As always, before you begin any sort of regimen using essential oils, please consult with your physician, naturopath, or aromatherapist before doing so. The use of oils can be very empowering and effective in the treatment of a variety of ailments. However, use your own discretion; the medical community is there to help us when oils can't.

Natural Remedies For Ear Infections

Ear Infections That . . . Aren’t

So, this may be an odd way to start a post on ear infections, but before we get into the nitty gritty of comfort measures and natural remedies, I want to take a moment to discuss one of the most common misconceptions about ear infections.

And that would be . . . the infection part. According to Dr. Allan Lieberthal, pediatrician and lead author of the American Academy of Pediatrics new guidelines for diagnosing ear infections, the medical community has contributed to the “over-diagnosis of [ear] infection.” (source)

How does this happen? My good friend and former chiropractor, Dr. Haggerton, explains:

“For those of you who have . . . taken your child into the pediatrician because they are hurting, acting funny, and/or pulling at their ears and the doc looked in their ears with the otoscope and said ‘Yep, it’s red, little Johnny’s got an ear infection. I’ll write you a script for an antibiotic.’

Think about that for a minute, how did the doctor know just off of the color of the tympanic membrane that your child had an infection?!?

They didn’t.”

    Lifetime Family Wellness Center: Pediatric Ear Infections

Doctor looking at little girl ear infection

The truth is, a red and slightly bulging tympanic membrane can be a sign that fluid is not draining well, but it’s not necessarily a sign of ear infection. And even if an infection is present, according to CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton most ear infections are viral in nature and won’t respond to antibiotics anyway. (source)

So what will that course of antibiotics really do to help your child? If the earache has been misdiagnosed – absolutely nothing. Or worse, according to Consumer Reports it may actually cause future ear infections! (source)

So if ear infections are over-diagnosed, what else causes earaches? According to Dr. Haggerton . . .

“with children, the eustachian tube (ear canal) is not slanted down like ours as adults.. Their canal is straight across or horizontal, [meaning] your baby doesn’t get much help from gravity to get the fluid to drain out of the lymph nodes and the ears into the throat and out of their body. The problem comes when fluid and congestion build up in the lymph nodes in the neck and throat and cannot be moved or flushed out of the child’s body. That fluid has to go somewhere so if the fluid can’t go back ‘down’, then it will frequently back up into the child’s eustachian tube and cause fluid pressure on the back of the ear drum.”

    Lifetime Family Wellness Center: Pediatric Ear Infections