Hydrogen Peroxide For An Ear Infection

You have to consult an expert on ear infections before doing anything, such as home remedies. There are cases wherein home remedies don’t work for a particular health condition. On the other hand, based on research studies, hydrogen peroxide for an ear infection is effective. Meanwhile, let us first have brief details of what an ear infection is.

 

What is an ear infection?

Ear infections have different types, the outer, middle and inner. In this case, treatments may vary according to the type and location of the infections. Let’s get some short information about the types of ear infections.

  • Outer ear infection: Most of these infections start as a type of heat rash with itchiness. An outer ear infection, known as Otitis Externa, often occurs from swimming. On the other hand, most of these infections occur due to heat, moisture, and local trauma.
  • Middle ear infection: This infection takes place in the space between your eardrum and the inner ear. They also call a middle ear infection Otitis Media.
  • Inner ear infection: They usually associate this condition with severe illness such as meningitis, inflammations, or irritations in the ear.

How would you know if you have an ear infection? You can quickly determine ear infections through the following symptoms.

 

Common symptoms of an ear infection

An ear infection is prevalent, especially in children. For this reason, it would be best to familiarize yourself with the following symptoms. This way, you can easily conclude if it’s potentially an ear infection.

  1. You are experiencing ear pain.
  2. The body temperature reaches 38°C or above.
  3. Hearing difficulties.
  4. There is an ear discharge.
  5. It feels some pressure or fullness in your ear.
  6. There is itching or irritation in or around the ear. Scaly skin may also occur.

For children and babies:

  1. They frequently rub or pull their ears.
  2. They do not react to some sounds.
  3. They become easily irritated or restless.
  4. Lack of appetite.
  5. Loss of balance.

 

Using hydrogen peroxide for an ear infection

The majority has considered using hydrogen peroxide as the natural remedy to address ear pain. This treatment helps several people with ear infections for years now. Hydrogen peroxide is an excellent remedy that can help clean and prevent dirt from accumulating in your ears. Additionally, it also prevents bacteria from passing toward the middle ear.

Hydrogen peroxide is an excellent preventive measure against the swimmer’s ear condition. Hydrogen peroxide is a common household material, which is highly oxidizing in nature. It is effective to soften earwax to drain it out quickly from the ear.

However, there can also be adverse effects if an individual excessively applied hydrogen peroxide to their ear. It can also cause skin irritation inside the ear. As a result, it can lead to inflammations and consistent earache.

You can place several drops into the affected ear with this in mind, then let it sit for several minutes. Afterwards, you can let it drain into a sink, then rinse your ear using clean, distilled water. It would be best to rinse it well.

Remember, do not let too much amount get into your ear. It is not advisable. On the other hand, if this home remedy did not work for your ear infection, you might need OTC medicines or prescription medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, or decongestants.

 

Common side effects of using hydrogen peroxide for ear infection

Using low concentrations, you can say that hydrogen peroxide is naturally safe. However, there are still potential side effects that a person might experience upon using this.

  • There is an impermanent fizzing or bubbling sensation.
  • A person may have a bitter taste.
  • Temporary pain in the ear may also happen.
  • In rare cases, they may even experience temporary hearing loss.
  • Lastly, dizziness is also possible.

By all means, people should be cautious when using any remedy to cure a particular health condition. These remedies may work for another person but can be the other way around for you. Depending on the state of the ear infection, it might even worsen if not properly diagnosed.

 

Common mistakes when cleaning the ears

You cannot do your ear cleaning as simple as it seems to be. You have to know that doing ear cleaning at home; you are facing several risks associated with it. Take note of these mistakes that you have to avoid if you are eager to clean your ears at home.

  1. Frequently cleaning your ears: According to the audiologists, the ears don’t necessarily need cleaning. They believe that ears have the natural self-cleaning mechanism that lets the excess earwax move out of the ear canal. Please take note that earwax plays a vital role in our ears. They serve as protection to disease-causing microbes and insects that want to enter the ears.
  2. a kid inserting her fingers in the earsInsertion of sharp objects: We may sometimes not notice it, but we have these habits of inserting objects in our ears. It can be our fingernails, pens, matchsticks, or bobby pins, especially when we feel a little itchy in our ears. However, what we don’t know is that it can damage the delicate parts of the ear. In effect, it can damage the eardrum, and we can permanently lose our hearing sense.
  3. Excessive usage of chemicals: Like what we have already mentioned above, too much chemical use such as hydrogen peroxide can irritate the ears.
  4. Drops of hot oils: Before doing this, you only have to ensure that the oil temperature is warm. Hot oil can cause burns in the skin of your ears.
  5. Ear candling: It involves using the smoke coming from a candle to soften the earwax. This action is mere torture only and not a good remedy for your ears.

 

Take away

Using hydrogen peroxide to clean your ears is safe. However, you have to follow the right amount to prevent irritation, inflammation, and earaches. Excessive amounts of hydrogen peroxide are not advisable and might only worsen your ear infections.

If you have noticed that your symptoms are no longer in your control, it would be best to visit your doctor. They can diagnose your condition well.

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