A recent study on cod liver oil and ear infections shows you may reduce the severity and duration of the infection using this healthy oil.

What's otitis media?

Otitis media is an infection or inflammation of your middle ear. It begins when you get a sore throat or cold and it spreads to your middle ear.

Your middle ear is connected to your throat by narrow tubes called Eustachian tubes. If these tubes become plugged with mucus or become swollen, fluids can buildup behind the ear drum, leading to hearing loss and pain.

Up to 75% of children will have up to 3 or more ear infections before they turn 4 years old. It's a pretty common condition. It mainly affects babies and young children, but adults can also get them.

How to treat middle ear infections:

Doctors usually treat it with antibiotics. Pain relievers may also be prescribed if you're experiencing pain.

If left untreated, otitis media can cause permanent hearing damage. If the extra fluid doesn't drain after 3 months and there's hearing loss, doctors may suggest putting 'tubes' inside the ear drum. It's only temporary and it helps to equalize the pressures in your middle ear. These tubes also help drain excess fluids since too much fluid build-up can tear the ear drum.

You can get more info on otitis media at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders website.

Using Cod Liver Oil on Ear Infections

New York - A recent study indicates cod liver oil may reduce the duration and amount of antibiotics needed to treat middle ear infection. Could this be a natural cure for otitis media?

Researchers at Columbia University discovered children undergoing surgery for inner ear tube placement had below normal levels of selenium, vitamin A and the omega 3 fatty acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

Doctors asked what would happen if these patients had increased their dietary intake of these nutrients? Would this reduce the severity of otitis media in children?

To prepare for the upcoming otitis media 'season', doctors began supplementing childrens' daily diet with the following supplements:

• 1 teaspoon of lemon-flavored cod liver oil (provides eicosapentaenoic acid & vitamin A)

• 1 half-tablet children's chewable multivitamin-mineral (containing selenium)

Researchers found that children using cod liver oil reduced the number days on antibiotics by 12%.

Now that's not a lot, but researchers believe the supplementation of a multivitamin and cod liver oil may reduce an ear infection's duration and the length of time needed to stay on antibiotics; and it may also delay the need to prescribe antibiotics.

While this is only a small scale study, the results are encouraging and more larger scale studies are needed to learn the benefits of using cod liver oil on ear infections.

This healthy oil may reduce painful symptoms and shorten the period your little one needs to stay on antibiotics...and isn't that what we all want?

Research References:

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