Cod Liver Oil and Ear Infections

A recent study on cod liver oil and ear infections shows you can 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, fluid 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 - Did you know cod liver oil was shown to reduce the amount of antibiotics needed to treat middle ear infections? 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).

What would happen if we increased these nutrients? Could we 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 using a multivitamin and cod liver oil on ear infections may help reduce how long a child needs to stay on antibiotics and may also delay the need to prescribe antibiotics.

Of course 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: