My children have never had ear infections (that I can think of). That all changed Friday night when my 5-year old started to complain of an ear ache while we were at the pool. It seems that this time of year swimmers ear is common at our pool. Not sure why.
My husband took her home after I'd given him instructions to put peroxide in her ear first. We usually use alcohol to dry up the water after swimming but she has scabs inside her ear and wouldn't let us use alcohol because it burns. I've also heard of white vinegar used in the ears after swimming to combat swimmers ear.
For ear aches (or any other minor aches) we use lavender essential oil. My husband rubbed lavender on the outside and around the ear. I also recommended a warm compress. He heated a rice bag until warm and applied it to her ear.
These things brought some comfort but by the time I got home from the pool with the boys she was crying from pain.
After texting another naturally minded momma for ideas, the remedy that came back sounded so strange: steam an onion.
I was desperate for my baby to have relief so I was willing to try anything. Even crazy home remedies.
How to Juice An Onion
In a small saucepan with a lid, over low heat I warmed a couple tablespoons of olive oil then added half an onion, cut side in the olive oil. I steamed the onion for several minutes until it seemed the onion was soft through. Not completely falling-apart-mushy, just soft.
When the onion was cool to the touch (so as not to burn myself when I picked it up with bare hands), I covered the onion with an old rag.
The next part of this story is not an exaggeration.
My daughter was crying, sobbing with tears running down her face. I placed the warm onion on her ear and within a minute she had fallen asleep. It was crazy. Bizarre. If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, I might not have believed it. [That is precisely what my remedy-momma-friend told me to expect.]
I walked to the next room and asked my 11 year old son if he had heard the crying. Of course he did. I told him that Sister was now asleep. He couldn't believe it either. She slept through the night.
The next day she didn't complain at all about her ear hurting.
That night was a different story. She was up several times complaining of ear ache. I tried lavender oil which brought some relief but she was still in pain. I had thrown away the onion from the previous night (and didn't want to steam another onion at 2am). In my arsenal however, I had the onion juice in olive oil in a syringe. I dropped a few drops in her ears (both ears hurt the second night) and almost instantly she was back asleep again. Crazy I tell you! I can't remember if I had to do that 3 or 4 times --things are foggy in the night. With confidence I can say that each time after applying the onion oil she was asleep within 30 seconds.
The next morning, she told us that she had been cured by "magical onions."
I read similar story here (be sure to read the comments for other testimonies).
What do you think? Is this a coincidence? Will you try steamed onions the next time?
-Julie
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor but I play one at home and practice non-toxic remedies on my family.
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