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CONTACT The Human Joint at Wellness First 40 West Louisiana Avenue Denver, Colorado 80223 Phone: 303-744-6567 Fax: 303-733-6567 Send Us 
E-mail
© Copyright 1999-2008 Wellness First All Rights Reserved. |
| I Am Billy’s Middle Ear |
Have you begun to think that it’s possible that your child was born with an antibiotic or ear tube
deficiency? Do you have a reserved seat at the
pediatrician’s office? Do you have questions about the wisdom of treating symptoms without ever really discovering the cause of the problem? Are you returning to the pediatrician even when the results of treatment are less than satisfactory?
Our office has a better plan!
Anatomy of an ear infection: The vast majority of middle ear infections are caused by a malfunction of the Eustachian tube, which results in obstruction of fluid in the middle ear.
The tube that connects the middle ear and the back of the throat is called the Eustachian tube. Its
function is to equalize the pressure between the
middle ear and the external atmosphere. An adult
Eustachian tube has roughly the diameter of a pencil. It travels through bone and soft tissue from the middle ear to the back of the throat at approximately a 45-degree downward angle, allowing gravity to assist in drainage. The uncomfortable sensation of a plugged up ear occurs when the tube is obstructed either by mucus or fluid, or becomes inflamed in such a way as to hinder the movement of fluid and air along its length.
The child’s Eustachian tube is quite a bit more narrow than in the adult, and its course from the middle ear to the back of the throat is roughly parallel with the horizon, resulting in little or no gravitational help with drainage. What this all means is that in your child’s middle ear and Eustachian tube there is less room for AND more susceptibility to inflammation and obstruction.
Why does this happen? Chiropractically speaking, there are several ways that a spinal or cranial imbalance can be the underlying problem in a
malfunction of the Eustachian tube. First, if a spinal or cranial bone is far enough out of its normal alignment to cause actual physical pressure on the
area around the delicate tube, the pressure and subsequent inflammation will cause obstruction and fluid build up in the middle ear.
Next, all spinal or cranial imbalances cause irritation to the nervous system. Nervous system irritation often results in some level of malfunction to the organs that those nerves supply, making them susceptible to all manner of problems.
Finally, your child’s immune system is directly dependent on a healthy nervous system to function at its best. An imbalance in any spinal or cranial bone causing nervous system irritation may also cause the immune system to be overtaxed and may increase susceptibility to ear infection. We call these structural or biomechanical imbalances.
What are your alternatives? Your child’s ears are delicate and complex. Any sign of fluid build up or infection in the middle ear should trigger an evaluation of several different lifestyle factors. Nutrition, feeding position, vaccinations, second hand smoke, dust, and pet dander are just a few of the possible environmental causes for excess middle ear fluid. Intrauterine positioning, birth trauma, breast-feeding issues, and childhood falls are all possible causes of the spinal or cranial imbalances as discussed above.
Proper and effective management of healthy Eustachian tubes should always include regular chiropractic evaluation of the child’s head and neck for imbalances that cannot be corrected by any other means. All of these biomechanical imbalances can be corrected with appropriate chiropractic adjustments.
Course after course of antibiotics and ear tube surgery are what awaits you at your medical doctor’s office, even though neither of these treatments identifies or corrects any of the underlying causes of our child’s problem. They also carry serious consequences for misuse and overuse, which can set your child up for more serious problems in the future.
The gentle, unique, effective, no-crack adjustments that Dr. Julie gives her littlest patients at Wellness First are the best and most effective tool for
balancing tiny spines and craniums, and for keeping
your child’s middle ear, nervous system, and immune system healthy and robust.
To learn more - click on the link to www.icpa4kids.org to read up on the latest research regarding chiropractic care of childhood ear infections.
