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Natural Awakenings Central Florida / Orlando

How to Prevent Swimmer’s Ear: Tips from The Salt Room Longwood

According to the Mayo Clinic, swimmer’s ear is an infection in the outer ear canal, which runs from your eardrum to the outside of your head.  It’s often brought on by water that remains in your ear, creating a moist environment that aids the growth of bacteria. 

Swimmer’s Ear Tips

Preventing swimmer’s ear is pretty simple: when your activities include water sports, remember to shake any water out of your ears!  Kids especially spend a lot more time in the water than adults and tend to ignore the water in their ears.  Remember to dry around their ears with a towel and get them to tip their head and rub their ears to help get all the water out.  You can also use a blow dryer on the low cool setting and hold about 6 inches away from the ear to help dry the ear canal.  Do not use cotton swabs, as they are known to strip the skin of necessary oil which can cause more problems.

If you think you have swimmer’s ear (usually indicated by redness around the opening of the ear canal) or spot your kids rubbing or tugging at their ears, you can try a drop of colloidal silver, over-the-counter swimmer’s ear drops, or try our recipe below.  Don’t use drops if the person has ear tubes or has pus coming from the ear.  In those instances, visit your primary care physician.

Recipe to Prevent Swimmer’s Ear

When combined, vinegar and rubbing alcohol may prohibit the growth of bacteria in the outer ear and thereby reduce the risk of swimmer’s ear.

Directions: Mix one part white vinegar with one part rubbing alcohol.  Before and after swimming, pour one teaspoon of this solution into each ear and then allow it to drain back out.  Do not use if the eardrum is punctured.

We hope these tips help you and your family fully enjoy swimming this summer!

The Salt Room Longwood serves all age groups in the Central Florida area with a safe, drug-free therapy proven to be effective for relieving symptoms of many chronic sinus, lung and skin conditions such as allergies, sinus infections, asthma and eczema. Salt therapy is safe!  HEPA/carbon filters and UV light kill 99% of all airborne and surface bacteria and viruses. 

To schedule a salt therapy session, call 407-862-1163 or visit www.SaltRoomLongwood.com.

 

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