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The most widespread purpose for visits to a pediatrician is earache. More than 70 percent of children will have had a minimum of one earache by the age of three, and nearly one-third will have had three or more earache occurrences. However, what might be surprising is that earache is also the most general occurrence for children under the age of five years to be escorted by parents to the chiropractor’s office.
How Chiropractic Care Relates to Earache and ear infections
A pediatrician who thinks that a child with an earache has a middle ear infection will normally prescribe antibiotics as a customary course of treatment. Current analysis, however, has determined that this type of treatment is often misguided. The reason for the child’s middle ear infection may not be due to bacteria, and since antibiotics are only effective against bacterial pathogens, many times there will be no positive result. The reason for this is that numerous cases of middle ear infection can be generated by a virus, and viruses do not respond to antibiotics. This may be the reason why children develop chronic ear infections.
One of a number of determinations that a San Jose chiropractor can make is whether the earache or ear infection is caused by inflamation of the small nerves in the spine, called free nerve endings.
An aberrant tension in the small muscles of the neck is caused when these nerve endings are inflammed. Pressure created on the lymphatic drainage ducts as a consequence of muscle tension can stop adequate drainage from inside the ear. This problem stops the body from naturally correcting the problem. Furthermore, balance can also be affected.
Inadequate drainage of lymphatic ducts can be diagnosed by a chiropractor if there is elevated tension in the neck and paraspinal muscles on the side with the earache. The chiropractor also checks for spinal vertebrae that are either marginally out of alignment or are not moving within their normal range. There are a variety of reasons for such aproblem due to the many bangs, jolts, and falls most children experience growing up. Frequently, a short series of spinal adjustments and manipulation of the neck muscles will assist in restoring normal lymph drainage. If your child is struggling with an earache or an ear infection, call your San Jose chiropractor as soon as possible.
Advanced Research and Guidelines
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), ear infection, the most widespread childhood illness second only to the common cold, accounts for nearly 30 million doctor visits each year. In addition, at least 6 million courses of antibiotics are extraneously prescribed for the affliction.Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released new guidelines for treating pediatric ear inflammation, and specifically recommended a period of “watchful waiting” since, in many cases, infections clear up on their own, without medication.
The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) endorses the AAP on the guidelines and underlines that chiropractic management is a “good first option” for treating ear infection conservatively. “Doctors of chiropractic have been treating children for decades with great success – helping them to avoid painful ear infections, antibiotic overuse and resistance, and ear tube surgery,” said ACA President Donald Krippendorf, DC. “Particularly when dealing with young children, drugs and surgery should be an absolute last resort.”
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