Home Remedies >> Ear Aches
Home Ear Ache Remedies
Ear aches are a fairly common ailment that affects children and adults alike. The three main cause of ear pain are infection in the outer canal or middle ear, blockages caused by swelling or mucus, and exposure to cold.
If your ear pain has persisted for more than a few hours it's recommended that you seek medical attention, but in the event that a doctor is not available, there are several home ear ache remedies that will provide relief; at least temporarily.
Most home ear ache remedies consists of some type of gentle heat applied to the ear. This causes blood to rush to the area which in turn helps to relieve the pain.
Here are the best home ear ache remedies:
1) Use a blow dryer set on low to blow warm air into the ear. It usually only takes a couple of minutes for this to work. Be sure to hold the hair dryer at a safe distance from the ear to avoid burning the ear. A minimum of 18 inches is recommended with a back and forth motion just like you were drying your hair.
2) 1/4 cup of salt wound tightly into a handkerchief, clean sock, or other similar sized piece of cloth tied off with a rubber band around it is another ear ache remedy you can try. Heat it slightly in a microwave or low heat oven the lie down with your ear on the handkerchief.
3) Add 2 or 3 drops of warm oil such as vegetable oil or olive oil to your ear and add a bit of cotton to hold it in. Generally provides almost immediate relief from ear pain but use caution. If you have a perforated eardrum or if the oil coats your eardrum and the doctor needs to take a look he may need to vacuum or flush your ear to remove it. That can be extremely painful for best to avoid it by using other low heat methods.
4) Heating pad, hot water bottle, or hot wash cloth. All provide low heat to help relieve an ear ache.
These are some of the most common home ear ache remedies that have been proven to work over time. It seems that any method you use that can provide a low heat to the ear will help to relieve pain so I am sure there are many variations on these that could be used also.