Ear infection is common in children, but can occur at any age. The main symptoms are earache and feeling unwell. Painkillers are the main treatment. Antibiotics are not usually needed but are prescribed in some cases. The infection usually clears within a few days.

You can avoid places where people are smoking, for one. Cigarette smoke can keep your eustachian tubes from working properly.

You also can try not to catch colds. These steps can help:

Stay away from people who have colds, if possible.
Wash your hands regularly.
Try not to touch your nose and eyes.
Good luck staying clear of colds and keeping those pesky germs out of your ears!

The treatment for ear infections may include any of the following:

If your doctor thinks the infection is caused by bacteria, he or she may prescribe an antibiotic. (Antibiotics don't work for infections caused by viruses.) It's very important to follow the directions for giving your child the medicine.
Pain relievers like acetaminophen (brand names: Children's or Infants' Tylenol) and ibuprofen (brand names: Children's Advil or Children's Motrin) can help make your child feel better and reduce fever. Never give your child aspirin, as it have been linked to Reye's syndrome.
A warm (not hot) heating pad held over the ear can also help relieve pain from the earache.
Ear drops to relieve pain are sometimes prescribed.

A tube called the eustachian tube connects the middle ear with the back of the nose. Normally this tube lets fluid drain out of the middle ear. If bacteria or viruses infect the lining of your child's eustachian tube, the tube gets swollen and fills with thick mucus. This keeps fluid in the ear from draining normally. Bacteria can grow in the fluid, increasing pressure behind the eardrum and causing pain.

The eustachian tubes can become blocked because of allergies, a cold or other infection. In other cases, the adenoids (glands near the ear) become enlarged and block the eustachian tubes.

Acute ear infections usually clear up within 1 or 2 weeks. Sometimes, ear infections last longer and become chronic. After an infection, fluid may stay in the middle ear. This may lead to more infections and hearing loss.
by- familydoctor.org

Children may be at higher risk for ear infections if they:
Are around people who smoke.
Have had previous ear infections.
Have a family history of ear infections.
Attend day care (because they are exposed to more germs and viruses).
Were born prematurely or with a low birth weight.
Have frequent colds or other infections.
Take a bottle to bed.
Use a pacifier.
Are male (boys tend to get more ear infections than girls).
Have nasal speech (caused by large adenoids that block the eustachian tube).
Have allergies with nasal congestion.

If your child does not yet talk, you need to look for signs of an infection:
Tugging at ears
Crying more than usual
Ear drainage
Trouble sleeping
Balance difficulties
Hearing problems

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In young children, upper respiratory tract viral infections, which include sinus infections, sore throats and the common cold, and ear aches are closely related, a new study confirms, suggesting that one strategy to reduce the rate of ear aches is to prevent upper respiratory infections in young children, the researchers say.

The researches conducted a study in which they observed 294 healthy children between the age of 6 months and 3 years for 1 year to assess the occurrence of ear ache and ear ache with fluid in the middle ear that complicated upper respiratory infections due to specific viruses.

According to their report in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, Dr. Tasnee Chonmaitree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and colleagues documented 1,295 episodes of upper respiratory infection (5.06 episodes per child per year) and 440 ear ache episodes (1.72 per child per year).

Symptomatic viral upper respiratory infection was highly prevalent among young children, they report, and 61 percent of cases were complicated by ear ache or ear ache with middle ear fluid. Young age was the most important risk factor for ear ache as a result of upper respiratory infection, they report.

Virus studies performed for 864 episodes of upper respiratory infection yielded positive results in 63 percent. Rhinovirus (the common cold) and adenovirus were most often associated with upper respiratory infection.

Adenovirus can also cause gastrointestinal symptoms, urinary tract infections, pneumonia and conjunctivitis.

Ear ache occurred in roughly half of the children with upper respiratory infection due to adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, or coronavirus and in approximately one third of those with upper respiratory infection due to influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, enterovirus or rhinovirus.

Based on this study, Chonmaitree and colleagues suggest that "for young children, the strategy to prevent ear aches should involve prevention of viral upper respiratory infection. The strategy may be more effective if the priority is given to development of means to prevent upper respiratory infection associated with adenovirus and respiratory syncytial virus."

SOURCE: Clinical Infectious Diseases, March 15, 2008.

I woke up one morning with a slight fever, a runny nose and a throbbing pain in my left ear. Just a cold coming on, I thought.

Later that day, I started to feel dizzy and nauseated. When I sneezed, I thought my head would explode.

started taking an over-the-counter cold remedy. It didn't help. By the next morning, my ears were ringing, and my head felt as if it were stuck in a bowl. I made an appointment with my doctor for that afternoon.

He told me I had otitis media, an infection in the middle ear.

I thought otitis media was a childhood illness.

"It's true that ear infections are more common in children," said Dr. Donald Lurye, chief medical officer at Welborn Clinic, "but adults can also get them."

An ear infection is most often caused by bacteria passing through the Eustachian tube to the middle ear. White blood cells migrate to kill the bacteria. The white blood cells also die, a process that causes fluid to build in the ear.

"There are a couple of reasons why ear infections are less common in adults," said Lurye. "First, an adult's immune system has had more exposure over the years to various strains of bacteria and is better able to fight the infection.

"Second, an adult's Eustachian is larger and angled differently, which makes drainage more effective."

Ear infections often follow an upper respiratory tract infection, such as a cold or sinusitis.

"Symptoms include an earache, usually on one side," said Lurye. "A fever isn't required for a diagnosis, but may be present. A patient may also have cold symptoms and may notice a slight decrease in hearing. The pain associated with the infection may also cause a patient to feel nauseous."

Lurye added that while some people may experience dizziness, that symptom is uncommon because balance is controlled by the inner ear, which usually is not affected by a middle ear infection.

Certain conditions may predispose adults (and children) to ear infections.

"Someone who has a lot of nasal allergies would be more susceptible," said Lurye. "A structural abnormality in the face, such as a cleft palate, is also a risk factor. So is smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke. There may also be a genetic component. People with a family history of ear infections may be more prone to them."

Once diagnosed, ear infections are usually treated with antibiotics.

In extreme cases, an adult may need to have tubes inserted into his ears.

"That can often be done in an office setting by an ear, nose and throat specialist," said Lurye. "Adults can usually tolerate the procedure with just a local anesthetic."

There are steps you can take to lessen your risk of contracting an ear infection, such as avoiding crowded places during cold season, washing hands often, covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze and consuming a healthy diet.

Complications that can develop from an ear infection include brain abscess, infection in the mastoid bone and hearing loss. "Fortunately, complications are extremely rare in countries where treatment is readily available," said Lurye.

"The good news is that while an ear infection may be unpleasant, most of the symptoms start to go away within a few days of beginning treatment."

Finish all the medication. Make sure to finish the medicine according to your doctor's instructions even if symptoms get better. Otherwise the infection may not completely resolve, and the risk of drug-resistant bacteria is increased.
Read all labels carefully and follow the directions. Carefully read the instructions that come with the medicine. Know whether your child should take the medicine with or without food. Does the medicine need to be refrigerated? How much, how often and for how long should your child take the medicine? If you don't understand the instructions, contact your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Some children have trouble swallowing tablets or capsules or dislike the taste of the medicine. You may be able to crush the medicine and mix it with soft food, such as applesauce. Or you can mix liquid medicine with yogurt or pudding. Make sure, however, that your child consumes all the food so that he or she receives the full dose of medicine. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure that mixing the medicine with food or liquid won't lessen the effectiveness of the antibiotic. Some pharmacies offer flavors that can be mixed with the antibiotic to improve the taste.

Report any side effects. Antibiotics used to treat ear infections may have unwanted side effects, including nausea and diarrhea. If your child develops a rash or has signs of an allergic reaction, call your doctor immediately or take your child to the emergency room if breathing is affected. Tell the doctor if your child takes other medicines on a regular basis. Some medicines shouldn't be used together and may be harmful to your child.source- mayoclinic.com

Antibiotics don't relieve pain.
Although symptoms usually get better with or without antibiotic, your child may begin to feel better slightly sooner with medicine. The antibiotic prescribed may not be effective against the specific bacteria causing your child's infection.
Your child's ear infection may improve a little bit faster than if it were allowed to clear up on its own. Repeated use of antibiotics may lead to the development of drug-resistant bacteria, making future infections more difficult to treat.
Antibiotics may help reduce the risk of your child developing further (but rare) complications, such as meningitis. Antibiotics may have unwanted side effects.

Alternative therapies are generally not recommended for use in children - some have dangerous effects or may interfere with conventional treatments. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend the use of alternative therapies for children's ear infections.

There are very few quality studies on alternative therapies. Homeopathy and chiropractic care are two therapies that have been studied for the treatment of ear infections.

Homeopathy treatment for ear infection is controversial. It involves using highly diluted preparations of natural substances, typically plants and minerals, to treat symptoms of illness. Study results have been mixed and it remains unclear whether this treatment is of any benefit.
Chiropractic treatment is another alternative therapy that has been tested for the treatment of ear infections. Proponents of chiropractic manipulation claim that by using specific techniques, this treatment can help drain fluid from the middle ear and promote better ventilation of the eustachian tube. Though some people believe this approach to be helpful, long-term studies haven't verified its

Home Remedies for Earache

1. One of the well liked home remedy for earache is to grind a few Holy basil leaves and extract some juice. Put 2 drops inside the ear.

2. Boil some cloves of Garlic in water. Crush them and add a pinch of salt. Enfold this poultice in a flannel and place on the aching ear.

3. Pour some garlic juice in the aching ear. Its antibiotic characteristics help to reduce the pain.

4. If your earache has rises in elevation then just chew gum. This will contract the muscles and open the eustachian tube.

5. Another fine home remedy for earache is to put few drops of hydrogen peroxide in the aching ear.

6. Put two drops of holy basil leaves juice in the painful ear.

7. Take out the juice of the tender leaves of a mango and make it a little warm. Put four drops in both ear as this helps in the treatment of earaches. One of the fine home remedies for earache.

8. Put some seeds of the fenugreek in any kind of oil; mustard and linseed oils are the finest. Then warm this to some extent. After that, cool and then filter the oil and put it in each ear. About four to five drops of the oil in each ear will helps in eliminating the pain completely.

9. Add half a clove of garlic in a teaspoonful of sesame oil and heat it on a flame till it becomes a little hot. Put four drops of the oil in the one ear and stay on this side for ten minutes. Then turn over and put the oil in the second ear also. Stay on this side too for ten minutes.

10. Mix drops each of garlic oil, grapefruit seed extract, and eucalyptus essential oil. Put in ears with a dropper several times daily.
source-ezinearticles.com

Earache is very common problem for both children and adults. An earache is pain caused by an infection of the ear. The medical term for an ear infection is otitis

Bacteria, viruses, and fungi can all cause ear infections. The buildup of pressure in the eustachian tube is one of the major causes of earache. Tonsillitis and sinus infections also result in earache, especially among children