I can’t stop thinking about my daughter’s experience last week with an ear ache!
After two days of a dull pain that would not go away, I called our pediatrician so he could look inside her ear with his otoscope and hopefully diagnose the issue. As we expected he announced it was ear infection and told us we should get her on a 15 day antibiotic so that nothing more serious would happen, like a popped eardrum! Yikes!!! Of course we didn’t want THAT to happen so we took the prescription to the pharmacy, she took her first dose and was back in school that afternoon.
Now, I realize there is a time and place for antibiotics, but I also know they are given out and prescribed like a healthy vitamin meant to boost your immune system. It just didn’t feel right giving my daughter an antibiotic, knowing it was not only killing the “bad guys”, but the “good guys” also.
I emailed my favorite functional medicine doctor and asked her opinion. She replied with an article from CNN which says that according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, antibiotics do little to speed recovery and in fact raises the risks of some side effects. She told me to called a chiropractor and gave me a couple of recommendations. Hmmm, interesting but I’ll give it a try.
I called and got her an appointment that afternoon. The chiropractor explained that the dry air or some other little thing had probably caused a little fluid to back up and the drainage wasn’t working properly. He said the tube that drains the fluid in her ear is like the tiny red straw they serve at bars in your cocktail! Wow, now that is a tiny pathway!
In less than 10 minutes and a few adjustments later he said that’s it! It’s draining now and she should feel better in less than 24 hours. He said she may hear a cracking like noise and may feel the drainage coming up! “Yuck!”, we both said.
Sure enough less than 24 hours later Avery walked upstairs and announced that she had good news! The pain was gone and she felt better. Now two days later the ear infection is completely gone!
I am so thankful that we treated it this way and even more thankful she did not need to take a round of antibiotics. I can’t help but think about all the moms who have a child with an ear ache and think their only option is an antibiotic.
There are many amazing doctors out there. I am thankful for them. Most of them are just not trained to treat ailments by allowing the body to heal itself. They are trained to treat with medicine.
It’s interesting to note that the CDC now has a list of over 18 bacteria that are antibiotics resistant. This happens from over use of antibiotics and is a scary issue. The number keeps growing.
Just Tweak it 