This article is written by by Dr. Jason Tabick, D.C. of New York Specific Chiropractic, P.C.

Though pediatricians have been urged to not treat ear infections with medicine right away, this type of infection continues to be the most common reason medical practitioners prescribe antibiotics for children. Unfortunately, it is proven that the infecting agent is strengthened from over medicating rather than weakened, effectively increasing its immunity to your own body’s defense. These medications are not only ineffective, but are hurting children. Peer reviewed research covering the emerging resistance of the common pathogens that cause ear infections has caused many parents to lose trust in this particular medical model and this has left a clear space in the minds of concerned parents for a common sense way to approach health.   

Let’s think about this in a big picture sense. Something that is the most common reason for giving children medicine (an ear infection) is working against us. We know we cannot ignore this information and need to learn more about functional treatments that promote health.

Important questions to look at when focusing on health and why people get sick include: Why do some infections clear on their own (without medical intervention) sometimes and not other times within the same person? Why do some clear up at different time lengths at different times within the same person? Why do some children never even get an ear infection?

So where do we look in the body to unlock its potential for maintaining health and how does this relate to ear infections?

There is one system of the human body that controls and coordinates all other systems. There is a communication network that second by second is orchestrating everything from the fighting off of infection (even without symptoms we are constantly doing this), putting oxygen in the blood from a breath of air while protecting us from airborne matter and infection, digesting your last meal while killing unwanted bacteria, making new cells from the food we eat every day (even while we diet and cut calories!), beating your heart at varying rates dependent upon the environment, interpreting sounds and light, maintaining a sense of balance by integrating multiple senses, controlling your blood pressure and so on. It is the master system called the central nerve system. The central nervous system is comprised of the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord.   

The nervous system plays a vital role in the body starting soon after conception. After fertilization of the egg occurs, under support from the mother, the notochord forms. This is the very first specialized structure formed within the third week of life. It is the early formation of the central nerve system and is what guides the development of the fetus. I use this example to express the sheer necessity of the nerve system itself. The embryo cannot form nor function without it! It is what connects the carrying mother to the fetus allowing her to nurture the fetus and not reject it.  The central nervous system continues to play out its vital role as the primary system that commands all other systems throughout life.

As our body continually forms new cells and adapts to its ever changing environment, it is all done under the command of the nerve system. This is where we look for health. This is what will manage and prevent ear infections. This is how to strengthen the body from within naturally.

The central nerve system must be kept in tip top shape and in doing so, it will continue to coordinate all of our life functions properly. Everything from the clearing of the eustachian tubes, proper lymph gland drainage (necessary for fighting infection), immune cell production to combat bacterial infections, memory B cells copying viral infections for learned immunity and controlling fever to help expedite the killing of bacteria and the production of enzymes necessary for immunity.

Chiropractic’s Role

Depending on the chiropractic doctor and his/her training and background, there are different ways one will go about checking your nervous system. Here’s what I do: When a patient comes to me for help, the first thing I do is measure the function of the nerve system using a handheld Neurocalograph. This instrument gives me an immediate marker that illustrates the health of the central nerve system. The test is performed over the skin at the back of the neck where the upper spinal cord meets the inferior part of the brainstem at the base of the skull. If the nerve system is not functioning to 100%  it will show up on this test. Gentle adjustments (for all ages) are done on the area of the spine at the base of the neck to correct the position of the spine so that it does not create “blockages” to the nerve system. As I remove these “blockages” we will see the improvement in the results of successive neurocalograph tests. These tests are taken on every visit to measure progress.  Birth and poor position in the womb are the first things that negatively effect the newborns spine and central nervous system. The younger the age the better it is to have the nerve system checked in order for the spine to develop properly.

How Herbal Remedies and Natural Treatments Fit into All of This

The relationship is simple. We turn away from medication and turn to natural remedies to help ourselves and our children get well based on the presence of signs and symptoms of an ear infection such as ear pain, the child pulling on the ear constantly and slight loss of hearing, for example. Remedies offer a safer and natural way of relieving these symptoms. Unfortunately the piece we now know is that the body is constantly protecting itself from air, food and water borne sources of infection even without the presence of symptoms so giving a remedy based on symptoms is not a complete way to care for children and adults for that matter. When we add checking the nerve system to a person’s life, we now are CORRECTING an internal problem that strengthens the body from the INSIDE OUT. Here is an example, the ‘symptom’ of fever is the body’s natural response to fight infection. It increases the speed of the immune system and makes it harder for the infecting agents to thrive. Now what controls this fever? What knew there was an infection and to what degree that fever was a necessary reaction? What told the thalamus in the brain to raise the temperature? What told the the thyroid to increase it’s immune cell production? What makes you tired, forcing you to rest so your body can focus on the infection? What is creating mucus as a vessel to remove dead bacteria and viral matter while also forcing a cough and sneeze reflex to push this mucus out of the body? All of this is the work of the nerve system!

Before we address symptoms such as those from an ear infection or anything else like breathing problems (asthma with or without activity), hyper skin reactions, etc, we must first always have the nerve system checked. 

In over 98% of these cases we see, the issues are resolved once compression of the brainstem is removed and permanently corrected. New York Specific Chiropractic offers a complimentary consultation to all who would like to explore further a true way to be well.

Visit our website at http://www.nyspecificchiropractic.com

Located in Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Tabick has been getting sick people get well since June 2013. While studying for his D.C. degree as a student, he became certified to give chiropractic adjustments to patients while under the supervision of licensed doctors. With this certification, Dr. Tabick took part in four chiropractic outreach trips in the country of San Salvador. These charity trips were strictly offered to the impoverished areas of San Salvador where people are not able to provide health care for themselves or their children. This gave Dr. Tabick the amazing opportunity early on as a student, to begin building his experience as a Doctor of Chiropractic and preparing him to take care of a variety of health problems beyond simple back pain and headaches. Upon exiting chiropractic school with clinical residency honors in overall marks in patient care, also in far exceeding the required number of patients necessary to complete residency and over a years experience of adjusting through his outreach trips, Dr. Tabick is able to offer all of his new patients a definite comforting and effective journey to getting well.

For more about how to treat ear infections naturally and about what role dairy plays, see The Most Simple, Effective and Healthy Ways to Overcome An Ear Infection.