Many adults struggle with allergies + sinus issues. Often this leads to poor sleep, increased congestion, and breathing difficulty. 

This blog covers the common symptoms of ear infections, what chiropractic treatment looks like + solutions for you at home!

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Ear infections can occur when there is fluid build up in the middle ear. This occurs when the tube that connects your ear to your nasal cavity [ auditory tube, or Eustachian tube ] isn’t draining properly.

The fluid build up ultimately leads to increased pressure in the ear which causes pain and eventually leads to the infection!

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Top Symptoms in Adults: 

- Fullness/pressure in ear

- Muffled hearing

- Low-grade fever

- Dizziness

- Ear pain with colds, allergies, sinusitis

*** For more on ear infections in KIDDOS read our latest BLOG HERE *** 

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Here are our TOP 3 SOLUTIONS: 

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1. Get Adjusted 

The nerves that leave the neck wrap around and talk to [ innervate ] the middle ear! This means, when we adjust the cervical spine, we not only influence the nervous system BUT we help provide movement of any lingering fluid! 

2. Internal Drainage 

Sinus' refer to the multiple cavities in the skull where your sinuses are located. These often become congested due to a variety of reasons - including pregnancy!

In terms of the ear, your middle ear is made up of 3 tiny bones called ossicles. The eustachian tube carries fluid from the middle ear to the throat.

By working on the inside of the mouth, near the back of the throat, we can stimulate drainage in the middle ear!

Steps to perform the technique: 

1. Beginning with the sinuses, follow along the top of the mouth to where the soft palate meets the hard palate - this feels like a "bump."

2. Perform a "swooping" motion and massage that tissue to help drain the sinuses.

3. You will then go back just a bit further, eliciting a gag reflex, and perform the same technique for ear drainage.

4. The next piece to this is to adjust the ears themselves. Using a firm grasp, open up the canal of the ear by tractioning + creating space.

5.  This is a "J" movement, and you might hear a "pop" due to the connection of those tiny ossicles to the middle ear.

6. Finally, there are multiple lymph nodes located in the neck and under the jaw. Using firm pressure, massage downward to help promote drainage of fluid within those lymph nodes.]

7.  Lastly, you can apply pressure to the sinuses themselves, or give them a tap, to promote further fluid drainage. 

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3. At Home Solutions: 

Saline Ear Rinse :

- using a saline solution, rinse the ear out. Use a small amount and let the the excess solution drip out of the ear by tipping the head. You can use an ear cleaner like this one, but it's not necessary. 

Tea Tree [ Melaleuca alternifolia ]  Massage :

- using a cotton ball or small cup, get some olive oil onto your thumb. You can add a drop of tea tree oil [ or olive oil! ] to your thumb as well. Tea tree oil has antibacterial affects, so there is added benefit! Place your oiled thumb on the bony part behind the ear, the mastoid process. Begin gently massaging this area, and you can work your way down along the jaw line. *You are only using a cotton ball to avoid putting your hand directly on the oil bottle…keeping it sanitary.

 Garlic Mullein Oil : 

- this is a concentrated blend of herbs + oils which provide a natural aid for earaches. Mullein flowers have been used to improve ear health for centuries! Simple to use - just put a few drops in the ear!