HANDS ON HELP FOR EAR INFECTIONS

Few years ago, two prominent medical groups - the Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians - issued new guidelines to doctors urging them to think twice before prescribing antibiotics fro children over 2 with ear infections. Instead, parents are asked to treat the pain with acetaminophen or ibuprofen and wait to see whether the infection clears up on its own.
Why the new recommendation? Doctors are trying to slow the spread of antibiotic-resistant germs. But parents can be forgiven for wanting to part with science when they have a crying, hurting toddler to contend with at 2 a.m. Fortunately, there's an alternative.
If your child suffers from recurrent ear infections, a doctor of osteopathy (D.O.) may be able to help. Doctors of osteopathy hold the same unrestricted license to practise medicine as medical doctors (M.D.), and they receive training in osteopathic manipulation. In a multiyear study of 57 children who suffered from ear infections, those who received osteopathic manipulation experienced significantly fewer ear infections and were less likely to need antibiotics or surgery than children who received routine pediatric care. A larger study is now underway to confirm the results.
In a typical manipulation, an osteopathic physician palpates areas of the head, neck, and chest. "We feel for areas that are tight, that the child says are sore, or where there is restriction of motion," says lead study author Dr. Miriam V. Mills, a clinical professor of pediatrics at Oklahoma State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa.
The D.O. relieves pressure in the eustachian tube, the canal that connects the middle ear to the back of the nose. When restricted, the eustachian tube can allow bacteria to grow in the pea-size middle ear. A manipulation lasts from 15 to 45 minutes. Not all osteopathic physicians, however, will take the time to do an adjustment.