Earaches

Walking around with your head tilted to the side and squinting is no way to go through life.  Neither is living with a constant, dull pain in your ear.

The thing about getting rid of ear aches is this: an ear ache can be a symptom of many infectious diseases and/or disorders, serious ones too. But, you don’t want to go to the emergency room every time you get an ear ache (everybody else is usually doing that, one of the most common reasons for ER visits), because they’re usually just the result of an ear infection— but that is nothing to laugh at either. So, you have to take a measured approach to the subject of how to get rid of an ear ache, and I’ll start by suggesting that you go see a doctor as soon as you can, especially if you’ve been suffering from recurrent ear aches. This is particularly true if the person suffering from an earache is an infant or young child. The suggestions for relieving earache pain offered here are for educational purposes only — self-diagnosing and self-treating an earache can be dangerous.

An acute ear ache is usually caused by an outer ear infection (external otitis) or a middle ear infection (otitis media), while a recurrent ear ache can be a symptom of something more significant. If you are suffering from an acute ear ache that lasts more than 3 hours or a mild ear ache that lasts more than a day or if you’ve recently suffered some sort of trauma to your ear, you should go see a doctor.

Now, with all of that said, we should move on to home ear ache remedies.

Ear Ache Causes

  • Airplane Ear
  • Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
  • Middle Ear Infection
  • External Ear Infection
  • Ear Wax Blockage
  • Swimmers Ear (otitis externa)
  • Head or Chest Colds
  • Tooth or jaw issues
  • Ruptured Ear Drum

Ear Ache Symptoms

The most common symptoms associated with an ear ache, which is a symptom itself, are:

  • Mild to acute pain when touching or pulling on the outer ear or pain inside the ear itself.
  • Pressure or a plugged feeling in the ear, a feeling of fullness inside your ear.  This pressure sometimes radiates to your jaw, or temple, almost like a big headache.
  • Hearing loss or tinnitus, a ringing tone that comes and goes or doesn’t go away at all.
  • Persistent itchiness may be perceived, not an identifiable pain per se. Your ear and be itchy for many reason, but with a  true ear ache, the itchiness will be persistent and feel like it is deep inside the ear — enough to drive you crazy.

Best Ways to Get Rid of Earaches

Acetaminophen

If you’re trying to get rid of an earache, the first thing you should try is plain old Tylenol. When I say plain old Tylenol, I mean Acetaminophen. You don’t want to be taking Ibuprofen or Aspirin when you’ve got an earache because these medicines may, in very rare circumstances, cause more pain or ringing in the ears—what the medical community calls tinnitus. Also, you don’t want to give Aspirin to a child because of the potential risk for inducing something called Reyes syndrome, an inflammation of tissue in the brain, especially if they’re suffering from a fever. You can find Tylenol at Amazon.

Auralgan

If basic pain medication like Acetaminophen isn’t getting rid of your ear ache, you can try Auralgan. Auralgan is a local anesthetic that can be applied directly to the ear canal that is causing you pain. It’s a relatively innocuous drug, and you can find it at any reputable drug store or pharmacy–probably even online. This solution is good for people who don’t tolerate oral painkillers well, like people who suffer from ulcers or acid reflux.

Mineral Oil

Mineral oil is the home remedy when it comes to getting rid of an ear ache. It’s only effective if you’re suffering from an external ear infection, however, or what we like to call “swimmers ear,” which is usually caused by a build up of bacteria due to an excess of moisture in the ear. What you don’t want to do is apply mineral oil if you have a perforation in your ear drum or if you have drainage plugs implanted in your ear drums. Otherwise, mineral oil will usually do the trick for minor ear aches, swimmers ear, or otitis externa. It will help shed water from the ear and protect the sensitive lining of your ear canal. It’s also good at loosening up ear wax.

Decongestant

While you’re waiting for the mineral oil to take care of your ear ache, you may want to try a decongestant as well. Decongestants are good because they help promote drainage. This is particularly helpful if you’re suffering from a middle ear infection, or if the ear ache seems to be caused more by pressure or a fullness in your ear. If you’re diagnosed with either an external ear infection or a middle ear infection, chances are your doctor will prescribe or suggest a decongestant as a treatment complimentary to antibiotics.

Warm Compress

Finally, if you’re still not getting much relief from your ear ache, you may want to try a warm compress over your ear. Really, anything soft and warm that you can lay over your ear will help relieve pain and pressure, but most often this is either accomplished with a typical hot/cold pad purchased at a drug store, or it’s done by soaking a small towel in boiling water and applying it to the ear once it’s been allowed to cool to a reasonably comfortable temperature.

Steam

Similar to a warm compress, the warmth of steam can help to soothe your ear ache.  You can do this at home, with a hot shower or a humidifier.  It can feel great for a head cold asl well.

Perhaps the most satisfying type of steam, though, is from a true steam shower or steam room.  Many health clubs or spas have a steam room or steam shower that can feel like heaven and really help a sore ear.  Just be sure you are not contagious, the last thing you want to do is spread your illness in a moist environment.

Natural Ear Ache Remedies

Elevation

Sleeping with your head elevated is a natural way to prevent ear aches and ear infections. It works by promoting proper drainage through your Eustachian tube (the canal that connects your ears to your throat) by allowing gravity to do what it does best: pull things down. This is also a good way to promote drainage of your external ear canal as well.

Olive Oil

Olive oil can be used instead of mineral oil to help relieve earache pain. This is by no means considered a long-term solution to earache relief. Olive oil does exactly what mineral oil does, it lubricates and relieves tenderness in the ear canal. The same warnings and dangers apply to olive oil that apply to mineral oil, as well; people with perforated ear drums or eardrum drainage plugs should avoid this solution. Considering how much literature there is out there describing the various health benefits of consuming olive oil, you’d be doing yourself two favors by buying a bottle of it the next time you’re in the grocery store.

Garlic Oil

Garlic oil may also be used to relieve earaches and it has an added benefit of possessing antimicrobial properties as well as acting as a natural painkiller. garlic oil is seeing a surge in popularity these days, mostly due to studies being done on garlic’s effects on viral and bacterial infections. Ask your doctor about using garlic oil as a complimentary treatment for earaches or the ear infection that may be causing your earache.

Murine

Murine manufactures a homeopathic earache remedy that I decided to take a chance on, and it worked. I’m not certain it was the “active ingredients” that cured my earache, because one of the “inactive ingredients” was glycerine oil, something similar to mineral oil.

How to Prevent Ear Aches

Really, if you’re going to avoid having to get rid of an earache while saving money on your hospital bills, you’ll want to do what you can to prevent earaches from occurring in the first place. Sometimes this isn’t possible, and if you suffer from recurrent earaches you should probably see an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialist. However, there are several things you can do to avoid this uncomfortable situation in the future:

  • Stop putting things in your ear. This includes cotton-tipped swabs, finger nails, and any sharp objects, even those “patented devices” you come across from time to time.
  • Blow your nose gently, and avoid people who are suffering from upper respiratory infections (head and chest colds).
  • Avoid cigarette smoke at all costs. Long-term smokers are more susceptible to getting ear infections and the consequent ear aches, and most people are allergic to cigarette smoke in the first place.
  • Wear ear plugs when you go swimming, if you tend to have chronic ear issues. When you’re done wearing your ear plugs, clean them with rubbing alcohol and make sure they stay dry when in storage.
  • Flush your ears with vinegar and water or rubbing alcohol and water after showering or swimming. If you have drainage plugs in your ears or a perforated ear drum, you may want to try drying your ears with a blow dryer set on low heat.
  • Take care of your teeth.  It might sound weird, but a tooth issue can really radiate around your jaw and head, making it feel like the pain is somewhere else.  More than one toothache has caused ear discomfort.

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About the Author

Julianne Ragland

Julianne Ragland