Home Remedies You Can Try for Mild Earache

It’s always best to see an ENT doctor if you have an earache. This is obvious when the pain is severe, as you should really seek medical attention right away. An ENT doctor can determine the cause of the pain and recommend a treatment.

When the pain has become mild or when you’re waiting for the doctor’s treatment to remove the pain completely, you can alleviate the pain with the following home remedies.

Hot Pack (or Electric Heating Pad)

The heat can reduce inflammation and pain in your ear. Just make sure that the heating pad isn’t too hot. Children shouldn’t use a hot pack without adult supervision, and no one should fall asleep with a heating pad.

You can apply the hot pack to your ear for about 20 minutes. You can also try touching the hot pad to your neck and throat.

Cold Pack

The cold pack shouldn’t be too cold that it causes pain when applied. You should also never try applying the ice to the skin of children.

You can wrap ice in paper towels or freeze a cold pack and then cover it with a light cloth. Hold it to the affected ear and the area right under the ear for about 2o minutes.

For some people, the best method is to apply the hot and cold packs alternately. Start with 20 minutes with the hot pack, and then follow it up with the cold pack.

Gentle Massage

If the earache is causing a tension headache or there’s pain from the teeth or jaw, you may want to try massaging the tender area. You can also massage the surrounding muscles.

If your doctor says you have an ear infection, you can massage just behind the ears and down the neck using a downward motion. You can continue applying pressure as you work forward to the front of the ears.

Cough Drops or Hard Candy

It’s not really the hard candy or the cough drops that will offer some relief. It’s actually the sucking you do on these things that can reduce the pressure in the Eustachian tubes in your ear.

Pain Reliever

You can ask your ENT doctor if you can try naproxen, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen to relieve the pain. You really do have to speak to a doctor first before you give these types of medications to young children, especially if they’re younger than 2 years old. These medications can cause serious side effects in young children, and the doctor can set the proper dosage for them.

As ENT problem is quite different from case to case, it is suggested to consult an ENT Specialist for the appropriate ENT treatment.

Source:

HK ENT Specialist Ltd.

Hong Kong based ENT clinic centre

For ENT Services, Audiology & Speech Therapy,

Sleep Disordered Breathing Management,

Hearing Aid Prescription & Medical Cosmetic Services

https://www.hkentspecialist.hk