Ask:

My daughter, now 12, was diagnosed with sticky ear at age three, after a childhood of delayed speech, lack of understanding, and deafness. Two grommets were inserted into her bad ear, but they did not achieve the promised miracles. The doctors say her eardrum has been perforated and scarred from the grommets. We have tried all kinds of diets and complementary therapies in our attempts to cure this constantly clogged ear. She is prone to sinus congestion and is often unable to breathe through her mouth properly. I have refused another surgical procedure to stitch up the piercing. She is behind in school and miserable. What is your advice?

Answer:

To answer this, I need to explain the anatomy of the ear. It has three sections. The outer ear consists of the tunnel of the earlobe, which leads to the eardrum. The middle ear is an air-filled sac, in which three small bones are suspended: these are attached to the eardrum on one side and the opening of the inner ear on the other. The middle ear sac is connected to the throat via the Eustachian tube at the base. The inner ear is like a fat, fluid-filled spiral tube with numerous nerve endings on its surface.

Sound waves enter the ear tunnel and vibrate the eardrum. These vibrations are magnified by the ossicles in the middle ear, which transmit them to the inner ear. The sound waves outside the ear are then converted to vibrations inside. These cause the fluid in the inner ear to vibrate and the nerve endings to trigger electrical impulses. These then travel to the brain via the auditory (hearing) nerve, which ‘interprets’ the impulses as sound.

To hear properly, the eardrum must be intact and flexible. If it’s pierced and/or has scar tissue, as you mention, it can’t vibrate with sound waves. Also, the bones of the middle ear should be able to move and vibrate. For this to happen, the bones must be suspended in the sac and the pressure here is very important. Think about what happens to your ears on a plane. When the air pressure changes on takeoff and landing, you must “cover” your ears to regain your hearing. If the middle sac is filled with fluid or pus due to infection, it prevents the bones from enlarging and transmitting vibrations. Infected fluid can also perforate the eardrum and come out as a foul-smelling discharge. Third, if there has been trauma or a tumor affecting the nerve endings in the inner ear, hearing will be affected.

I suspect the reason the grommets were originally placed was due to a blocked Eustachian tube. The oxygen kills the bacteria that thrive in the middle ear and cause infections. Air usually enters naturally through the Eustachian tube and dries up the infected fluid. Grommets are inserted to allow air to enter if the tube is blocked. Now neither the tube nor the grommets seem to work, plus her daughter ended up with a weak immune system, hence her frequent ear infections.

We have to make sure that the perforation heals and that the Eustachian tube is kept open so that the air sac in the middle ear is clear to conduct sound. The following suggestions give nature one last chance. If they don’t work, surgery is the best option.

To stimulate the immune system:

* Make sure your daughter’s diet is good and balanced. Use fresh foods, preferably organic, with no canned or preserved ingredients. Give plenty of non-citrus fruits for snacks and fresh vegetables with each meal. Avoid yeast products and citrus fruits, as they slow down the healing process.

* Make a nutritious chicken broth and give a cup to drink (hot) one hour before dinner, three to four times a week. Assemble a chick (poussin), hit the bones with a hammer to release the nutrients, and boil in a pot with ginger and garlic for about 90 minutes; Strain and store in the refrigerator.

* Give a teaspoon of Bioprash with New Zealand Manuka Honey after breakfast for two months to help the body heal faster.

For the ear:

* Put a drop or two of mullein oil (available from homeopathic pharmacies) in the affected ear each morning to aid healing.

* Put two drops of Sinus Oil in each nostril before going to bed and twice during the day. Let your child smell it, wait two minutes, and then try to open his ears by closing his nostrils and blowing air into his ears. If the tube is not permanently blocked, it should open in a few days.

* Have your child flatten his palm against his ear to close it tightly. Then pump air into the eardrum by repeatedly cupping and then flattening your palm again. This will massage the eardrum.