Ear
problems can be excruciatingly painful, especially in children. With 10 million
new cases every year, ear infections (otitis media) are the most common illness
affecting babies and young children and the number one reason for visits to the
pediatrician—accounting for more than 35 percent of all pediatric visits.
Almost half of all children will have at least one middle ear infection before
they're a year old, and two-thirds of them will have had at least one such
infection by age 3. The symptoms can include ear pain, fever, and irritability.
Otitis media can be either bacterial or viral in origin, and frequently results
from another illness such as a cold. For many children, it can become a chronic
problem, requiring treatment year after year, and putting the child at risk of
permanent hearing damage and associated speech and developmental problems.
Standard treatment for most cases of otitis media is with antibiotics, which
can be effective if the culprit is bacterial (antibiotics, of course, do
nothing to fight off viruses). But, according to many research studies,
antibiotics are often not much more effective than the body's own immune
system. And repeated doses of antibiotics can lead to drug-resistant bacteria
that scoff at the drugs, while leaving the child screaming in pain.
Frequent ear infections are also the second most common reason for surgery in
children under 2 (with circumcision being the first). In severe cases—for
example, when fluids from an ear infection haven't cleared from the ear after
several months, and hearing is affected—specialists sometimes prescribe
myringotomy and tympanostomy, more commonly known as "ear tubes."
During the surgical procedure, a small opening is made in the eardrum to place
a tube inside. The tube relieves pressure in the ear and prevents repeated
fluid buildup with the continuous venting of fresh air. In most cases, the
membrane pushes the tube out after a couple of months and the hole in the
eardrum closes. Although the treatment is effective, it has to be repeated in
some 20 to 30 percent of cases. And this kind of surgery requires general
anesthesia, never a minor thing in a small child. If the infection persists
even after tube placement and removal, children sometimes undergo adenoidectomy
(surgical removal of the adenoids)—an option that is effective mostly through
the first year after surgery.
Before yet another round of "maybe-they'll-work-and-maybe-they-won't"
antibiotics or the drastic step of surgery, more parents are considering
chiropractic to help children with chronic ear infections. Dr. Joan Fallon, a
chiropractor who practices in Yonkers, New York, has published research showing
that, after receiving a series of chiropractic adjustments, nearly 80 percent
of the children treated were free of ear infections for at least the six-month
period following their initial visits (a period that also included maintenance
treatments every four to six weeks).
"Chiropractic mobilizes drainage of the ear in children, and if they can
continue to drain without a buildup of fluid and subsequent infection, they
build up their own antibodies and recover more quickly," explains Dr.
Fallon. She'd like to see her pilot study used as a basis for larger-scale
trials of chiropractic as a therapeutic modality for otitis media.
Dr. Fallon uses primarily upper-cervical manipulation on children with otitis
media, focusing particularly on the occiput, or back of the skull, and atlas,
or the first vertebra in the neck. "Adjusting the occiput, in particular,
will get the middle ear to drain. Depending on how chronic it's been and on
where they are in their cycle of antibiotics, children generally need to get
through one bout of fluid and fight it off themselves." That means, for
the average child, between six and eight treatments. If a child's case is acute,
Dr. Fallon will check the ear every day, using a tympanogram to measure the ear
and track the movement of the eardrum to make sure that it's draining.
"I'll do adjustments every day or every other day for a couple of days if
they're acute, and then decrease frequency over time."
Dr. Fallon, whose research garnered her the acclaim of childrearing magazines
like Parenting and Baby Talk, often sees great success when she
treats a child for otitis media. "Once they fight it themselves, my kids
tend to do very well and stay away from ear infections completely. Unless there
are environmental factors like smoking in the house, an abnormally shaped
Eustachian tube, or something like that, they do very well," she says.
"I have two large pediatric groups that refer to me on a regular basis. In
the winter, when otitis is most prevalent, I see five or six new children each
week from each group," says Dr. Fallon. "It's safe and effective and
something that parents should try, certainly before inserting tubes in their children's
ears."
Chiropractic Care Can Help...
Talk to your doctor of chiropractic about your child's ear infections. Doctors
of chiropractic are licensed and trained to diagnose and treat patients of all
ages and will use a gentler type of treatment for children.
VIA: www.acatoday.org
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