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September 1, 2008, 7:18 pm
Flag as Inappropriate 2Ronnies  

Other than an infection or allergies what can lead to ear ache? I know that a week will see my body deal with an infection, I just would rather not take antibiotics.

Wax can plug the ear canal and water can get trapped behind the wax build up and cause pain in your ear. Referred to as "Swimmer's Ear" but can happen to anyone, actually. I used to have this problem a lot when I was younger, spent a lot of time at the ENT's office and home from school due to extreme ear pain. The best way I found to help an ear ache no matter what the cause is aspirin for pain and a few drops of a solution of half hydrogen peroxide, half glycerin (the glycerin prevents the ear canal from drying out). The peroxide will loosen the wax build up and help any residual water there drain out. Works wonders. You're wise about not taking antibiotics unless they're necessary because we can build up immunity to them so they won't work for us anymore, as I found from years of taking Penicillin as a child (for ear aches and tonsillitis).

In an adult, I would think it would only be infection, allergies, or viral. My ears always hurt when I am sick, but it's because of my lymph nodes swelling that they hurt, nothing is actually wrong with my ears.

I have only managed to get them when either water was "stuck" in my ear from swimming/shower or from when I have been out in seriously cold weather too long w/o ear protection.

Water in the ear - any trauma to the ear - air directly blown in the ear - changes in elevation - and changes in weather are the only things outside of allergies and cold that I am aware of.