Pediatrics in Review
HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS CME ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     


Click here for Complementary, Holistic, and Integrative Medicine: Therapies for Acute Otitis Media References Data Supplement
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Rapid Responses: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when Rapid Responses are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bukutu, C.
Right arrow Articles by Vohra, S.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Bukutu, C.
Right arrow Articles by Vohra, S.
Related Collections
Right arrow Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders
Right arrow Infectious Diseases
Right arrow Complementary, Holistic, and Integrative Medicine

(Pediatrics in Review. 2008;29:193-199.)
© 2008 American Academy of Pediatrics

Complementary, Holistic, and Integrative Medicine

Therapies for Acute Otitis Media


Cecilia Bukutu, PhD*
Janjeevan Deol*
Sunita Vohra, MD, FRCPC, MSc*
 * Complementary and Alternative Research and Education (CARE) Program, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

The first 300 words of the full text of this article appear below.


   Introduction
 
Acute otitis media (AOM) is diagnosed frequently in early childhood; its peak incidence is between 6 and 15 months of age. (1) Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis are the leading bacterial causes. Eighty percent of AOM cases resolve without treatment within 3 days. (2)(3) This high rate of spontaneous resolution along with variations in diagnostic criteria complicate studies of otitis media. Most cases of AOM are treated with antibiotics and pain relievers, but antibiotics may contribute to antimicrobial resistance or produce adverse effects (AEs) such as diarrhea. (4) These concerns, in part, have led some parents to turn to the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat childhood AOM. This review of published scientific literature examines some commonly used CAM therapies in the prevention and treatment of childhood AOM.


   Natural Health Products
 
     Naturopathic Herbal Ear Drops (NHEDs)
A Cochrane systematic review conducted in 2004 (4) assessed the effectiveness of NHEDs in the management of ear pain associated with AOM in two randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) (Table 1). The first study compared an NHED comprised of Calendula flores (marigold), garlic (Allium sativum), mullein (Verbascum thapsus), and St. John's wort (Hypericum perfoliatum) in olive oil with anesthetic eardrops. (5) The second study compared NHED (garlic, mullein, marigold, St John's wort, lavender, and vitamin E in olive oil) to anesthetic eardrops with and without antibiotics. (6) Findings from these trials point to NHEDs being modestly therapeutic for pain associated with AOM compared with anesthetic eardrops. However, the trials have some methodologic problems: lack of allocation concealment, power calculation, and intention-to-treat analysis. Two children dropped out of the first study because of the odor of NHED; no other AEs were documented. (5) The evidence regarding safety and efficacy of NHEDs seems promising.


Table 1. Clinical Trials of Naturopathic Ear Drops for Acute . . . [Full Text of this Article]


Click here for Complementary, Holistic, and Integrative Medicine: Therapies for Acute Otitis Media References Data Supplement




HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS CME ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pediatrics Pediatrics in Review
Copyright © 2008 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.