Ear Infection Prevention Related Articles & Blog Posts

I remember, not long ago, seeing many children with ear infections every day I was in the office – children that were often up screaming the night before. Today it’s not surprising to go an entire day in clinic without seeing a single one. Visits to doctors’ offices for ear infections more than doubled between [...]

Chronic ear infections are a frustrating problem for many young children. A study published in the February 9, 2002 issue of The Lancet suggests a dramatic new approach to dealing with ear infections.

I heard from a reader about an extremely common practice that most of us have been warned never to do: My wife was cleaning our three-year old daughter’s ear with a cotton swab. She turned into the swab causing it to penetrate her ear causing bleeding. How severe can this be? She doesn’t seem to [...]

We’ve known now for several years that discontinuing the use of a pacifier can reduce ear infections in children. A study published in the September 2000 issue of Pediatrics looked at the effect of simply having nurses give a leaflet to parents about the side effects of pacifier use and also instructing them to limit [...]

A study in the August 2000 issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood found that parents who smoke increase the risk of meningococcal meningitis for their children by about 200% for every 20 cigarettes smoked at home on an average day (220% if the mother smokes, 170% if only the father smokes).

Testing a baby’s cord blood for levels of maternal antibodies to pneumococcal bacteria can predict the frequency of ear infections. Information presented at the May 2000 American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology meeting in Orlando, Florida indicates that low levels of antibodies mean more ear infections.

The Great American Smokeout is the American Cancer Society’s call to stop smoking. We all know that smoking leads to serious health problems for adults, but many people just don’t get that being in a room that smells like smoke increases and prolongs colds, coughs, sinus infections, and asthma in children. Secondhand smoke is responsible [...]

Since ear infections are the most common diagnosis in pediatrics, it is worthwhile for a parent to learn to become a Sherlock Holmes — able to notice the clues and suspect an ear infection before it becomes advanced. Here are some important things every parent should know about ear infections: