Children with persistent ear infections and fluid in the ear often have draining tubes placed in their ears, based on concerns that the ear problems may lead to long-term hearing, speech, behavioral and intellectual impairments. But it appears that children who get the tubes immediately don't have an advantage compared with those who wait up to nine months to have the surgery.
Compared to children with chronic fluid in their ears who received ear tubes without delay, children who did not have tubes inserted immediately scored just as well at age three on tests of speech, hearing, language, mental abilities, parent-child stress and behavior, researchers report.
The New England Journal of Medicine 2001;344:1179-1195,1241-1242
Interesting study and one of the leading authors is Dr. Paradise from the University of Pittsburg. He has long been associated as a staunch proponent of antibiotic based therapy for chronic ear infections. Of course, this study was funded in part by SmithKline Beecham Laboratories and Pfizer, who both make antibiotics for ear infections, so the bias will be towards medical, rather than surgical treatment.
The results of the study do not mean that some children will not benefit from ear, or tympanostomy, tubes, as the study provides developmental information on the children only to the age of three years. Some speech and language problems and milder developmental disorders will be virtually imperceptible at this age and may become clearly evident a few years later.
These procedures are not without risk, both known and unknown. In the short term, they all involve a risk of well-described complications, including even the very small risk of death from anesthesia.
Let me quote from the accompanying NEJM editorial on this study.
"The tubes often lead to long-term anatomical changes in the tympanic membrane, especially tympanosclerosis, retraction, and changes in mobility. What happens, for example, to hearing and the mobility of the tympanic membrane in middle-aged persons who had tubes inserted in childhood?"
So you better believe that there are complications from poking a hole in your child's ear drum and don't let any doctor tell you otherwise.
However, are there better options? You better believe it.
It is my clinical opinion that there is absolutely no need for this surgery in any way shape or form if one has a deeper understanding of human health. Nearly every case of recurring ear infections can be resolved with optimized interventions.
The first intervention, would of course be the food choices.
Milk is the number one offending agent, and that would also include cheeses and other dairy products. Then, next on the hit parade would be all wheat (cereal, bread, pasta) and gluten (barley, rye, oats, spelt) products, as well as stopping all fruit juices and sugars. It is my experience that removal of these foods will eliminate well over 90% of chronic ear infections within days. It is truly amazing and I have seen it work in hundreds and hundreds of children.
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