How to Treat Earaches With Acupressure
It is not unusual to wake in the middle of the night with an earache or with a child complaining that his ears hurt. At that hour, it is impossible to take your child to the doctor to rule out ear infections. Acupressure, a form of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), can be an effective way to treat earaches in adults and children. Though acupressure cannot clear up an infection, it works as an anti-inflammatory and can promote drainage of the lymph glands.
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Things You'll Need
- Acupuncturist specializing in acupressure
- List of symptoms
- Acupressure seeds
Instructions
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Find an acupuncturist who can treat patients with acupressure methods. If you have a child with frequent earaches, you may want to select an acupressure practitioner who specializes in pediatric care. Use Acufinder.com's advanced search engine to locate providers with experience in these areas (see Resources below).
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Jot down some notes about your earaches to help the acupressure practitioner locate the pressure points that will be most effective in relieving your pain. Use words such as "sharp," "dull" and "radiating" to describe your pain, as well as the location on or in the ear.
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Remove all earrings before an acupressure appointment and make sure your ears and clean and dry. Most of the pressure points used to treat ear pain are on the ear itself.
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Make yourself comfortable on the examining table or chair that the acupressurist provides for you. Some pressure points may be stimulated for up to 10 minutes at a time, so you will want to try not to move too much during that time.
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Ask for a picture or diagram and a description of pressure points used for ear pain and how to stimulate them. These points include areas of your earlobe, at the opening of your ear, on the back of your ear where it meets your head and on your ankle. Once you know the correct way to apply pressure to the points, you can treat yourself at home as needed.
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Treat yourself or your child for earaches by starting with the pressure point that is farthest away from the ear itself. Slowly work your way to the points that are located where the patient is experiencing the pain, as these areas may be very tender to the touch. If one pressure point seems to relieve pain more than another, focus on that point for a longer period of time.
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Tips & Warnings
Your acupressure specialist may attach seeds to the pressure points that are used to treat earaches to facilitate self-treatment. Seeds are tiny metal balls that make it easier for patients to find the correct pressure points and are fixed to your ear with first-aid tape or bandages.
Always use acupressure with your doctor's knowledge and consent. Be sure to have your ears examined to rule out infection before you turn to alternative medicine such as acupressure as a treatment for your earaches.
