Beneficial Bacteria to Prevent Ear Infections?

Dr. Greene’s take on beneficial bacteria for ear infections…

We know that active culture yogurt can prevent gastrointestinal infections. Could something similar work in the ears?

Researchers in Sweden identified a group of 108 ear-infection prone children, and gave half of them a nasal spray containing a live culture of beneficial bacteria. The others received a placebo nasal spray. Each received two 10-day courses. The results were published in the March 2001 British Medical Journal

At the end of 3 months, nearly twice as many of the children in the beneficial bacteria group were healthy and ear infection free!

I love the idea of addressing recurrent ear infections with good bacteria, not antibiotics.

Destroying children’s healthy bacteria with needless antibiotics may be one of the reasons ear infections have increased so dramatically in recent years.