Infections
Ward Off Pesky Invasions
Becky Hieter, a 37-year-old mother of two from Ames, Iowa, is no stranger to earaches, sore throats, pinkeye and other infections that frequently plague kids and their parents.
When infection strikes, however, Hieter doesn't turn to over-the-counter medicines like antihistamines. And her kids rarely need to take antibiotics for ear infections. Instead, she relies primarily on herbs, vitamins and other natural remedies known for their infection-fighting powers. "I swear by mullein oil, echinacea and vitamin C," says Hieter.
Over-the-counter drugs like antihistamines and prescription drugs like antibiotics can help treat and ease ear and other infections. But they can also cause unpleasant side effects. Antibiotics, for instance, can cause rashes and diarrhea. Yet alternative treatments such as vitamin and mineral therapy, herbal medicine and homeopathy can get equally good results without the side effects, says Keith DeOrio, M.D., a homeopathic physician in private practice in Santa Monica, California.
Here's the rundown on what works and why.
EAR INFECTIONS: GET RID OF THE ACHE
If you have kids, odds are that you've dealt with your share of ear infections. Or, you've had one yourself.
The most common types are middle ear infections, the kind that torment kids, and outer ear infections, also known as swimmer's ear. Both can be quite painful.
Middle ear infections are usually caused by a proliferation of bacteria in a narrow tube--the eustachian tube--that runs from the ear to the throat and nose.
"Middle ear infections are more common in children. Their eustachian tubes are not fully developed, so saliva and bacteria in their mouths back up through their tubes," says Dr. DeOrio. Ear infections often come on the heels of colds because colds cause inflammation that blocks the eustachian tube, trapping saliva-borne bacteria inside.
With swimmer's ear, the culprit may be bacteria found in inadequately chlorinated water in public pools, hence the name. Excessive amounts of this bacteria-laden water in the ear can then trigger pain and inflammation.
A severe ear infection of either type can lead to hearing loss, so you should see a doctor if an earache is excruciating or your ear hurts for no apparent reason, says Dr. DeOrio. Doctors usually prescribe antibiotics for both middle ear infections and swimmer's ear, especially if the infection is severe.
If you're not in a lot of pain and you don't have a high fever, Dr. DeOrio suggests that you try alternative remedies for a day or so and turn to antibiotics only if you see no improvement or if your condition worsens. Experts offer these alternatives.
Try a drop or two of mullein oil. Mullein flowers have antibacterial properties, making them useful for treating both middle and outer ear infections, explains Dr. DeOrio. Mullein also offers potent pain relief, says Susun S. Weed, an herbalist, teacher from Woodstock, New York, and author of the Wise Woman herbal series.
You can buy mullein oil drops at most health food stores, says Dr. DeOrio. Place the bottle in a small pan of water and heat until the oil is warm but not hot. Test the temperature of the oil as you would a baby's bottle: Shake the bottle gently and then put a drop or two of the oil on your wrist. Then add a drop to each infected ear and cover the opening of the ear with a wad of cotton. Repeat the drops two or three times daily, until the infection clears.
Add garlic oil. If you don't have mullein oil on hand, you can use garlic oil instead. Like mullein flowers, garlic fights bacteria, says Weed. To make the oil, chop several cloves of garlic and put them in a small jar. Cover with olive oil and leave overnight. After straining the garlic, says Weed, add a few drops of the oil to each ear a couple of times each day, until the infection clears.
Sip some elder flower tea. Elder flowers help reduce inflammation and open clogged eustachian tubes, says Deb Soule, an herbalist in Rockport, Maine, and author of The Roots of Healing: A Woman's Book of Herbs. To brew elder flower tea, add two to three teaspoons of dried elder flowers to a cup and fill with boiling water. Steep for half an hour, then strain before drinking it. You can find dried elder flowers at your local herbary and some health food stores. Elder flowers have a shelf life of only one year, so make sure that you're buying products that haven't expired.
Eliminate food triggers. Middle ear infections can also be a symptom of food allergies, says Chris Meletis, doctor of naturopathy and clinic director, chief medical officer and medicinary director at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. Allergies to bananas, citrus, cow's milk, wheat, egg whites, corn and peanuts are often to blame. In one study, children who tested positive for these food allergies had far fewer ear infections once they stopped eating the offending foods.
To determine if one or more of those common culprits is a problem, eliminate bananas, citrus, cow's milk, wheat, egg whites, corn and peanuts for two to three weeks, Dr. Meletis says. Then add each food back one at a time, allowing at least one week between reintroductions, and see if infections recur. For example, if nothing happens when you start eating bananas again, but you start getting infections as soon as you reintroduce wheat, then wheat may be the culprit.
If you think that your child is allergic to milk, be sure to talk to a doctor or nutritionist about substitutes that will supply bone-building calcium. For most children, milk is the main source of this essential nutrient, so they'll need a fill-in if they're no longer having dairy products.
Rinse with vinegar, alcohol and peroxide. If swimmer's ear is your primary problem, try this: Mix an ounce each of vinegar, alcohol and peroxide in a bottle with a dropper top. After swimming, give the bottle a shake and add a few drops of the mixture to each ear. The alcohol will help evaporate any water left behind in your ears, and the peroxide and vinegar will kill lingering bacteria, says Dr. DeOrio.
PINKEYE: RELIEF FOR A COLD IN YOUR EYES
An inflammation of the conjunctiva, the film covering parts of your eye and inner eyelid, acute contagious conjunctivitis leaves your eyes pink, swollen and smarting. More commonly called pinkeye, this type of conjunctivitis is often accompanied by a sticky discharge. If you have conjunctivitis, you may find that your eyelids are "glued" together with this discharge when you wake up in the morning.
Pinkeye can be the result of either an allergy or an infection, says Dr. DeOrio. Viruses, including those that cause colds, can cause pinkeye--so can bacteria.
Both bacterial and viral conjunctivitis are extremely contagious and spread by hand-to-eye contact. Though pinkeye is most common in children, adults get it, too, says Dr. Meletis.
If you have symptoms of pinkeye, you should see a doctor, says Dr. DeOrio. If a bacterial infection is to blame, she'll probably prescribe antibiotic eyedrops. If a viral infection or allergy is the problem, she'll likely prescribe an antihistamine or steroid eyedrops to reduce the inflammation and itching.
At that point, Dr. DeOrio suggests that you try alternative remedies and take the prescription medicine only if necessary. Here are two remedies recommended by experts.
Swab with chickweed. Chickweed helps fight infection, yet it's mild enough to use on your eyes, says Weed. She suggests that you brew a pot of chickweed tea and let it cool until it is comfortable to the touch. Then dip a clean cloth into the tea and hold the cloth to the closed affected eye for as long as possible, up to an hour, rewetting the cloth periodically.
You can buy chickweed at your local herbary and some health food stores. Or better yet, pick fresh chickweed from your garden or lawn, boil briefly and when it reaches a safe temperature, apply to the outside of the eye as instructed, Weed advises.
Apply hot and cold compresses. If you don't have any chickweed handy, soak a clean washcloth in very warm water, wring it out and hold the damp cloth to your eye for a minute, says Dr. Meletis. Then soak the cloth in cold water, wring it out and again hold it to your eye for a minute. Repeat the process two or three times, being careful not to con-taminate your unaffected eye with the washcloth.
By alternating hot and cold compresses, you stimulate circulation, bringing more blood and more infection-fighting white blood cells to your eye, explains Dr. Meletis.
Give it two days. "If you try natural remedies and see no improvement after 48 hours or feel that your condition is getting worse, take any medicine that your doctor has prescribed for your pinkeye," says Dr. DeOrio. You can continue using natural remedies as well, he says.
SORE THROAT: REACH FOR HERBAL SOOTHERS
A sore, inflamed throat can be a symptom of an allergy, a viral infection like a cold or a bacterial infection such as streptococcus (strep throat).
For some people, strep infection can lead to rheumatic fever, a more serious condition that can damage your heart or kidneys. So if you have a sore throat that's not clearly the result of an allergy or cold, you should see a doctor, says Dr. DeOrio. Strep throat calls for different treatment than sore throats due to a cold or allergies. Should your doctor determine that you have strep throat and need antibiotics or other medication, you can still use alternative remedies, in addition to your medication, says Dr. DeOrio.
Here's what nature has to offer.
Suck on zinc lozenges. "Regardless of why your throat is sore, zinc lozenges can help reduce inflammation and soothe the pain," says Dr. DeOrio. "They can also help stimulate the immune system so you can better fight an infection."
In a study at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, men and women who sucked an average of five zinc lozenges a day during a cold got rid of their colds, including related sore throats, an average of three days earlier than people not using the lozenges. (You can find zinc lozenges at most health food stores. Look for zinc gluconate on the list of ingredients.)
Dr. DeOrio recommends sucking on two or three lozenges a day whenever your throat hurts.
Take the lozenges with food, Dr. Meletis says, since zinc on an empty stomach can cause nausea. Take note of how many milligrams of zinc are delivered in each lozenge and then make sure that you don't take more than 50 milligrams of zinc lozenges a day for longer than a month.
Higher doses can deplete your body of copper, a mineral that works in balance with zinc, says Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., clinical nutritionist and certified nutrition specialist in New York City and co-author of The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book.
Pick the right homeopathic remedy. For sore throats, Dr. DeOrio often recommends three homeopathic remedies: belladonna, mercurius sol (merc. sol) or lachesis. "These remedies can work no matter what's causing the sore throat. But be sure to match the symptoms to the remedy."
* If pain and redness are worse on the right side of your throat or
you have difficulty swallowing and your tonsils appear enlarged,
a 30c potency dose of belladonna three or four times daily is the homeopathic remedy for you, he says. (Concentrations, or strengths, of homeopathic remedies are expressed by a number followed by the letter c.)
* If you have raw, burning pain extending from the middle of your throat to your ears, bad breath and both swelling and white or yellow discharge appearing in the back of your throat, the ticket may be merc. sol at 30c potency three or four times a day.
* If your throat feels constricted, looks red and burns and the pain is stronger on the left side and extends to your ear, take a dose of lachesis at 30c potency three or four times daily.
Continue the remedy until the symptoms subside, typically two to four days, but no longer, says Dr. DeOrio. If you continue to take homeo-pathic treatments, the symptoms can return.
Zinc Lozenges Cured Her Sore Throat Maureen Elmaleh, 34, an advertising executive in New York City, relies on zinc lozenges to head off sore throats at the first sign of trouble. "I used to get sore throats that would lead into colds," says Elmaleh. "The sore throat would be the first sign. "I heard about zinc from a pharmacist," she says. "He told me about a study that found zinc lozenges helped with cold symptoms like sore throat. I tried the lozenges and they worked." Elmaleh starts sucking on zinc lozenges whenever she feels a sore throat coming on. "I probably take one lozenge four times a day. I take them after meals, since taking them on an empty stomach makes me queasy. The lozenges don't taste that great--they're kind of chalky--but they really soothe my throat. And sometimes, if I take lozenges at the onset of a sore throat, I won't even get a cold. And if I do get a cold, it's much shorter than my colds used to be."
|
ALL-PURPOSE INFECTION FIGHTERS
In addition to specific remedies for specific infections, other natural remedies can help you fend off and recover from infections in general, including the common cold, earaches, pinkeye and sore throats.
Enlist echinacea, the herbal helper. Also known as purple coneflower, echinacea reportedly perks up your immune system, helping it fight both bacterial and viral infections. So echinacea may help you, whether you're up against an ear infection, sore throat or pinkeye, says Weed.
You can find echinacea capsules and tinctures at most health food stores and drugstores. (When given a choice, Weed strongly recommends opting for a tincture as they appear to be much more effective than capsules.) Try 30 to 60 drops of the tincture or take a 500-milligram capsule three times a day as soon as you start feeling a cold or flu coming on, says Dr. Meletis. If you're already in the throes of a cold, he recommends taking 30 to 60 drops four times a day. (To determine the number of drops you should take, multiply your weight by 60 and then divide that amount by 150, says Dr. Meletis. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you would take 60 drops.)
Some believe that echinacea loses its effectiveness if you use it on a daily basis. So, unless otherwise instructed, try not to use it for more than two straight weeks at a time, and then give yourself an additional two weeks before you start taking it again, says Dr. DeOrio. And don't use the herb at all if you have an autoimmune disease such as lupus, since echinacea may further stimulate your overactive immune system.
For strep throat, Weed recommends taking as much as a teaspoonful of echinacea tincture every two hours, day and night, for two or three days until symptoms abate. Then continue with a half-teaspoonful of tincture three or four times a day, for at least seven more days. Continue for up to three weeks if needed.
Boost your intake of C. Vitamin C can also give your immune system a lift, says Dr. DeOrio. In a study at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, researchers asked one group of volunteers to take 2,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily. The other group was given a pill that looked like vitamin C but contained no active ingredients. The researchers then exposed both groups to a virus that causes colds. Those who took the extra vitamin C, it turned out, had much milder symptoms and recovered faster than the other group.
Dr. Meletis recommends 500 to 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C two to three times daily for adults. (Excess vitamin C may cause diarrhea in some people. If this happens to you, cut back the dosage.)