Earaches are unpleasant sensations that occur in one or both ears.

Symptoms of earache

The main symptoms of earache are:

Itching in the ear, fever, ear pain, swelling, redness, pus, foul smelling discharge, hearing loss, blood, etc.

Causes of earache

The main causes of earache are:

- Ear infections: Otitis or ear infections are produced in middle ear g or external ear caused by bacteria or fungi.

- Obstruction of the openings of the Eustachian tubes: The Eustachian tubes connect the middle ear with the nasal passages in order to drain the fluids of the middle ear through the nose. Sometimes these tubes get obstructed as it usually happens when having colds, sinusitis or allergy. These obstructions result in an accumulation of fluids in the middle ear which is responsible for some undesirable symptoms: earache, ear infections, numbness, irritation, hearing loss, etc.

- Reflex pain from adjacent areas to the ears: Inflammation of the pharynx and larynx can radiate pain to the ear area. Some other pains close to the ears can be experienced as earache, such as dental or tongue problems, jaw arthritis , sinusitis, sore throat or some joint disorders may manifest as pain or tingling in the ears.

- Cerumen: the accumulation of earwax can cause wax ear plugs, being sometimes painful.

- Cleaning products in the ear: such as excess of soap, water or cotton tipped swabs.

- Injury to the eardrums: Sometimes the cause is an injury to the eardrum caused by a very loud sound or by the introduction into the ear of a sharp object.

- Loud noise: Exposure to a violent noise or a prolonged exposure to loud noises can cause tinnitus or ear ringing, hearing loss or earache.

- Pressure changes: Sea- level changes , or atmospheric pressure changes, can affect the ear . This happens, for example, when flying by airplane, when going up or down from a mountain or when diving into the water.

- Chemical elements: exposure to chemicals, such as certain hair products or chlorine in pools, can cause unpleasant sensations to the ears.

Diagnosis and treatment of earache

In case of earache symptoms, you should take a visit to your doctor who can diagnose the causes that produce them This is generally performed with an examination of your ear, throat, nose and adjacent areas behind the ear.

In most cases, earaches derive from ear infections which are generally treated with antibiotics. Your doctor can prescribe you some analgesic to relieve your pain.

If it happens that you experience deafness or if earache is very intense you may have a perforated eardrum, so you should not introduce anything in your ear. The best thing to do is to seek for medical attention as soon as possible. You should do the same if you have high fever, you are dizzy or suffer from strong headache or if you do not find any improvement to your earache in one or two days

The natural treatment of earache involves using a series of natural resources that help reduce pain.

More information about earache and its natural treatment in the listing above.

The information given is informative. In case of doubt, consult the doctor. "Botanical" is not responsible for damages caused by self-medication