What is Ear pain

EAR PAIN Meaning

Earache is associated with a piercing, dull, or burning pain in one or both ears. It may be constant or last a short time. It can be caused due to:¹

• Infection of the middle ear (Otitis media)
• Swimmer's ear (infection of outermost ear)
• Malignant otitis externa (cancerous external ear infection)

Karna Roga or ear disorders, as they are generally known in Ayurveda, can be caused by one of four imbalances:

• Vata: Imbalances of vata leads to thin discharge, dried ear wax, severe pain, tinnitus, and deafness.
• Pitta: Imbalances of pitta causes yellow discharge, swelling, redness, tearing, and burning.
• Kapha: Imbalances of kapha leads to white and slimy discharge, abnormal hearing, itching, swelling, and mild pain.
• Sannipatataja: This phenomenon is when there is a simultaneous imbalance between vata, pitta, and kapha; the discharge is colored according to the predominant dosha.²

Ear infections are generally due to imbalances in the kapha. A child with a kapha body type is susceptible to getting ear infections in the springtime, or other times when kapha’s congestive qualities are increasing in the environment or when the child is in the kapha time of life (around eight years old). The risk of ear infections also increases if the child is eating a kapha-aggravating diet (lots of sweets, wheat, dairy).²