One of the key medications that people can use to treat ear infections at home is DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide). It's the perfect ear remedy because it permeates cell membranes gaining access to cells and areas of the body that are usually difficult to reach or hard to gain to access to. It can be drying, but you can combine it with clean water to create a solution that's not TOO drying (if needed). It's gets rid of inflammation, reduces pain, fights infection, and regenerates diseased and damaged nerve tissues--the perfect combination of medicinal effects for middle or inner ear infections. Just be sure to use low concentrations of DMSO as drops (0.1-0.25%) to avoid damaging inner ear hairs or apply it in higher concentrations only to the ear canal, ear flap, and neck areas surrounding the ear.Introduction to At Home Treatments for Ear Infections
WARNING: If you decide to put drops of DMSO directly into the ear, use a concentration of 0.1% to 0.25% DMSO. Higher concentrations of DMSO applied as drops to the ears can damage the hairs in the inner ear.If only I had known then what I know now. My husband, an ex-professional musician, got a fungal ear infection 5 years ago. He complained that his ear was hurting and before we had a chance to buy a scope to look inside his ear, the eardrum burst. I look back on this event with so much regret. There are so many things I would’ve done differently had I known then, what I know now.
First of all, I wish I would've had an otoscope on hand to look directly at his eardrum early on when his infection first started. Walmart sells some cheap otoscopes, but there are SmartPhone-friendly otoscopes now that make it so that the patient themselves can examine and see the eardrum. (I now have one in my med bag). My husband wanted to see his ear canal getting better, but there was no way to make that happen at the time when we were working with his fungal ear infection. If you’ve ever experienced a traumatic event like this via healthcare, be sure to note that the trauma needs to be released through some form of somatic, trauma-informed therapy. Otherwise, your body, particularly the ear, may continue to “scream out in pain” even after it has been biologically healed.
If you have an awesome doctor, good for you. We didn’t. My husband went to a doctor who put an antifungal Nystatin powder in his ear which then had to be removed later through an excruciating process by another horrible and incompetent Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor. Needless to say, the powder didn’t work. He had to use other meds to kill the fungus and it took a long time.
DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) could have been put in his ear to help dry it and treat the fungal infection as well as the pain and inflammation caused by the infection. A damaged eardrum could benefit greatly from DMSO, because this medicine spurs rapid healing (which is important with eardrum ruptures and injuries). DMSO can also be combined with Lugol’s Iodine to increase its antifungal abilities. Lugol’s iodine mixed with DMSO is an excellent treatment for drug-resistant ear infections that are bacteria, fungal, or even viral. But be aware that if your eardrum has burst, applying DMSO as drops will be excruciating and I don’t recommend it. Rather, apply the DMSO around the exterior of the ear canal as a 10% solution (with 90% water) in combination with a few drops of Lugol’s Iodine. Mix the water, DMSO, and Lugol’s in a glass bowl (because DMSO combines with substances like plastics and takes those plastic particles deep into the body–glass is better). If you decide to administer DMSO inside the ear, use an extremely low dose to avoid damaging the structures of the inner ear.
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Having an ear infection of any kind puts people into a compromising position in the United States. Ear, Nose, and Throat doctors joke around that the acronym E.N.T. actually stands for Early Nights, and Tennis (meaning that they don’t have to work very often like other doctors do).About 3 years ago, I discovered something called DMSO that I would’ve used on my husband’s ear had I known then what I know now. Let me be clear in saying that I did NOT use DMSO on his ear, so I don’t know what would’ve worked for certain, but I can tell you what I would’ve tried based on the information I have about DMSO now. Here's a link to an important article published by Iowa State University about DMSO.
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First, I would’ve tried putting a small amount of 25% concentration DMSO inside the ear canal and around the ear and on the neck where blood vessels that supply the inner and middle ear run prolifically. I wouldn’t have dropped the DMSO into the ear canal, but I would’ve used a clean, freshly washed finger to put it around the outside of the canal (use only Q-tips with natural fibers to apply DMSO to the ear canal). The DMSO would’ve helped dry out the ear, making the fungus less comfortable in there, and the DMSO also has the amazing ability to go wherever it needs to go. Putting it close to the fungus would’ve made the fungus a prime target. DMSO has anti-fungal abilities. I’ve used it to cure warts as well as Candida albicans infections. Needless to say, I wish I would’ve known about DMSO back when my husband was suffering from fungal ear infections. Here’s an article with more information about how to use DMSO safely to cure fungal ear infections and a wide variety of other health issues.
In this study, doctors used a mixture of Povidone-Iodine with DMSO to treat stubborn nail fungi. It's hard to treat fingernail and toenail fungus because the fungus is protected by the nail. But again, DMSO has this ability to carry itself and other things into the body (thus, you should always be very cautious about what you use Q-tips to clean your ears (or any area of skin) prior to applying it topically. Shampoos and soaps and even hairsprays and other cosmetics contain fragrances and other ingredients that are toxic and should NOT be combined with DMSO (because it will take it deep into the tissues).
Click here to read more about personal care products that are safe for use with DMSO.
Though the study I mention above involves Povidone-Iodine with DMSO, I would personally use Lugol’s iodine rather than Povidone-Iodine because Povidone-Iodine contains ingredients that are not healthy or beneficial when they are inside human cells. Lugol’s iodine, on the other hand, does not contain these toxic ingredients. And Lugol’s still has the power to fight fungal infection in combination with DMSO.
How to Apply DMSO to Treat a Fungal Ear Infection at Home
On the other hand, based on what I personally know about DMSO now and Lugol’s iodine, I would first mix 1 drop of DMSO with 9 drops of water and 1 drop of 2% Lugol’s Iodine in a GLASS BOWL. Then, I would apply this mixture to the ear canal, the neck around the ear and the ear flap. It might turn the skin orange briefly. Then, I would wait for 30 minutes while the DMSO and Lugol’s soaks into the skin. Once the DMSO is dry and no longer present, I would put 1 drop of Lugol’s Iodine in a shot glass of water and then apply this mixture to the inside of the ear canal.Below is a link to a soap product that does not contain toxic fragrances or other ingredients. It's important to use a non-toxic soap / shampoo when working with DMSO. If you are applying the DMSO directly to the ear and neck, rinse the area you intend to treat with filtered water or Bronner's soap. For example, if you are working with a child or an adult with an ear infection, have them wash the hair around their ears with Bronner's soap to remove any chemical toxins that their normal shampoo contains. You can use this product to clean areas of the skin that are going to be treated with DMSO just prior to use. It isn't necessary to clean the inside of the ear canal with Bronner's or any other soap. It's better to keep the ear canal dry if infection is a problem. Bronner's is the only brand of soap that I know of that ethically commits to producing a soap product that does not contain toxic chemicals.
Buy Dr. Bronner's Liquid Soap For Sensitive Skin and Babies, No Added Fragrance - Safe for Use with DMSO.
DMSO for Ear Infection: Bacterial and Viral Infections
DMSO works to cure bacterial and viral ear infections too. It must be administered orally (not inside the ear canal) at higher doses with Chlorine Dioxide Solution if you wish to treat a viral ear infection at home using DMSO. My husband, for example, had chronic ear infections as a child and he ended up getting tubes put in his ears. But I wonder if DMSO would work to dry out the ear, combat the infection, and even protect the eardrum or foster regrowth if the eardrum burst. Having used this product now for over 5 years successfully to treat everything from cancer to major injuries like cat bites and the near loss of a finger, I believe very strongly that it would, in fact, work this way and I wouldn't hesitate to use DMSO on ear infections in my children or grandchildren (though I would use a very low concentration of DMSO of 0.1 to 0.25% for DMSO ear drops). DMSO has a regenerative effect on nerves when it's used to treat recent nerve trauma, so I can only imagine the impact that this medicinal agent could have on children who have chronic ear infections who are at risk of losing their hearing. There are so many kids with chronic ear infections whose parents struggle for years fighting this problem. If I were a parent of a child with chronic ear infections, I’d want to know about DMSO. DMSO can be used as an at home treatment for recurrent ear infection in children.But, as you use DMSO as a cure for fungal ear infections or bacterial ear infections, keep in mind that DMSO increases the potency of medications. So, even if you apply DMSO to the skin and your child or loved one is taking antibiotics or any other medication, the DMSO can increase the potency or strength of that medicine. So, DMSO is not something to be taken lightly. Click here to learn more about how to use DMSO safely.
DMSO is a powerful medicine and it has an extremely broad spectrum of action. Click here to read a quick summary of the medicinal effects of DMSO. The combination of DMSO and antibiotics is a good one. If you know what you're doing (or if you contact a doctor who's knowledgeable about the use of DMSO with antibiotics), the DMSO could actually get an antibiotic to go to the area of the ear where its needed and make the antibiotics stronger than they otherwise would be. Administer DMSO at least 2 hours before or after you administer other types of prescription medications to avoid this problem. Be aware that you need to reduce the dose of antibiotics significantly before combining DMSO with an antibiotic. Consult a doctor who is knowledgeable about the proper proportion and dose of a specific antibiotic to combine with DMSO for recurrent ear infection.
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How to Use Chlorine Dioxide as an Alternative to Antibiotics for Ear Infection
If your child or loved one has been on antibiotics for an ear infection that simply isn’t clearing up, consider using Chlorine Dioxide Solution / Miracle Mineral Solution as an alternative to pharmaceutical-based antibiotics that your doctor would prescribe. Chlorine Dioxide Solution is an extremely broad spectrum antibiotic that works against the vast majority of infectious pathogens that infect the human body. Download our book about Chlorine Dioxide, The Layperson’s Guide to Chlorine Dioxide and Miracle Mineral Solution to learn more about how this medicine works as an antibiotic and how to use it safely in children, infants, during pregnancy and lactation, to cure ear infections, as well as cancer and diseases that conventional medicine has dubbed “incurable”. Here is a link to Jim Humble’s Ear Protocol for healing ear infections with Chlorine Dioxide Solution.
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In theory, you could combine DMSO with other medicines like antibiotics, antifungals, and antivirals to increase their potency and to help those drugs hit the pathogens in their most vulnerable places, but sometimes DMSO does not combine well with a given medication and sometimes the results of a DMSO combination treatment is not what you’d expect. Be cautious when experimenting with DMSO and drug combinations. DMSO increases the potency of drugs and it allows certain drugs that can’t normally travel to certain areas of the body (the brain, for example), to gain access. DMSO, after all, opens up cellular membranes rendering even cancer cells vulnerable (see DMSO Potentiation Therapy for Cancer for more information about this). So, if you or someone you love is suffering from a fungal ear infection or any other type of ear infection, DMSO might be worth consideration as a treatment. But if you don’t specifically find instructions about how to safely combine DMSO with a given substance like an antibiotic, don’t experiment on your own with these substances. Contact a doctor who works regularly with DMSO instead to find a treatment that’s safe. DMSO combined with Chlorine Dioxide is generally a safe treatment.FINAL NOTE: If you have otitis externa or swimmer's ear, DMSO has been studied as an effective treatment to overcome this problem.
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