Natural cures for blocked ears: My ears are pluged from a cold. Is there anyway to unplug them? I would like to hear again.
You have correctly identified the reason for your blocked ears which is because of the cold that you have contracted. The reason that this happens is because the entire region of the ears, nose, and throat are connected. The connection between the ear, in the middle ear region, and the nose and throat is because of a tube called the Eustachian tube. The purpose of this tube is to ensure that the pressure in the middle ear is balanced with the outside atmospheric pressure; otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to hear correctly.
When you catch a cold, the first thing that happens because of the infection is an inflammation which further causes mucus to be produced. Mucus production during an infection is caused by a substance called histamine that is created by the mast cells near the infected area. This histamine is what triggers the inflammatory reaction where the tissues in the surrounding area swell up with fluid and mucus production is increased to protect the tissue from any further damage. During a cold the mucus that is secreted in the nasal cavity blocks the Eustachian tube, due to this there is no way that this tube can function to correct the pressure. Over a period of time as the mucus gets populated with the pathogen that caused the infection it becomes a thicker consistency. Drying out causes the consistency of the mucous to become thicker and resemble a blob. This can be seen whenever you blow your nose, in the form of yellow mucus that is ejected out.
The only remedy at this point is to allow the antibodies in the body to finish their work of destroying the pathogen that initiated the inflammation in the first place. When you take drugs like antibiotics, it helps the body fight off the infection. Which is why after a course of antibiotics, one of the first signs that your infection is waning off, is a return of the color of your mucus to a transparent fluid. To help this process along, you need to use a technique of forcing air into your ears. Hold your nose and close your mouth and blow hard. You will notice that there is some resistance caused by the mucus blockage. If you are successful, blow further and then blow back to pull out any mucus stuck in the tubes. Also use a good decongestant to reduce the amount of mucus secreted.
