How to Drain Ear Fluid

Sometimes after the onset of a cold or an upper respiratory infection, an ear infection can occur. This results in a buildup of fluid in the middle ear, the space just behind the ear drum. The Eustachian tube, which connects the middle ear to the throat, becomes plugged so that the fluid cannot drain on its own. This can cause temporary hearing loss, mild discomfort or even severe pain as a result of the fluid pushing against the ear drum.
Physicians recommend three basic methods for draining ear fluid. In the order of invasiveness, these methods are: waiting it out, taking antibiotics and inserting tubes into the eardrum. A number of factors help to determine which method should be applied, among them longevity of the ear fluid buildup and severity of symptoms.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Consult your physician. Fluid in the middle ear, or otitis media with effusion (OME), is usually an infection caused by the common cold. In rare cases, however, OME can be a symptom of a tumor.

2. Consider using decongestants and antibiotics as prescribed by your doctor. In most cases this will clear up the infection--and by extension, the ear fluid buildup--within a few days. The fluid will drain out through the Eustachian tubes and into the nose.

3. Try a medication that contains cortisone, such as Medrol or Prednisone. This is usually for people who have regular problems with their sinuses. Again, a few days of treatment will usually clear up the ear fluid buildup in the middle ear.

4. Go in for minor surgery from an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor. The ENT physician will place a tiny tube into the eardrum via an incision. After a few weeks, the fluid should be completely drained from the middle ear.

5. Consult a chiropractic doctor. A chiropractor's techniques for draining fluid from the middle ear include massaging the palate and realigning the jaw and neck.

6. Try a hot pack pressed against your ear as a natural remedy.

7. Consider waiting it out. Most people find that this works just fine and that eventually the fluid will drain out through the Eustachian tube as normal, even if it takes up to nine months. But if you are looking for information about draining fluid from your ear, most likely you need one of the remedies mentioned in Steps 1 through 4. Again, talk with your doctor.

Tips & Warnings

• Good general health is often overlooked when attempting to treat specific health problems. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, eating a balanced diet and getting some exercise each week. Your body might know how to drain the ear fluid all by itself. You just need to give your body the proper tools with which to work.
• Some people find that nothing works to drain fluid from their middle ear, and that waiting it out is the only remedy.

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