Tell me about...
Childhood Earaches (acute otitis media)
What is otitis media?
It is a middle-ear inflammation, usually caused by an infection that blocks
the Eustachian tube. The resulting pain is highly distressful to young
children... and their parents.
Who suffers from it?
Otitis media is extremely common – seen most often in children 6
to 36 months of age. Up to one-third of the child population will have
6 or more episodes before starting school, and some can have up to 12
episodes in a year.
What should I be concerned about?
Every year in the United States, approximately 30 percent of children
under age three receive antimicrobial (antibiotic) treatment for acute
earache. In fact, treating earaches is the most common reason for outpatient
use of antibiotics.
But scientific studies have shown little evidence of shorter duration
of symptoms, fewer recurrences or better long-term outcomes for children
given antibiotics for their acute otitis media than for those who did
not receive the medication. Moreover, researchers have found that giving
so many children so much antibiotic medication poses a serious risk to
the youngsters and to their community. It promotes the emergence of strains
of microbes that are resistant to the very antibiotics that are being
used.
What can chiropractic do?
A chiropractic treatment plan featuring gentle adjustments and light neck
massage appropriate for very young children, offers hope for comforting
relief – without recourse to heavy use of antibiotics or surgery.
Chiropractic upper-spine adjustments and massage of the tissue surrounding
the ear can help clear the Eustachian tube blockage that causes otitis
media. Dietary/nutritional guidance (such as testing for food sensitivities
and vitamin deficiencies) may also be offered. The chiropractic approach
is an alternative to traditional medical treatments that may be less effective
and involve serious side effects.
References
• Lamm L, Ginter L. Otitis Media: A conservative chiropractic management
protocol. Topics in Clinical Chiropractic, March 1998; vol. 5,
no. 1, pp18-28.
• Froom J, Culpepper L, Jacobs M, et al. Antimicrobials for acute
otitis media? A review from the International Primary Care Network. British
Medical Journal 1997, vol. 315, pp98-102.
• Fallon JM . The role of the chiropractic adjustment in the care
and treatment of 322 children with otitis media. Journal of Clinical
Chiropractic Pediatrics, Oct. 1997; vol. 2, no. 2, pp167-83.
• Neu HG. The crisis in antibiotic resistance. Science 1992,
vol. 257, pp1036-1038.
• Kline MW, Otitis Media, in Oski, et al., Principles and practice
of pediatrics, Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1990.
• Browning GG. Childhood otalgia: Acute otitis media. British
Medical Journal, 1990, vol. 300, p1005.
|
