Would a Chiropractor Help My 1 Year Old with Dobule Ear Infections?

Updated on January 20, 2009
A. asks from Saint Louis, MO
23 answers

The four antibiotics my 1 year old son has taken back-to-back for his double ear infections have not made them go away. The Augmentin helped some and the latest one, Suprax, has helped too, making them 2 out of 10 in terms of severity, which is an improvement. But they're not cured, and we're going on 2 months of this. Two people have recommended that we see a chiropractor and I've taken him once, but I still have mixed feelings. Do anyone of you have first-hand knowledge/experience that might shed some light on this? Are we just going to have to get tubes? I do have an appt. with and ENT, for next week. Thank you so much!

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B.S.

answers from Kansas City on

Oh, I think so. I take Ellie every two weeks and have had great results! When she had her first EI, I got her adjusted after leaving the Ped and the fussing was gone immediately.

We see Peggy Brown-Grantham at 126th and Antioch. ###-###-####

1 mom found this helpful
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G.B.

answers from Kansas City on

Absolutely! I have a wonderful chiropractor who told me none of his kids have ever been on antibiotics because he has given them treatments any time they've ever been sick. He's located in Overland Park right by Hwy 69 and 151st st. Let me know if you want his name/number.

1 mom found this helpful

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J.H.

answers from Wichita on

Hi A.,

I went through a similiar situation with my oldest son. I took him off all daisry products at the age of 18 months for a full year. He has not had an ear infection since and he is now 7.

Check into food sensitivities and allergies before going through and surgeries, more meds, etc!! You will be able to see a difference in a week or two if that is the problem. Check into the Elimination diet to find out what foods may be causing the problem. An allergist can help you with that or simply go online and look up a reputable food allergy organization.

Best Wishes,

J. H.

2 moms found this helpful
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K.L.

answers from St. Louis on

I work in an office with two chiropractors who specialize in full family practice and have shared office space with many chiropractors for more than 12 years. I have never seen a chiropractor fail in this area. They get to source of the problem, which is often related to food sensitivities, and treat without harsh drugs. I cannot imagine why MDs are still unbalancing babies digestive tracts with anitbiotics that generally tend to make the problem worse by creating more reactions to foods they cannot digest well when antibiotics damage the natural bacterial lining of the intestines.

Since your baby has had so many antibiotics, I would also ask the chiropractor about giving probiotics to a 1 y/o. I'm not sure where you live, but a great place to take kids is Primary Care Chiropractic in west St. Louis County. The doctor who owns the facility taught at Logan College for 20 years and has had many years of experience with babies. He's really great with kids. They also provide a very affordable wellness program for kids 12 and under called Kids Come First.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.L.

answers from Kansas City on

Our Chiropractor saved my daughter from tubes!! When she would get an ear infection we would take her into the chiro and then we would not have to use antibiotics! It was so nice! Hope it works for you also!

1 mom found this helpful
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K.W.

answers from St. Louis on

Hi A.! I just wanted to let you know that I am a chiropractor certified in chiropractic pediatrics. I am also a mother of two and have been treating my children since birth. Chiropractic is great but unfortunately most chiropractors aren't trained in pediatrics so while they may help, you would get better results with a chiro with pediatric training. I would be happy to give you a free consultation to see what our options for treatment should be. I have helped a lot of children with chronic ear infections and I would love to help your son. If I am not a preferable option or am too far away I would be happy to find you a peds certified chiropractor in your area! I hope this helps

Dr. K. Wilks

1 mom found this helpful
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K.S.

answers from Kansas City on

Go to an Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist. My son had tubes at 1 and his tonsils and adenoids out at almost 3. The tubes made our life completely stress free...no more trips to the doctors and in fact what finally pushed me over the edge is I found out that the pediatrician I had been taking my son to had a partner in the practice that gave my son 3 times too much of a medicine (it was a shot). I decided enough was enough (and obviously I don't go to that Pediatrician anymore)! The procedure lasted all of 5 minutes and we were on our way home after being at the hospital for 2 hours. It was well worth it. You really should look into it, especially if medicine is not doing the trick. Dr. Weatherly at the Children's Mercy Hospital is AWESOME, but it is a long wait. For his tubes we went Dr. Festus Krebs in Lee's Summit...did a wonderful job on his tubes. If you want to talk more extensively on this feel free to email me. Goodluck! :)

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J.C.

answers from St. Louis on

Most definitley! That's where I started taking my oldest when he was about a year old because his immune system was down from the peds over prescribing antiobiotics & he was getting severe ear infections all of the time. It is so simple & painless! & no meds to shove down their throat. They use a massage lotion & technique to get rid of the blockage & it's an almost instant fix. My son would sleep for a few hours after she "worked" on him. An ENT will say tubes, but that's what they are there for & that's their business. Obviously, you have to do what's best for you & your child, but I say at least give it a try. Tubes are not as easy as people like to say they are.

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M.T.

answers from St. Louis on

A.,

You need to get to the ENT with your Son. First the infections need to be cleared up and then they may suggest tubes. My oldest Son went through the ear infections and the tubes really helped him. He may also have allergies that are causing the infections. I don't have a problem with Chiropractors, but for this he really needs the ENT. Someone that specializes in ears and noses.
Good luck, I know how hard this is.

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N.G.

answers from Columbia on

Hi A.,
I'm a Chiropractor/Acupuncturist/Massage Therapist/Mother. I would be glad to work with you, but what you do may be more important. He may have important misalignments which need addressing, either causing the problems, or contributing to them, and/ or caused by them, and I can help with that and show you ways to help them.
Are you nursing, using formula, adding foods? I find that most of these problems are caused by allergies to dairy, including milk, butter, cheese, ice cream, etc. (Yogurt without sugar and additives is usually fine. Ghee can also be OK.) It is very important to go completely off dairy. After a good month, many people can tolerate it once every 4 days.
Sugar can also be causing it. Other contribtors can be flour and chemicals. I do muscle testing to find out yours or his specific allergies.
These are serious and big life changes and not easy. I know because I've done them, and it's so worth it. You'll save yourself years of illness and medical expense, and enjoy vibrant health through whole foods. Medicines are drugs, and they disrupt digestion and tax the liver and kidneys. Rounds of antibiotics weaken the body and can lead to more health problems. But the body has built in mechanisms to restore itself and there are ways we can help it.
You can write me or call at ###-###-#### or ###-###-####.

Best wishes,
Dr. N. Goodman

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R.C.

answers from Wichita on

I agree w/probiotics and alternatives to tubes. Chiro is good, esp. if you find someone who also does craniosacral therapy. Some massage therapists also do cranio. I didn't look to see where you are, but I know a chiro who is fabulous with cranio in Wichita.

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M.F.

answers from Kansas City on

i'm a believer in ...whatever works. my oldest had tubes after chronic ear inf. worked like a charm... but i did NOT know at the time that I was MAKING him have ear infections! how horrible i felt after i found out that if i would've just held him up in a sitting position (as opposed to more like a lying down one) he probably wouldn't have had then at all!...i didn't know.

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K.H.

answers from St. Louis on

I have never heard of this! We found out that giving our son milk or water while he was laying down was the main culprit with his ear infections. Also, keeping his nose clean and clear will help. We finally ended up with tubes anyway and he never had any more ear infections after that - not one!! Don't let it go too long or it could damage his hearing. Tubes are not that big a deal, except for the ear plugs at bathtime, it's a breeze. Good Luck!
K.

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R.J.

answers from Springfield on

I would look at her diet first, dairy is a culprit so is drinking from a sippy cup and drinking it at night while laying down too. My daughter lived with ear infections the first 2 years of her life. When we got rid of the sippy, things got better.

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L.K.

answers from Kansas City on

A.,

I don't have any first hand experience with chiropractors and kid's ear infections, but it sounds like others have and had great results.

I will say though, I certainly wish I would have been aware and/or open to the thought of chiropractic care when my son was going through his ear infections. He's 18 now, but it was almost constant the first 2 years of his life. We even had 3 sets of tubes placed!

Now, even as a traditionally trained registered nurse, I think chiropractic care is where people should start for so many things. A good chiropractor will tell you if it is beyond their scope of practice.

Good Luck.

Lori K

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K.D.

answers from Kansas City on

Absolutely try a chiropractor!!! I wish I had known about this alternative treatment when my daughter was a baby. My co-worker had a daughter with extremely serious ear infections. They were about to go in for surgery because antibiotics were not keeping the infection under control. She decided to consult a chiropractor and he "adjusted" her baby. The baby has NEVER had another ear infection since seeing the chiropractor. Good luck!

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M.L.

answers from Wichita on

My experience with a chiropractor was for my five year old experiencing twitches. I posted on this site and had recommendations. I was nervous and unsure and afraid he would hurt her. I called the pediatrician who said it wouldn't hurt her but he didn't know if it would help. We took her to a wonderful chiropractor in Derby and she has shown marked improvement. It could be because it was a phase and went away on it's own or because we saw the chripractor but it's worth it to me to try everything. It doesn't cost much and doesn't hurt so to me it's worth it.

We did ear tubes for our youngest and were happy that she had fewer infections but they were a mess because our ENT didn't want us to get water in them. The other ENT in town says it's fine, that's what tube is for, to drain the water. So, if your ENT says they can get wet, they aren't a problem. I was pretty freaked about the surgery but it seriously took 5 minutes. We waited for a while. They took her back. We sat down in the waiting room and they came to get us in 5 or 10 minutes to say the surgery was done and she would wake up soon. She was upset when we went to see her but as soon as I held her she was fine and happy.

It's hard for me to see how a chiropractor would help with ear infections since it seems to me that the body is built to favor infections in the young. But, when I talked to Dr. Brackeen about Sophia's ticks he said that every function in the body is controlled by nerves and if those nerves are pinched the body doesn't function as it should.

So, if you can afford it, go for it. It can't hurt.

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B.H.

answers from Kansas City on

When my son was a baby he too had a double ear infection. I was refered to an ear nose and throat specialist who discovered he had fluid behind the ear drum and the only way that would come out was the tubes. If they were not placed in asap he could be at risk of loosing some of if not all of his hearing. WWe had the tubes inserted and it was like a completly different little guy. WONDERFUL! So get the tubes if you can. They work out great and you might be able to get some sleep.

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D.Z.

answers from St. Louis on

I would stick with the ent. I have had problems with my ears all my life which are predominetly caused from allergies. My daughter had to have tubes put in her ears when she was young due to back to back ear infections. So My advice is the ear nose, throat doctor, see what he says

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H.L.

answers from St. Louis on

Absolutely, no doubt about it, OMG YES!! I work for a chiropractor in Collinsville, IL and I have seen amazing things happen. We have two patients that went into remission from cancer; a baby back to normal health after vaccines left him sick and lethargic for months; women get pregnant when they had difficulties before; constant ear infections, colic, constipation and or diarrhea in babies disappear; As a child and an adult I had horrible ear infections all the time, but since seeing and working for Chiropractors over the last few years I honestly don't have them at all! Not sure where you are, but our office number is ###-###-####. If you live too far from here we can help find someone close to you!! Good luck! H.

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S.R.

answers from Columbia on

Absolutely! If the one you go to doesn't help. Go to another one. Hands on treatments!and as my 9yr old stands over and reads this "she agrees" yes!

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D.S.

answers from Kansas City on

I have heard that child chiropractic care really does work. I also have heard that if you put a few drops of "tea tree" oil in their ears it works. I wish I would have know all of this when my daughter was little so she wouldn't have had to have tubes put in! But it has worked for my son. I currenly work with a wellness company that has amazing products that are non-caustic and since changing no one in our family has been sick once this winter. If you can't find tea tree oil over the counter feel free to contact me and I can tell how to get it online.

D. S.
____@____.com
www.livetotalwellness.com/DebbieS

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C.G.

answers from Columbia on

I have been seeing a chiropractor for a month or so now. She told us all kinds of stories about how a chiropractor has helped people with things that you wouldn't even imagine could be fixed by a chiropractor (like severe acid reflux in a 5 day old infant). I do know that it usually takes several sessions for something to be fixed. Even longer for adults who have had damage for longer periods of time. I agree with the person who posted and said that every function in the body is connected to nerves and that when those nerves are effected in a negative way, the function can have problems. I would definitely keep going to a chiropractor who knows how to deal specifically with ear infections.

I had tubes in my ears when I was young. I still got frequent ear infections afterwards, but not nearly as often as I did before. Now my ears are VERY sensitive to pressure, but I don't know if that is because I had tubes or not.

I would recommend that your son take some probiotics. Probiotics help replenish the healthy bacteria in the gut. This healthy bacteria is depleted from antibiotics and since he has been on them for so long, the bacteria in his little tummy are probably all out of balance. The good bacteria help with breaking food down/digestion, and absorption or nutrients. Probiotics are the healthy cultures in yogurt, but you can also get them in supplement form. I drink Kefir every morning, which has 10 live active cultures. Most yogurts only have a few. Kefir is found in the cold section by the milk or in the cold health food section of your grocer. The supplement form (I have seen them for kids/infants) might be at a local health food store or vitamin shop.

Best wishes!
C. G.

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