How To Take Care of Ear Pain at Home

How To Take Care of Ear Pain at Home

Ear aches can range from mild annoyances to outright agonies. They afflict both children and adults and are one of the most common reasons children are brought to the doctor. The pain can be dull or sharp, feel like burning or throbbing pain, and be caused for a variety of reasons. But whatever the causes, know that there are quite a few good home remedies that can provide relief from the pain. Even if you do decide to consult a doctor, and many a time you should, it takes time to get a prescription that helps, so in the meantime it's good to know there are home remedies that can really help with the ache while also fighting any inflammation or infection you may have. 1. The Classic Warm Compress: Hot compresses are a time-honored way of taking care of ear ache. It is especially effective against ear aches caused by cold. It will also help reduce any swelling that may have occured due to inflammation.    For best results, use some cotton wool, dunk it carefully in boiling water, and press against the ear, as firm as you can stand it without burning yourself. Repeat this a few times until you feel some relief.   3. Clear Your Nose When you have a stuffy nose as well as ear ache, it may the result of cold. A blocked nose puts extra pressure on the ear canal, and so if you clear it, both pressure and pain will be reduced. 4. Using Onions. As a paste, onions are great for decreasing inflammation. So if your ear pain is from swelling, you can mix onion powder with water to create a paste and apply it to the outer regions of the ear. This will fight the inflammation, and reduce the swelling and the pain.   5. Lavender Oil: If your ear pain comes from an external irritation of some kind. Apply a bit of lavender oil on the outer ear and rub it gently. This will sooth the area and can be applied repeatedly throughout the day. 6. Steam Combined with Eucalyptus Oil: This method will help clear both the nasal passageways and the ear canals. Pour a glass of steaming water with a few drops of eucalyptus oil. Now, gently breathe in the steam while being careful not to breathe in too fast and burn yourselves. Take deep, slow breaths. 7. Excersize Your Jaw: The ear canals are connected to many areas of the face, including your jaw. Moving your jaw up and down rapidly can open the ear canals, doing this every other day will help to keep them open and avoid the pain.   BONUS TIP: Avoid putting things in your ear! Often when we experience ear pain, our first instinct is to shove something inside it to scratch what seems to be the source. This doesn't help and in fact may make the problem that much worse by further contaminating the infected area. Do not put any objects, including cotton swabs, into your infected ear and make sure no dirt goes in. The area must be kept clean.