Papa's Method
It always bothered me that this remedy worked when I was a child, crying at night... Just in horrible pain with an ear ache. After several hours, my father told me that cigarette smoke would alleviate the pain. I first said no, but after another hour of severe pain, I said yes to his method of treatment. My father blew cigarette smoke into my ear and the pain went away! Almost immediately and never came back! Never has! It seemed gross to me then and now.... Like 15 years later... But, it worked! I just wanted to see if anyone else ever experienced this.
Still, I was pretty skeptical about this method especially right after I did some research on it. I have read Nicotine does not help an ear ache, and can actually cause such a condition to get worse if you are a prolonged smoker. It is not recommended.
But that’s until I got ear ache again. I haven’t had ear aches for more than 15 years now, but this time a week before Christmas I woke up with fever and sinusitis. Three days after, probably as a complication after the flu and sinusitis, I got this nagging ear pain with horrible pressure and popping in my ears. Just two days left before Charismas I decided to go back and try the old, family remedy. And guess what? It worked! This form of treatment for that intense earache and how miraculously and quickly it worked! So, I guess we can deduct that there is some chemical in cigarette smoke that helps ear aches. And greatly and swiftly... And permanently!
It is usually good for air in the ears or ear infection to relieve the pressure. I wouldn’t call it a cure, but it does help a lot! My father did this to me when I was like 3 on up and it’s not painful.
Again cigarette smoke doesn't cure but relieves pain. Maybe it works mostly because of the combination of heat and the drying aspect of the smoke.
Of coarse if you have severe allergies or you are a constant smoker, then this might not be a good method for you.
So, light a cigarette without a filter, (it’s best if you have natural, organic tobacco) and puff on it a few times. Ask someone to help you, to put one side of it into your year. Have a small piece of cotton ball ready in your hand to put in right away to hold the smoke inside. Let the person who’s helping you, take the lit side of the cigarette into their mouth and blow into your ear until you feel the warmth inside your ear. One good blow should be enough. Then take out the cigarette and put in the cotton ball right away.
So, Thank you German neighbor for your weirdest, but natural method that actually somehow works :)
Other Family Methods and Remedy to relieve ear aches and get rid of ear infection:
Babushkin (Grandma's) Method
Get one garlic clove crush it in a garlic press mix it with one tablespoon olive oil then gently warm the two ingredients together in a small pan. Next use a Qtip to drop three drops into ear then cover with a cottonball. Apply 2 times a day. Just want to add that it takes about 10 minutes for pain to subside.
Another way you can do it using garlic, but you must be extremely cautious. This is my grandmother's method. Take a clove of garlic, peel it, then scraped a part of it to release the juice and allicin. (It must be small enough to fit in your ear but not small enought to go into the ear canal.) Then CAREFULLY (I CANNOT emphasize that enough) the scraped part into my ear canal and let it stay there for at least 2 hours, possibly 3.the piece small enough to fit in your ear but not small enough to go into the ear canal.
PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST, I SAY MUST!, EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION IN DOING THIS!!!!!!!!
It works like a charm. If you do it carfully you may fall asleep with it, and its gauranteed you will wake up pain free.
Mama's Method
For as long as I can remember, anytime I would get ear aches, my mother would put Camphor Oil in my ear. Camphor Oil can be found at special health food stores and more than likely at your grocery store.
All you have to do is get the little bottle of Camphor Oil, put it into a small bowl with hot boiling water. Let the bottle of Camphor Oil (closed) stand in the water and warm up for 3-5 minutes. Take a pipette or an glass dropper and put 3 drops into the infected ear. Put the cotton ball(s) in your ear(s). Repeat this about 2-3 times a day. The pain was gone almost instantly and the next day you will be cured. This remedy has never failed me or anyone else in my family. Its guaranteed to work.
Also, my mother after warmed oil treatment, she'd let me lay on a hot water bottle or heated up salt crystals put into a sock or a cloth bag and tightly tied. I would lay on it for one night and this usually helps as well.
Personal Method
For ear infections, it is the antiseptic and bactericidal properties of this natural alternative that work for you. Tea tree oil has a number of other topical applications for childhood and adult ailments because:
- Tea tree oil is antifungal - good for athlete's foot, ringworm and thrush
- Tea tree oil is antiseptic - good for burns, cuts, insect bites and wounds
- Tea tree oil is antiviral - helps fight colds, flu, warts, chicken pox and measles
- Tea tree oil is an insecticide - good for scabies, lice, mosquitoes.
So, all you have to do is add 5-10 drops of warm tea tree oil to 1 Tbsp. of olive oil, mix thoroughly and trickle a small amount into the ear as needed. Warm up oil as described in my mother's method and put 2-3 drops into infected ears. Put in cotton balls afterwards and see how miraculously it works.