The Ear Infection and the Child
It seems that coming down with an ear infection is a rite of passage for a lot of children as more and more children are complaining of having that piercing pain in their ears. But then again, there always seem to be that one child who never has experienced the terrible ear infection and most parents would wonder why. What is it that the parent of that child is doing so differently and what is it that really helps prevent these nasty infections? It is really simple in fact and just takes a few extra minutes of thought throughout the day.
One of the biggest reasons a lot of children end up with an ear infection is because of the cigarette smoke that they are exposed to. As if there were not already a million other reasons to keep children out of the way of the harmful smoke, there is now another as cigarette smoke keeps the Eustachian tubes in the ears from functioning properly. Other then that, you really just want to keep your children from catching as many colds as possible which most parents already do. Make sure that they are always washing their hands and that they are keeping their distance from other children or adults who have colds.
Treatments for Ear Infections
When you take your child to the doctor, expect him to use an otoscope and look into the ear to see what is going on. By using the otoscope, the doctor is clearly able to view the eardrum and the membrane that sits between the middle and the outer ear. Through visually looking inside the ear, the doctor will be able to tell if there really is an ear infection or what else could be going on if it really is not an ear infection that is taking place.
If the doctor feels that the ear infection is bad enough to receive medical treatment, the doctor will give an antibiotic to clear up the infection. The antibiotics that are given almost always work as long as the directions are followed properly and within a matter of days, the ear infection will no longer hurt. If a child, or even an adult, suffers from an ear infection on a regular basis, the doctor may want to run some tests to see what is happening as too many of these infections is not normal and it is not okay because there could be a bigger issue at hand.
