The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Olive Oil
Posted by Kathy (Weatherford, Texas) on 12/09/2008
★★★★★
You might have to try several things. I tried hot oil treatment with THYME and it helped. Also I used alcohol drops. hydrogen peroxide hurts and it bubbles, and this is much better.
Garlic
Posted by M (San Diego, Ca) on 11/19/2008
Dear Ouchy Mcnumbface, hahahaha thanks for the story and advice! I will definitely not try the garlic clove remedy but oh my gosh I laughed so hard at your story tears are flowing. I'm sorry you were in pain but you really know how to make a person laugh. Thanks I needed that! I hope your ear got better.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Kathy (Houston, TX) on 10/17/2008
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
Warning: peroxide for ear pain
For some people this may work, but for me Never again. My fiance kept telling me just pour the peroxide in your ear it will feel better. The pain was very bad and I have had this ear rupture before on my from the pressure well I said fine. So i poured just a little in my ear and with in 10 minutes it ruptured and it drained puss and blood out of it. Very gross and expensive. All ways check with your doctor mine told me never to use it again on my ears.
Garlic
Posted by Sarah (Youngstown, OH) on 09/11/2008
★☆☆☆☆
Fresh Garlic cure for Ear Infection: I put a few drops of fresh garlic juice in my infected ear, hoping the burning would stop the itching. I felt nothing and it did nothing. Disappointed.
Olive Oil
Posted by Kathy (Mountain City, TN) on 09/09/2008
I want to try this Sweet Oil remedy. What is Sweet Oil? Where can it be found at the grocery or at Walmart?
EC: Sweet Oil is another name for Olive Oil.
Cayenne Pepper
Posted by Missy (Sherwood, Arkansas) on 09/07/2008
★★★★★
I've had an ear infection for almost four weeks...and I've been to the doctor three times. I have had trouble keeping the auditory tubes open. I tried the cayenne pepper treatment listed on this site. I don't know how long it will keep the auditory tubes open, but it'll definitely drain the sinuses!
Oregano Oil
Posted by Stella (OH) on 07/29/2008
★★★★★
I was in the begining stages of another ear ache. The pain had just started to become intense. I immediately did:
H202 method in both ears.
Applied Oil of Oregano on outer of the ears 3X a day.
1 drop Oil of Oregano in the ear 1x a day (optioanal, this burns a bit).
Did this for one week.
Ear ache all gone! Again, no antibiotics, Awesome!
Apple Cider Vinegar, Sea Salt
Posted by Vera (Houton, TX) on 07/10/2008
★★★★★
Earache - For the first time ever, I have experienced a double ear infection which has lasted for four days. I suspect what brought it on was a combination of a new unknown allergy (allergies are a first for me) combined with the irritant effects of smoking. I have tried most of this except for inserting the whole garlic clove in the ear or using any of the sweet oil remedies. I tried using capfuls of peroxide and colloidal silver..which has antibiotic properties.. in the ear but these have temporary and only minor effects. I also tried liquid garlic from the health food store, which appeared to do nothing.. the pain only worsened. The homeopathic ear drops from the drugstore for earaches didn't relieve the ear pain as advertised. There was no improvement from Oreganol (Extract of Oregano) or tea tree oil. The only option that finally appeared to be working for me as far as clearing up some of the infection was rinsing the ear with a capful of apple cider vinegar. The remedies I found effective for relieving pain were dampened washcloths warmed up in the microwave which work for the short term as heating pads, but the the salt remedy worked best for the pain. Sea salt warmed up in a cloth tea bag in the microwave is the only thing I used that could take away the fiercest ear pain instantly, and I probably had some of the worst. The process of rinsing with cidar vinegar for the infection along with warm washcloths and applying warm salt for the pain because the ear pain may have to be repeated after intervals because the pain will keep coming back if any part of the infection is still there. The infection is reduced but is not gone yet. I am still testing the vinegar and I will also test the garlic clove in a cloth bag remedy (not crushed garlic I've heard enough about how painful that can be :)), just to compare its effects with warm salt which in my experience has been the most effective for pain.
Urine
Posted by Teresa (Nacogdoches, USA) on 06/20/2008
★★★★★
Although it may sound gross to some, here is a remedy that's been used by my family for generations.It has worked on me, my siblings and my children. It is now known that your own urine has natural antibiotic properties unique to the individual who contributes the sample. However, your child must be old enough to urinate into a cup (with your help of course). Catch the urine in mid stream in a cup. Take 1 teaspoon and pour into the ear canal followed by a cotton ball then lay the child down for a nap. You will never spend another dime on antibiotics for ear infections if this remedy is used.
Garlic
Posted by Ouchy McNumbface (Suffolk, England) on 06/02/2008
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
DO NOT .. i repeat DO NOT, EVER put raw, undiluted garlic juice into your ear. I've had an ear infection for most of today, experiencing the normal agony [i've had maybe thirty of these damn infections over the years] and decided that i'd give the garlic juice a try. So i finely chopped seven cloves of garlic, stuck them into a large, plastic syringe [no needle!], put the end of the syringe into my ear and pushed the plunger. I hesitate to call it a plunger, I feel somewhat more inclined to call it a "detonator"; for at that moment the pain in my ear can only be described as... indescribable. I've had broken bones which hurt less than this. I've passed kidney stones which were positively comfortable compared with the insane, unimagineable combination of white-hot blowtorch to the entire right hand side of my face, and dynamite-coated road-drill intent on making a rather large impression/hole on my ear drum. I ran around the room desperately seeking some kind of cure for my newly acquired, self-inflicted facedeath, and in an insane panic managed to: 1: take four pain killers. 2: squirt cold water into my earhole and 3: place a nicotine patch over my ear. I'm not entirely sure what inspired the third choice, but in my insane stupor i think my brain somehow associated nicotine patches with stress/pain relief, so in a cloudy haze of bewildering desperation and nonsensical panic, i slapped 21mg of nicotinell over my earhole.
In a nutshell, it hurts. Don't do it. If you do do it, film it, put it on youtube.
Coconut Oil and Garlic
Posted by Shabbir (Bangalore, India) on 05/30/2008
★★★★★
Ear Ache can be relieved almost instantly. Just warm a very small amount of coconut oil with a clove of Garlic cut into two in it. Do not over heat as the oil & the Garlic would be burnt.
Allow the oil to cool down to a warm level. Use a dropper to pour a drop or two into the ear while lying down. Lie down for a few minutes to allow the oil to go down deep into the painful ear.
Caution: Allow oil to cool to bearable level - use your cleaned finger to test. Do not use more than a drop or two of the warmed oil.
Do not worry this is a routine home remedy here in India.
Rubbing Alchol and Peroxide
Posted by Chanda (Fayetteville, AR) on 05/01/2008
★★★☆☆WORKED TEMPORARILY
I have been suffering from a chronic earache for two weeks now, and nothing is working!! The ATB did not help. My doctor did recommend a mixture of alcohol, peroxide and regular tap water and it did alleviate the pain for a day. Mix equal parts(a capfull of each) place in ear for 5 mins and then shower to irrigate. I dont reccomend the ear pick, my doc did this last year and I ended up with a horrible infection due to the injury from it!! I'm now hoping the old faithfull sweet oil works!!!
Ear Remedy Warning
Posted by Shari (Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada) on 04/27/2008
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
A lot of the remedies listed here, mention warming solutions or onions or using hair dryers or hot water bottles. This is definitely very soothing when you are experiencing ear pain but can also be VERY DANGEROUS. As a nurse I was taught to never do this....here is the reasoning. If there is infection on the other side of your ear drum??? the heat will draw it out causing the ear drum to rupture and perforate. Scar tissue forms as the ear drum heals but a reduction in hearing will be noted. please be very careful when using any form of heat.
Cigarette Smoke
Posted by Renee (El Dorado, Kansas) on 06/04/2007
★★★★★
Cigarette smoke gently blown into my ears instantly cures severe ear-aches that I get when my ears are exposed to cold or cool wind for too long. Since I don't get ear infections, I've no idea if this works for those or not. For prevention, I always wear the new version of ear muffs.
Cigarette or Newspaper
Posted by Rudy (Hollister, Ca) on 04/03/2007
★★★★★
Remedy - Ear Ache: One time my sister in law had this bad ear ache I told her I could cure her with a cigarette,Of couse she thought I was making this up so she said no thanks. After crying for an hour she said yes I will try it. So I took 1/2 a cigarette with the filter on it, lit the other side and placed it in her ear while she laid down,she said she heard popping and air gush out of her ear. After 1 min I removed it and she was just astonished that her ear felt better. She is a beleiver now
Onions
Posted by JJ (Dortmund, Germany) on 03/25/2007
★★★★★
Chop onions and stuff them into socks. Fasten one to each ear (pulling a hat over the head and socks works well) and keep there for the duration of the pain. This is particularly effective against ear infections. If pain persists longer than a day, go to a doctor (esp. with children). But with this method I have never had the pain persist that long.
Ear Pick
Posted by Robert (Orlando, FL) on 01/03/2007
★★★★★
I clean my ears every so often with a medical instrument called an ear pick, curette or ear wax scoop. About 25 years ago I did this but did not know the hazards of doing it without sterilizing the instrument. I got a severe ear canal infection which I got treated. Since then I have made it a routine to wipe off the ear pick with a tissue and then clean it with alcohol each time I use it. I haven't had any problem with it 25 years since even with regular usage. The other caution is do it gently, and to be sure to be away from any distractions (like children) where damage could be done to the ear drum by accidentally pushing it too far in. Those who say "nothing smaller than your elbow should be inserted in the ear" I'm sure mean well, but I find to be being unnecessarily overcautious assuming one takes the normal precautions with ear cleaning. Nothing else has worked like this, especially Q tips, which I found to aggravate the blockage. Ear picks can often be found at oriental markets.
Cayenne Pepper
Posted by Robin (Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania) on 11/17/2007
★★★★★
well, i tried the above cayanne pepper remedy, and aside from leaving my throat feel like i just threw up, my ears feel a bit better! i go to boarding school, and the weekend before exams i ended up with an ear infection--so i went to the nurses, and they put me on a "Z Pack," a form of antibiotics. well THOSE didn't work, and now I can barely hear and am developing a sinus infection--way to go modern medicine! not. anyway, I had an herb garden this summer and produced a healthy amount of holy basil, yarrow, chamomile, lemon balm and feverfew. I took a small shot of yarrow tincture, and just to add to the effect, I did the cayanne pepper thing. we'll see how I feel tomorrow morning, but I definitely think it helped. Again, the only downside is that it leaves you feeling like you puked...my guess is, it's all that capsacin! thanks for the remedy!
Cayenne Pepper
Posted by Jack (Toledo, Ohio) on 05/06/2006
★★★★★
If you suffer from sinus headaches, this will give relief in 30 secs to 5 minutes depending on how long you've had it. it will also stop an asthma attack; take 2, 8oz glasses, fill one with cool to cold water the other with no more warm to hot water you can swallow in one gulp. in the hot water, put 1/8 to 1/4 level teaspoon of "cayenne powdered red pepper", mix very well, then pick up both glasses, down the hot water and red pepper in one gulp "quickly". as soon as you've done that, put the cold water into your mouth and rinse vigorously and swallow, repeat the rinse with cold water until your mouth is warm to hot, quit rinsing, fill your lungs with all the air they can hold, and hold your breath for as long as you can, then let the air "slowly out your "nose" repeat the breathing exercize 4 to 5 times, by the fifth time your pain will be gone!! if your eustacian tubes are plugged up they will open in a few minutes, and you'll feel your sinuses draining down yr throat, you'll need to blow yr nose because this will drain your sinuses. this will also give up to 32 hours of asthma relief as well as cleans your blood of impurities while you sleep.
