Put Some Garlic in Your Ear

My son is brute. No really, he is. He's one big manly boy, always covered in boogers and dirt, always destroying something. He's the sweetest thing, affectionate, curious and NEVER still. So when my little man was was pulling his hair, rubbing his eyes and crying inconsolably for for more than two hours I knew something was wrong. I made a quick call to the pediatrician and luckily, they had one more appointment and lo and behold, my son had his first ear infection. Some Amoxicillan and some Motrin and my little boy was right as rain the next day.


We're lucky to live in a society where access to basic health care isn't all that difficult to obtain. Something hurts, we make a call, take a pill and that's that. Pretty neat, huh? However, I feel that our dependency (mine included) on instant medical gratification has encouraged both patients and doctors to want just that. A quick fix. Got a cold? Here's a pill. Feeling sad? Here's a pill. Got a wart? Let's cut it off. Something has been lost in the whole doctor/patient relationship. Patients are treated but often don't know why they got sick in the first place.


Don't get me wrong. I believe modern medicine is an absolute necessity. I am so glad that there was a medicine that I could give my son to make him feel better. But what if I couldn't have gotten him in to the doctor? What if there comes a time when I can't afford to take him? Or, due to some economic or socioeconomic disaster, modern medicine is not easily accessed or worse, completely unavailable?

I have been doing a lot of research about naturopathic doctors, homeopathic treatments and herbal healing. Basic knowledge of herbs, nutrition and essential oils can help you treat common ailments at home. And if they don't completely remedy the situation, they will make you feel a whole lot better until you can get to the doctor. Garlic oil for instance, will help an earache. Unfortunately, I didn't have any and though a garlic clove would work too, I didn't think shoving a clove of garlic in a 19 month old's ear was very practical.

Here's a cool graphic I found to get you started thinking about your own medicine chest. Along with your regular over the counter meds, I would consider doing some research and finding out which herbs and oils may help your family.