"The onion and smoke are proven ......". Yeah? I don't think so.

"So then I went to a chiropractor....." . Perfect.

With these two bogus approaches you really haven't accomplished anything. Onions are good for salads and hamburgers, don't toss the unused part.

I do hope you feel better soon. If the ear pain continues, please get yourself to an ENT physician.

^ what he said. Also, when’s the last time you went to the dentist? Bite and salivary gland problems often manifest themselves in this area, as do dental caries and abscesses.

The way I understand it was a primary doctor first and the chiropractor after that? Hope you feel better soon.

I am very sorry you are in pain but your post actually made me laugh! How you could reasonably think either of your approaches to remedy would have any real effect is hard to comprehend.

Yes, I have had something like that - it was the result of an awkward sleeping position that put pressure on the ear......bent wrong or something similar.

If the ibuprofen doesn't help - and it should - try applying heat. And if the pain persists, do visit a specialist as suggested.

I remember as a kid when I would get an ear ache some Uncle would blow smoke in my ear. I had so many ear aches, with my luck, I'll probably get cancer in my ear drum.

I would also encourage you to go to an ENT.

Shingles can start in the ear, or eyes. Not common but is something to consider. Have you had the shingles vaccine? If not, then getting the vaccine in the first 7 days of an outbreak is very helpful to many.

My shingles started on one side of my head, kinda on my neck, kinda behind my ear. Thank heavens, the Doc-in-the-box I saw immediately started me on a anti-viral drug. I never did breakout and I've never have a recurrence. As I understand it, the early it is treated the better.

Also, some Lysine supplement.

After 2 or 3 days of ear pain, (just at the outside of the ear canal) my son was diagnosed with shingles, when the blisters appeared. I had brought him to the doctor twice, thinking he'd see an ear infection, but like you, the ear looked perfectly normal, before the blisters appeared. Because he was only 12, the possibility of shingles wasn't something they considered.

When the blisters appeared and he was finally diagnosed, he was put on an antiviral, which lessened the pain. However it didn't prevent him from getting vertigo, from the shingles being inside his ear. He could not even move his eyes to the right or left, or it would cause severe nausea.

I know that sometimes one can get an inflamed facial nerve, that can send random pings of pain to an ear, eye, or the scalp. It tends to resolve after a few days. But if you are getting consistent ear pain, go back and have your doctor examine your ear again. If shingles have developed, he'll want to put you on antiviral med right away.

Like gardengal said, I have had something like that happen, from some awkward sleeping position or something, but it wasn't reoccurring.

Weird pain on the outside of the ear, that's odd. The smoke and onions are more for ear infections, but this sounds different. Do you have an osteopath? Perhaps they can help you with diagnosis and treatment. (My mother had better success with her cardiology OD than her cardiology MDs, too bad she didn't "believe" in ODs, but fortunately she didn't know Dr Z was an OD!)

"The smoke and onions are more for ear infections, but this sounds different. Do you have an osteopath? Perhaps they can help you with diagnosis and treatment."

Another smoke and onion believer? Yikes. Ask a medical doctor about this. Stand back when you do.

You may not know that most osteopaths have gone that route, rather than to the classical medical schools that produce MDs, because when completing undergrad studies and applying for medical school, they had inferior academic and test scores and so didn't get admission offers to medical schools. Few choose that route out of inclination, despite what they may say. Osteopath schools have lower admission standards and are much easier to get into. So you're not being treated by someone at the bottom tier of medical students, you're being seen by someone who was below the bottom tier of medical students. Some are good but most are a notch lower or more for good reason. It's an easy criterion to use to find better capable and better educated practitioners. It's harder to get a good position after residency when going the DO path. It's accepted in some areas and completely not accepted in others as a substitute for an MD credential.

Maybe a typo but you should know that an OD is an optometrist. DO is the degree given to osteopaths. See a medical doctor (MD) if you want to be seen by someone with more significant academic accomplishment and better training.

DH was getting ear pain outside behind his ear...it was the muscles from his neck that run up behind the ear to help hold his head up. The muscles were spasming and causing shooting pain up behind his ear. Warm compresses and gentle neck stretches and tylenol did the trick.

I did some research. reason for ear cartilege pain

Sammy you were right it was my teeth. The pain moved up to my jaw now TY some of you for coming up with the suggestions. Ty Pudge for backing me up about the smoke. My family always used the onion, and DH family always used the smoke and both of them worked. that's why I said it was proven. This is things people used before there was antibiotics and they worked. I tried these because at the time I still thought it might be an ear infection.

I had TMJ jaw pain and went to the dentist who made a mouth guard for me to sleep with. It's really helped. Apparently I grind my teeth at night and it was damaging my teeth as well.

"There is a highly respected school of osteopathic medicine not far from me "

That's a pretty funny comment because among the medical community, there are no respected osteopathic schools. These are schools where the third string players go, just like the medical schools in the Caribbean that also cater to those whose lower scores and less accomplished records didn't lead to admission to an accredited US medical school. If you ask an MD as a patient, most will be polite about it. If you ask one who's a friend or other relationship to you, you'll get a different answer.

Not only do I know about this, lacey, I know a lot about this. From the knowledge and experiences of those who are or wanted to be physicians -friends and neighbors, children of friends and neighbors, and family members. One of my kids had two friends who wanted to get into medical school. One tried 3 times, one tried 4 times (the cycle is once a year) without success. Both had so-so GPAs and MCAT scores (do you know what the MCAT is?). Both turned to osteopath schools and got in the first try. Do you want to be treated by the first team or the taxi squad? That's really what it comes down to.

" My family always used the onion, and DH family always used the smoke and both of them worked"

I'm glad you're feeling better but sorry, these techniques have no effect. None.

Back when medicine was less advanced and then as now, among people of limited means, "treatments" would be invented using what was available. Better than doing nothing? Maybe with the placebo effect sometimes but stuff like this is totally without effect.

The onion holds heat since they are very high in water and makes a hot compress that lasts for a while. Perfectly sound in its own way. We have less smelly products today but if you don't have one of those in your home at three in the morning?

Instead of just monitoring it, have you considered going to a specialist? An ENT (Ear Nose Throat) doctor might be the best place to start, because it could be an ear infection on the outside of your ear.

Sammy you were right it was my teeth.

Really? Oh good—well, good that you found the source of your ear pain, anyway. :)

What, specifically, was/is causing it? Unfortunately I’ve a lot of experience with temporomandibular disorder (which required surgery), bruxism AND parotid duct obstruction, so if you have any questions regarding any or all of those conditions, I’m all ears. ;)

I've had earaches like that. It's usually fluid in the ear. They tell me to use Flonase spay and Loratidine or Claritin. Use a hot pack on your ear also. Years ago Mom would put salt in a handkerchief tie it up then heat it up to put on my ear.

Finally had time to read through the thread and found your update, I’m glad you found an answer to what was causing the pain. It’s bad enough to be uncomfortable but to not know what the cause is, can be scary. :c)

There are also DO's who received their training in other parts of the world but came to this country after the cutoff age to be admitted to a Resident program which used to be required to become an MD. The age for Residency programs at one time was depending on the program between 30 and 35. If they wanted to continue their medical practice in the US they had to do a minimum of one year as a Resident somewhere in the US. I do not know if this is still necessary.

Glad you found out what the cause of the pain was.

I have had shingles twice. The 2nd time, it started right in front of my ear on my face. It started with a small circle - doctor in ER thought it was a tick bite (I had been on Martha's Vineyard which is tick heaven!), and prescribed an antibiotic for lyme disease. It was worse the next day so I called and asked if this was normal. NO, it was not - come back in. This time he could see that it was the beginning of shingles and got me on an anti-viral. That not being available when I had shingles the first time in 1957, the difference was incredible! Yes, I now have had BOTH kinds of shingles vaccinations. I don't need a "hat trick" with shingles.

bengardening, are you feeling any better today?

Glad you found the reason, hope you are recovering. Yes the smoke in the ear is an old-time folk remedy and my Mother used it on me only to help ease the pain, not for a cure. We were very poor and most of the time didn't have the money or the transportation to see a Dr. so this was the only option. Usually when we had some kind of ailment her best go-to remedy was "just go lay down and you'll feel better." There are good and bad DO's just like any other field. My MIL had a cabinet full of medications and supplements because she went to one and none of it helped her. But DH years ago often had spurs on his heels and a DO was the only one who knew how to give him the cortisone shots to dissolve them without sending him to the moon.

Elmer - please stop making comments about stuff you that you are completely unqualified to comment on.

I just got back from the doctor. By Saturday I had figured out it was Bell's Palsy. My DF had it twice and my brother had it and my son had it. The doctor prescribed me 5 days of steroids and a herpes medicine. My eye and my mouth are slouched and my mouth is paralyzed on that side. TY Rita for backing me up about the smoke. We don't ever remember going to the doctor for ear problems.

raye, my comments were about information on the topic, not opinions. If you and anyone else have different information, feel free to add it and cite your sources as I did.

Elmer - I've read many of your post relating to medical questions. Your view and opinion of the medical profession is quite bizarre. Such as telling a mother she should NOT get second opinions where considering surgery for a child. You've told others to NEVER question or research what a physician recommends or prescribes. Those are two examples of horrible advice that could lead to terrible outcomes.

This would lead any reasonable person to not follow your advice so why bother?

And yes, I've heard of the cigarette earache cure.

Offhand, I can't imagine disagreeing with the idea of getting a second opinion, to be prudent. Can you find that for me?

Your other characterizations are inaccurate. My comments are often directed at people who mistakenly put faith in bogus approaches and bogus practitioners.

Like this smoke/ear BS, completely nonsense. There is no such thing. In fact, put this in context - what kind of thoughtful person smokes anyway? And do to so around children? You've heard of it? Great!

The warm smoke does give some pain relief and it's temporary and is not a cure for anything. This in no way condones it - just that there have been many people who had no choice but to go to old-time methods because they had no other options due to poverty, ignorance or whatever.

Heat does help with ear pain - hard to argue with that. But smoke produces very little heat so any positive effect it might provide is minimal. Heated towels or a hot brick wrapped in a towel would provide far more and longer lasting pain relief and are a no-cost remedy.

I had severe ear problems as a child with many excruciatingly painfull earaches and the only relief was from a heating pad until the infection was cleared up. But had we not had a heating pad, hot towels would have been used!

Blowing smoke in anyone's ear to ease or remove pain is simply that............blowing smoke!!

Exactly gardengal. Through the conversation I was reminded more than once the expression when someone tries to blow smoke up someone else's - - -. This a perfect example of that.

No, of course I don't (and never have) smoked, - what a ridiculous question...

There's not blowing smoke in what they're speaking of. The procedure is to light the cigarette and place the filter of the lit cigarette in the ear canal, supposedly to change the pressure on the ear drum. I've heard of it but don't recommend it. In the first place, where would you get a cigarette today?

As for your poor advice, just last week you chided a mother about referrals: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5595127/consult-for-rhinoplasty-today

Actually, my Mom used a smoking pipe when she did it. She lit a small fire in it with tobacco, then she placed a handkerchief over the bowl, placed it over the ear, and blew lightly. And yes she also smoked cigarettes, so did Dad, so did practically everyone else we knew in the world, and so did I for 45 years. Not the smartest habit in the world but that was the way it was back then for many people.

This is not the first time you've misread something I wrote and as a result misunderstood.

I suggested there was no reason to tell a surgeon that she would be getting other consults/other opinions. To quote myself:

"Better to be more discrete. They don't need to know that or if you're also speaking to others"

My comments in that thread, including the one you misunderstood, got many more "likes" than yours. Same is true in this thread.

Here's another example of Elmer's poor advice: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5302384/fluff-post-flip-or-unscrew-caps-on-toothpaste#n=52

You should bump that thread higher for others to see it again. There as here, your comments were simply to be argumentative but overall were nonsense. If you want to live in ignorance and make up your own "facts" as you go, have at it. I'll speak up when I see that from you or anyone else.

Why not give it a rest?