Fever is a telltale sign your earache is a symptom of an infection, cold or flu.

Ear infections may cause vomiting, drain you energy, make it difficult to hear, and cause pressure inside your ear.

You might have itchy or scaly skin around your ear; or white, yellow or green fluid that leaks from your ear.

Children and babies may show signs of ear infection by being off balance, not having an appetite, being grumpy, touching their ears and being unreactive to sound.

Ear infections can disrupt sleep patterns.

Ear infections are usually caused by bacteria, viruses or allergies. These conditions cause excessive mucus in the middle ear, preventing fluid from draining.

This causes the infection to spread to your ear.

Otitis externa is also known as swimmer’s ear. When swimming pool water remains in the ear, it provides the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Drying your ears thoroughly is really important to avoid and recover from ear infections.

Cleft palate and Down’s syndrome can mean you’re more at risk of ear infections.

When accompanied by toothache, or occurring when you swallow, earache may have another cause.

Changes in hearing aren’t always an indication of infection - glue ear, excessive earwax, or a perforated eardrum could be a cause.

Our naturopaths can test for and diagnose ear infections. If you have earache, they can assess whether your earache is caused by an infection, or if it has another cause.

If you experience repeated ear infections, it’s likely you have low immunity.

Low immunity has many causes. Nutritional deficiencies, undiagnosed food intolerances, lifestyle factors like smoking and drinking. Our naturopaths can recommend the right tests to diagnose the root cause of low immunity.