Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Home Remedies
• Method 2 of 2: Medication
• Warnings

Ear pain is unpleasant, but usually not serious. Mild ear pain can be treated at home with warm and cold compresses and regular pain relievers. See your doctor if pain persists.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Home Remedies

1. 1 Use warmth. Heat can help relieve pain, and there are several different ways to use it. Be careful not to burn yourself.
   • Use a hair dryer (low power). He should be at a distance of 20-30 centimeters from the ear. Direct warm air towards the pinna for a few minutes. The heat has a calming effect and can also help dry out the ear canal if water gets into it.
   • Dampen a small towel or rag with warm water, squeeze well and press to your ear for 20 minutes. You can also use a cold compress by dampening a cloth with cold water and twisting it out.
   • Use the old heating pad method. However, do not leave the heating pad near your ear for too long. Remove it after about 3-5 minutes and let the skin cool.
2. 2 Take acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen. These pain relievers will not relieve your ear pain, but they will help relieve it. Follow the manufacturer's directions for use.
   • If the pain is severe and does not improve with one or two tablets, see your doctor. If you have other symptoms (such as fever or dizziness), see your doctor immediately.
   • Never give aspirin to children or adolescents as there is a risk of Reye's syndrome.
3. 3 Use olive oil or baby oil. While it may sound strange, olive oil or baby oil can be a useful replacement for ear drops. It lubricates the pinna and can relieve pain.
   • Heat the oil until it is warm but not hot, and put 3-4 drops into the affected ear canal. Within half an hour, the oil should be absorbed, then lie on your side so that the remaining oil flows out. Keep in mind: If the temperature of the oil is higher or lower than body temperature, it may cause dizziness, but only temporary.
   • You can also add a small amount of cinnamon oil to the oil, if you have one.
4. 4 Use garlic. Some people consider almost everything to do with garlic to be beneficial for ear pain. If you have garlic in any form, consider how you might use it. Here are some well-known methods:
   • Heat a small amount of sesame oil with the crushed garlic clove for a few minutes. After the mixture is infused, let it cool to room temperature. Then strain the infusion and drip it into your ear or apply it to a cotton swab and insert it into your ear.
   • Using garlic steam helps some people. Divide the head of garlic in half with one clove in your ear and the other in a cup of hot water. Position your ear over the cup so that the garlic vapor flows through the garlic into your ear canal.
5. 5 Use leftover onions that are probably in the fridge. Another life-saving vegetable! Chop an onion, mash into a gruel and wrap it in a clean cloth. Lie on your side with the compress to your ear.
   • If you don't have onions on hand, but you have ginger, use the same principle as with onions.
6. 6 Try basil or peppermint. These are real natural medicines. You need to squeeze the juice from the basil or mint and dilute it with olive or baby oil. Before this, the plant must be doused with boiling water. However, peppermint oil should be applied around the ear, while basil juice can be instilled in the ear.
7. 7 Try chewing gum and yawning. If there is a possibility that a difference in altitude is the cause of your ear pain (this often happens on airplanes), you can chew gum or force yourself to yawn.This way, you will get rid of congestion in your ears and you will feel better immediately.
   • You can also try strongly swallow. The muscle that activates the Eustachian tube will open, releasing the pressure.
   • The American Academy of Otolaryngology proposes this method to get rid of this side effect of the airplane: close your mouth, and cover your nostrils and unblocked ear with your fingers. Then try to blow air out through your nostrils, pushing out the airlock in your ears. But don't do this if ear pain is the result of congestion from an upper respiratory infection, because this can spread the infection to the ears.
8. 8 Use aromatherapy. Dilute an essential oil (such as lavender oil) with a little olive oil and apply it on the outside of the affected ear and around the neck around the lymph nodes.
   • If the ear pain is unbearable, aromatherapy is not an option. The doctor will prescribe medications for you that will help the fragrances much faster.

Method 2 of 2: Medication

1. 1 Buy antibiotics. If the pain does not go away on its own, or if it is accompanied by other symptoms, or you are simply experiencing unbearable pain, see your doctor. Your doctor will immediately prescribe antibiotics for you.
   • Penicillin may not work for the first few days. Ask your doctor what he thinks about this and what home remedies you can use to try to get rid of the pain.
2. 2 Determine if the pain is related to mucus production. Coughing and blowing your nose can irritate the inner ear, eventually leading to ear pain. If you have other symptoms of a cold, then this is a possible cause.
   • Your doctor may recommend a nasal congestion medication or nasal spray. The mucus production will stop, which will ease the pain in the ear, although you may need to take extra ibuprofen, at least initially.
3. 3 Find out if earwax is the cause. Although wax forms in the ears for protection, too much of it can lead to ear pain. If the pain is caused by earwax, your doctor will help you with this.
   • Your doctor will recommend ear drops or an earwax removal kit to help relieve pain and prevent large amounts of wax from accumulating. Your doctor will also advise you on how to prevent ear pain in the future.
   • If the earwax has hardened and formed a plug, your doctor may manually remove it. Perhaps not the most pleasant option, but it will help solve the problem.

Warnings

• Do not use ear drops if you have a damaged eardrum or ear canal, if you have an external ear infection, or discharge from the ear (such as pus or fluid).