Molly Ferguson, N.D., LM. Dynamic Healing Center, Moorhead, MN Interviewer: When children get earaches, is there a natural way to treat them something other than antibiotics? Molly: Yes, there is. It’s actually been fairly well documented that antibiotics haven’t shortened the course of ear infections for most children. So things that you can do naturally would include immune boosting vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin A. Interviewer: Okay. Molly: Those things. As well as treating the mother so if the mother is still breast feeding and that its’ an infant we’re talking about giving the mother those antioxidant immune boosting type supplements, otherwise to treat ear infection more naturally. Certainly many children will still have pain and that’s hard for parents to deal with. Interviewer: It is. Molly: One thing that they can ask for a doctor’s for is actually an ear numbing ointment. There's actually a local anesthetic ear drops out there that can be very useful for parents to help the child deal with the pain but not have to deal with systemic drugs such as even Tylenol or other things like that. So that’s one thing parents can ask their doctor for that would be still be more natural and not introducing drugs in the child system just locally. Other things that I would think of there are certainly immune boosting herbs and you would want to use those somewhat carefully. Sometimes there are special children’s formulas out there that you can get over-the-counter. But general herbs that I recommend for when children have immune issues especially ear infections and things would be liquorish, elder berry, akanasia, and if there is any way to get garlic. Garlic down their throat that’s a good one, that’s my favorite one. You can certainly dot hat if your breastfeeding. Have the mother eat a lot of garlic and pass it on to her child. Interviewer: And it won’t affect the breast milk. Molly: You know it does. Affect the flavor of the breast milk. Interviewer: I was thinking. Molly: It does but they have actually done research on that and they have found that babies actually like the taste of garlic in their breast milk. Interviewer: There we go. Molly: If the mother ate garlic during her pregnancy because the flavor is so strong that it actually is found in the amniotic fluid. Interviewer: Amazing. Molly: Yup. Interviewer: Garlic it is. Molly: So eat garlic in pregnancy and your kids later. Interviewer: Thanks for that advise. Molly: You’re welcome.