Are Ear Infections Normal?

Ear infections are the #1 reason that families visit the pediatrician’s office. Ear infections are very common, but are ear infections a normal childhood condition? No, ear infections are not normal. 

Children’s eustachian tubes, the tubes that drain the inner ear, are less angled than in adulthood, making children more susceptible to ear infections. This anatomical fact certainly makes it more common to have ear infections in childhood, but still, they are not normal. 

A question we often hear from parents is “why does my child keep getting ear infections?” Do they constantly walk into clouds of viruses or bacteria? Yes, we are all constantly surrounded by viruses and bacteria in our world, but it is the same environment every other child and everyone else in your community walks through. Therefore, these bacteria and viruses not the cause of your child’s ear infection. Are they exposed to different germs than other children? No, they are all exposed to the same microorganisms. If you could see all of the germs that exist all around where your child plays, eats food, and sleeps…it would be astonishing! But, having these germs all around us is actually a good thing. It is what nature intended to allow us to build strong immune systems. 

So back to the question, why do chronic ear infections occur? The answer is simple: stagnant fluid in the ear. When there is a constant accumulation of fluid in the ear and it does not drain properly, a cesspool of bacteria and viruses is created. Why is there stagnant fluid? Why aren’t their ears draining? First, let’s check out an example. 

Did you know you can eat while you stand on your head!? Yes, you can eat and swallow food while standing on your head. This is because your esophagus pumps food into your stomach. A similar pumping motion happens in the eustachian tubes that drain your child’s ears. How exactly does this happen in the ear? 

The answer is the combination of three things: The tensor veli palitini muscle, the salpingopharyngeus muscle & the atlas bone in the upper neck. Two muscles with long names and one small bone in the neck. All three work together in order to properly pump fluid out of the inner ear. 

Ear infections occur when the two muscles are not properly activating and the bone is not properly moving. The improper activation and movement does not allow the ears to drain. Why are the muscles not activating? Why is the bone not properly moving? 

The answer is physical trauma to the head and neck region, most commonly from the birth experience. The birth process is one of the most traumatic experiences a human being will ever encounter. The birth process is even more traumatic in 21st Century due to the increasing amounts of medical interventions such as cesarean sections, epidurals, pitocin, vacuum extraction, and all the tugging and pulling performed to get baby out of the birth canal. A research study done by German scientist Dr. Gutman on over 1000 infants showed that 80% of newborns had upper neck dysfunction from birth…specifically the atlas bone not properly moving. How does this upper neck problem affect those two muscles that drain the ears? 

These muscles are supplied by nerves in the upper neck. When the atlas bone is misaligned and not properly moving, the nerves to these muscles get irritated and do not function properly. Therefore, the two muscles do not properly activate. This leads to fluid not draining out of the inner ear and the child develops an ear infection. 

At a deeper level, when the atlas bone is not properly moving this also causes decreased nourishment to the brain, putting the brain and body in a stressed mode. When the brain is stressed on a subconscious level, the immune system is not as strong and the body does not have the capacity to properly fight off the infection (see immunity blog post). 

Can antibiotics cause your child’s ears to drain? Does drilling a hole seem like the best option to help the fluid drain? No, so what can be done about it? 

First, the atlas bone must be aligned and moving properly again. Second, proper healthy nerve flow to allow the two muscles to function properly. Third, more balance in the brain and nervous system by decreasing stress on a subconscious level. Fourth, boost the Th1 immune system response and improve overall immunity (again, see immunity blog post). 

How do you figure out if there is neurological interference in your child? At Pure Light, state-of-the-art neurological scans are utilized. These scans are non-invasive, painless and emit no radiation. 

Our goal is plain and simple, help your child better adapt to the stressful, toxic world we live in. The number one way to help them better adapt is to create balance in the central nervous system. 

Is it time to help your child reach their inborn health potential?
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