We are beginning the third month of short course season -
November. That means summer is over and
fall is here. In the Pacific Northwest
the morning temperatures are 41 degrees.
My daughter thinks it's summer and gets dressed for school in a tank top
and knee length sweatpants. She has had
two colds and two ear infections so far this season in the month of
October. Now that it is November, the
time has fallen back an hour and swim practice ends at 6 or 7 pm when it is
dark and cold.
Swimmer's ear or its medical term otitis externa is an
infection when water gets trapped in the ear canal. Pain is the symptom. This usually requires time off of school
because of the pain and a trip to the doctor.
If there is an infection the doctor will usually prescribe a topical
anti-biotic for 7 days. This also means
two days of no water/pool time.
After the first ear infection, I told my daughter that she
needed to dry out her ears after swim practice, wear warm clothes and put
swimmers ear solution in her ear. None
of which she acted on after the pain went away.
After the second ear infection started, I had to have a talk with my
daughter about her responsibility and swimmer's ear steps for prevention.
I explored all remedies and preventions possible. This is what I've come up with:
Keep ears dry. Avoid
swimmers ear preemptively by removing water from the ear!
Dry ears after swimming with your towel. Tip your head to the side to help water drain
from your ear canal.
Use a blow dryer. If
you put the blow dryer on the lowest setting and hold it away from the ear it
can help dry water in the ear. (However,
I found out that there are no blow dryers on the wall at the swim center, which
I find strange. I decided not to give a
9 year old a small blow dryer to use with the fears of hair getting caught in
it or electrocuting herself by setting it in the sink.)
If your child has a cold their ear canal can get inflamed
and water gets easily trapped in the ear canal.
Sometimes the alcohol drops can't get through to the trapped water. After hearing about ear wicks, I searched on
the internet and found AfterSwim water removal.
My daughter likes these because there are no chemicals and no drying out
the ear by alcohol that can cause irritation and dryness in the ear canal. A pack of 20 was $5.99. People, especially kids, shouldn't put
anything in their ear especially if they can scratch or irritate the skin in
the ear but these are safe in design.
Erradicate Bacteria.
Drops. Immediately
put swimmer's ear drops in each ear after swim and shower. I bought an over the counter drops at
Walgreens called Swimmers Ear. This will
dry out the ear and kill any bacteria.
I also found a homemade recipe online. Homemade drops are a mixture of 1 part white
vinegar to 1 part rubbing alcohol. I
bought a dropper at Whole Foods and white vinegar but had to buy alcohol at
Walgreens. The alcohol promotes drying
and the vinegar prevents the growth of bacteria and fungi that can cause
swimmer's ear.
Mineral oil ear drops such as garlic oil and tea tree oil
are good home remedies. I bought these
at Whole Foods.
Mullein Garlic Pure Ear Oil.
Garlic is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. There is a home made recipe where olive oil
is used and fresh garlic soaks in the oil overnight as an alternative.
NutriBiotic Tea Tree Oil ear drops for irritation. Grapeseed Extract and Tea Tree Oil are an
excellent topical treatment for ear aches and swimmer's ear. This soothing,
antiseptic formula helps ease pain and soothe itchy, irritated skin.
Nutrition. During an
ear infection there are foods recommended to boost immune system health such as
spinach, oranges, lemons, broccoli, brussel sprouts, squash and sweet
potatoes. (Foods high in vitamin C,
vitamin D3 and echinacea, omega 3 foods such as fish). Foods to avoid during an ear infection are
sugar, dairy, processed foods and foods high in toxins.
Essential Oils.
Rubbing basil oil behind the ears and at the bottoms of the feet can
speed healing of ear infections. I have
an almond oil that I use for massage as a carrier oil and then I add the basil
essential oil, mix and put a small amount on the bottom of the feet.
