Are Doctors Too Quick to Choose Surgery for Childhood Ear Infections?

Should children really have to undergo anesthesia and surgery to correct ear infections? It’s well-known that any surgery that requires anesthesia carries serious risks. And our children’s young, small bodies are prime targets for surgery or anesthesia gone wrong.

Through the years, the medical community has considered surgery for ear infections a cookie-cutter, production line method for getting our children into the established system. Which can be very lucrative for doctors specializing in these surgeries.

Lucky for parents and children, there are now doctors who are speaking out about the knee-jerk reaction that was the norm for helping children with ear infections for decades.

It’s widely known how anesthesia can become life-threatening for small bodies. Whether it’s a five year old child, or even adult “little people”… one slight mistake with the delivery of the anesthetic can bring their lives to a grinding halt.

And new findings suggest that exposing children under five years old to anesthesia can cause nerve damage which can affect their memory.

So what is a concerned parent to do, when they visit an ear, nose and throat specialist, who wants to put their child under the knife? Parents must do their research. They must do their due diligence, and educate themselves on their options.

That means if a doctor you see is very quick to suggest your child needs ear infection surgery, get a second opinion. And when researching ear, nose and throat doctors for children, be sure to look into many, until you find one that operates from the position that surgery and risky anesthesia is only considered as a last resort.

Of course, a parent does not want to see their child suffering with a painful condition like an ear infection. Especially when their infection recurs again and again. They want to stop the pain for their child immediately. But acting too quickly can lead them down the path to making a decision they may regret later.

It must always be remembered, that even though a doctor has committed their life to helping others, the doctor’s activities are still part of their business. And they may very well have their response to a child’s recurring ear infections automatically be that surgery is necessary.

Yet as part of a new thought philosophy, many parents and some doctors, especially in Europe, have adopted a “wait and see” methodology. With the first course of action for what is then seen as a problem, being the use of antibiotics, not surgery.

A parent may get lucky, that antibiotic treatment can help the infection. But even this treatment choice has it’s issues, since children (and adults) are prescribed antibiotics at such a high level, that it can interfere with the body’s natural ability to fight off colds, flu’s and infections.

The bottom line is this: The parent is the absolute decision maker when it comes to the health and wellness of their children. The more information a parent uncovers, and the more they take the time to talk to many different doctors about their usual course of action, the better the chances that the child will be able to live a healthy childhood, without the need for invasive surgery.