Prevent ear infections with chewing gum

Posted on Aug 28th 2007 2:03PM by Jonathon Morgan

Filed Under: Healthy Kids, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

There are few things I've experienced that are as mind-numbingly painful as an ear infection. The combination of throbbing and dizziness is a one-way ticket to a day in bed, with you wishing like crazy that the world would stop making so much noise.

Fortunately, they're not very common in adults, but just to be extra careful, you can take steps to prevent these dreaded infections. The first (and most obvious) is to regularly flush out your ear, but another, less-conventional way is to chew gum. Not only does chewing gum reduce pressure in the ear, but it also contains a substitute sweetener called xylitol, that inhibits the growth of certain bacteria.

I'm actually not a big fan of chewing gum, but I'll do anything to avoid another ear infection!

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Tags: chewing gum, ChewingGum, ear infections, EarInfections, Xylitol

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

aanidaani 8-28-2007 @ 2:34PM

As an added benefit, xylitol also helps prevent cavities in your mouth. Start chewing Trident!

deb 8-30-2007 @ 9:02PM

Worked for me! My ENT put me on sugarless gum over a year ago for recurrent ear infections due to TMJ. I haven't had a cavity or earache since!

Patti 8-30-2007 @ 9:16PM

I hope that we don't find out that, "xylitol" causes cancer!!!

JessTine 8-30-2007 @ 10:40PM

Whoooa. That is so interesting. Who knew? The dentistd must be giving us false info thn. dont listen to them!

Leah 8-30-2007 @ 11:05PM

That would work for most people, except for me. I am extremely allergic to any sweetener other than pure sugar. Oh yeah, you keep chewing the gum that will kill you. Aspartame and saccharin are NEUROTOXINS CREATED TO KILL OFF ENEMY SOLDIERS IN WWII. bubbalicious, hubbabubba, and doublebubble are the ONLY safe gums, because they are NOT sugar free. Trust me, a 16 yr old who suffers from debilitating migraines and irritating muscle twitching due to aspartame poisoning. Also, read your food labels for artificial sweeteners and DO NOT DRINK DIET SODA. It is a diet ruiner. artificial sweeteners cause you to crave carbs, therefore not helping you lose weight. even splenda brand sweeteners are wreaking havoc on your brain!

Karen 8-30-2007 @ 11:38PM

For Leah,
Xylitol is not a sugar substitute. It is a sugar alcohol. It is an alternative sweetener that is usually found at the health food store. It has been shown to help prevent bacterial growth, as well as cavities. It is commonly used in toothpaste as a sweetner. I believe it is also the sweetner in Trident chewing gum.

Del Trembly 8-31-2007 @ 12:50AM

When I fly, whether long distances or
short, as the plane starts to desend, I
get unbelievable ear aches and I am
using ear plugs too, chewing gum,
rubbing my ears, yanning and every
thing I can think of but I always have
these bad ear aches and even if the
flight is only 1 1/2 hours in duration
or 13 or 14 hours it is always the same
and it takes my a long time to get my
ears back to normal eventhough I seek
a doctor. Does anybody else have this
problem and if so what do you do to
ease the dreadful pain?

Ear Pain

Rebecca 8-31-2007 @ 2:50AM

Dear Ear Pain,

I used to have this problem. The pain was excruciating. I would be in tears and holding my hands tightly over my ears for fear that my eardrums were going to burst. It seems that my ears don't equalize the pressure as efficiently as others. I find that the best solution for me is to hold my nose and puff out my cheeks while "blowing" out through my ears until they pop. You cannot wait until the plane is landing to do this. You have to do it prior to take off when they first start to pressurize the plane and periodically throughout the flight in order to keep the pressure from building up. I wish that I had found this out years sooner. I would have saved myself a lot of pain. I hope it helps you. Take it from someone with an acute problem. My ears even hurt a bit when someone slams the car door.

Becca :)

Rebecca 8-31-2007 @ 2:54AM

Oh, one more thing. Try taking sinus medication, too. I've been told that this is due to a sinus problem. Even with the medication, though, there is no substitute for manually popping your ears throughout the flight. Good luck!

Barb 8-31-2007 @ 3:21AM

Dear Ear Pain You described exactly the same pain I experience when flying and I try everything to clear my ears with no success and yes it takes quite some time to clear again. I believe that my ear tubes possibly are smaller and that a slight infection or pressure of any kind immediately closes them up. I have been trying the ear candleing or wicking but haven't flown since I've had this done, although I have found that just going up and down the mountain it does seem to make a difference. Becca's advice is good and I have tried it but most of the time it doesn't work for me, but will surely try it again when I'm flying as it is a very uncomfortable situation. One time the pain was so bad I really thought my ears were going to burst. Typically I don't do comments but when I read yours I thought I'd let tell you I know what you're dealing with and it isn't easy especially when you're traveling. Thanks.

Barb 8-31-2007 @ 3:26AM

I forgot to mention the sinus meds and yes often times that's where the problem starts. And I try to remember to take them a day or two ahead of time. Good point as that does help.

Greta 8-31-2007 @ 4:54AM

The best thing I've found, in addition to sinus meds a day or 2 before traveling is earplanes. They're available at drugstores like Walgreens. Just put them in your ears before take off and landing or you can keep them in the duration of the flight. They equalize the pressure in your head and make a huge difference for me. Earplanes come in baby and adult sizes. Hope this is helpful for you.

David 8-31-2007 @ 5:18AM

I too am allergic to sweeteners with exeption to splenda. Trident is sweetened with Aspartame, therefore I can't chew it. I have found one that dosn't have the sweeteners but does have Xylitol.
E-mail me for more info(davidprtchrdxs@aol.com)

Sleepfreak 8-31-2007 @ 12:05PM

Leah... one of the only reasons diet soft drinks can ruin someones diet is that they believe that because they are cutting sugar, carbs, and calories in one place they can make up for it in others.

And about all these artificial things that are like going to cause cancer... at this point prettyt much anythign in moderation is the way to go... this comes from my mother who was a oncology nurse for many many years.

Also, different people react differently to various substances. So the person you described had a reaction...thats not everyone. It would be the same if this was an anadote to the hiccups, and the solution was to eat a tablespoon of peanut butter. For some it would work, and for others like me, I would get a really really bad migraine, and for others I know, it could literally kill them.