EARACHE, DEAFNESS, INFECTION AND SOFTENING OF THE WAX

EARACHE, DEAFNESS, INFECTION AND SOFTENING OF THE WAX

Pain in the ears is usually caused due to -

• Impacted wax;
• Entry of some foreign object into the ear;
• Due to an infection in the ear, nose or throat;
• Due to some pressure changes when traveling in an airplane or in swimmers.

Children tend to be the usual sufferers because they commonly tend to suffer from respiratory tract infections and also because their Eustachian tubes are short and immature and thus the infection spreads easily. These can lead to severe infection and permanent damage if left untreated and thus should always be investigated by a doctor immediately.

When a person complains of earache, ask him to sit propped up, stay away from wind and draft of cold air and apply a warm compress or indirect heat over the part (like through a hair drier or by application of a towel wrung out of hot water and pressed against the ear),  or chew some gum and sip fluids to help open up the Eustachian tube and thus relieve the pain. It is important  not  to  put anything into the ear unless and until a doctor ensures you that the eardrum is intact.

HOME REMEDIES
WARNING: Do not put any ear drops in the ear  ( home remedies mentioned below), if the ear drum is ruptured as this can cause severe complications.

1. Apricot-Oil of apricot seeds is very effective in treating earache. Put 2-3 drops of oil in the ear that is paining. Earache will stop.

2. Betel leaf (pan)-The juice of fresh betel leaves is extracted and 2-3 drops are put in the painful ear to relieve earache. This also helps in treating ear infection.

3. Bishop's weed (ajwain)-Ajwain possesses pain killing property and is very beneficial in treating earache. Take half teaspoonful of ajwain seeds and boil them in half cup of milk. Boil them till the essence of the seeds permeates the milk, then strain and use this milk as eardrops. It decreases congestion and relieves earache.

4. Bitter gourd (karela)-Cut two karelas lengthwise in small pieces and boil them in mustard oil till the pieces turn into  ash  or black. Strain the oil and store  in a bottle. Put 2-3 drops in the ears daily. Do this for a few weeks. The hearing will improve.

5. Black pepper-Soak a piece of cotton in oil(Coconut oil) and then sprinkle it with black pepper and place it over the ear. This will bring instant relief to ear pain.

6. Bottle gourd (lauki)-Take the stalk of bottle gourd, crush it and extract the juice. Put 2-3 drops of this in the painful ear. The earache will stop immediately.

7. Breast milk-Instilling a few drops of breast milk is considered the best treatment in small children to treat mild earache.

8. Castor oil-A few drops of warm castor oil (arandi) or honey can be put in the ear to treat earache.

9. Clove (laung / lavang)-Heat 2-3 cloves in two teaspoonfuls of sesame oil. Then put a few drops of this warm oil in the painful ear. This will cure earache.

10. Garlic-Crush 2-3 cloves of garlic and heat them in some sesame oil or coconut oil till they turn brown. Do not use groundnut oil. Cool and strain. Put 2-3 drops of this oil in the painful ear. The earache will be cured. This will also benefit if there is pus oozing out from the ears. It also helps treat atonic deafness. To treat earache and discharge from the ear arising from middle-ear infection, take a few cloves of garlic and crush them. Mix some rock salt in it and warm the mixture. Wrap this mixture in a muslin cloth and place it on the painful ear. Simultaneously, chew 2-3 cloves of garlic daily for a few days.

To treat deafness, extract the juice of a few cloves of garlic and put 4-5 drops in the affected ear twice a day.

*Ghee-Boil ghee and camphor (karpoor) and store it in a bottle. Whenever there is earache, warm it and put 2-3 drops in the painful ear with the help of a clean dropper. This will cure the earache.

*Ginger-Freshly extracted ginger juice, about one tablespoonful, with an addition of a pinch of rock salt is filtered and then used as ear drops (2-3 drops) to relieve earache and inflammation.

*Holy basil (tulsi)-Put 2-3 drops of juice of fresh tulsi leaves in the ear that is paining. Warm the juice slightly before putting it in the ear. This will bring relief to the earache and also cure any mild ear infection.

*Honey-Honey is highly beneficial in the treatment of middle ear infection . This disease is characterized by infection of the ear leading to pus discharge through perforated eardrum. Put 2-3 drops of honey in the infected ear. This will drain out the pus and will help the ear to heal fast.

*Linseed oil (alsi ka tel)-If the ears are paining, put 2-3 drops of linseed oil in the ears with the help of a dropper. The earache will be cured.

*Margosa (neem-bitter)-Margosa leaves are known to possess pain-killing property and steam fomentation of neem decoction brings quick relief to earache. Boil a handful of neem leaves in one litre of water and foment the painful ear with the steam that is emitted.

This will give relief to earache. 

*To treat boils in the ear, mix fresh juice of neem leaves with equal quantity of honey and warm it a little. Put a few drops in the ear that has boils. Do this regularly and it will bring relief to the boils.

*Margosa (neem) oil is also a useful instillation for inflammation and pain in the ears.

*Mint (pudina)-Put 2-3 drops of juice of mint leaves in the ears to cure any sort of ear infection.

*Olive oil-Warm a little Verbascum or olive oil and put 2-3 drops in the painful ear, this will help ease the pain and  also  soften the wax and aid its easy removal.

*Onion-Take some raw onion juice and warm it. Put 2-3 drops in the ear that is paining.  Do this twice a day.  This will relieve the earache and also cure any sort of ear infection or ear inflammation.It is also beneficial if there is pus in the ears.  It also loosens the wax in the ears, which can then be easily removed.

*Poppy seeds (khus khus)-To treat inflammation of the ears, apply a paste of poppy seeds around the painful ear. It will bring relief.

*Radish (mooli)-Mix the juice of radish leaves with sesame oil in equal quantities. Boil this mixture till only the oil is left in the pan. Cool it, filter it and store it in a glass bottle. Whenever there is pain in the ears, put 2-3 drops in the painful ear after warming it slightly. The earache will be cured.

*Sesame oil (til ka tel)-Warm some sesame oil alongwith a couple of garlic cloves and put 2 -3 drops in the ears. This will soften the wax in the ears, which can then be easily cleaned.  This is also beneficial in treating earache.

*Drink a lot of water and increase the intake of dates, figs (anjeer) and fresh fruit juices.  This helps treat. All these items should be put together.