"AlleyGator" > wrote in message
...
> My daughter is in her mid-teens, and has tears in her eyes because she
> has an earache, which I don't even remember her ever having as alittle
> kid. She's almost never sick, so she doesn't handle this stuff well.
> Since the doctors are all closed, a friend who is a nurse-practitioner
> gave us a 3-day regimen of some antibiotic and the wife went to
> Walgreens to get something they call "sweet oil" which I figure is
> just glycerine. That, plus a dose of ibuprofen, I figure is the best
> you can do. And the ole' heating pad on the head, of course.
> Honestly, I don't ever remember having this myself. For some reason,
> I think they used to blow smoke in your ear. How this could help, I
> have no idea.

cigarette possibility below -

ear aches are most often caused by blockages of the inner tube (Eustachian)
from the ear to the throat, or of the ear canal which comes form outside and
stops at the eardrum, or because of infection.

classic treatments are
drink lots of water/Gatorade (this is from the pediatric med group -
apparently water works very rapidly and quite well in children),
gargle with salt water,
take anti-inflammatory and anti-histamines to reduce swelling ,
heat pack the affected ear, especially the bone behind the ear,
lay bad-ear up,
and if the docs says, take anti-biotics and follow his advice on
anti-histamines if taking anti-biotics.

1) IF -IF -it is a plugged Eustachian tube (from thick mucous in the tube,
swelling of the lining, swelling in the throat at the tube exit, or mucous
trapped by swelling, etc. in the internal tube that equalizes pressure) the
idea is to get blood flowing and secretions up, so that the "plug" attached
to the surface of the tube will loosen and more fluid is secreted, and the
edges will be absorbed so pressure can be equalized- thus the warm cloth and
the lying so the bad ear is up.
And thus the use of anti-inflammatories and anti-histamines to reduce
swelling.

2) An oddity if it is an infection, however, is that the anti-biotics
necessary to protect the ear from that infection will often cause slightly
more swelling at the site of the infection in the first 24 hours (sometimes
it's a byproduct of their work).

3) If the ear canal is blocked externally by wax and/or things mixed in the
wax like soap, and the pressure from air trapped there cannot neutralize -
the sweet oil softens the wax ball so it can pass air and later be washed
out.

As to the use of cigarette smoke -
If someone forced heated water vapor containing tar laced with nicotine
onto your ear, chances are the blood might start flowing in the attacked
area.

Blood flow usually equals relief.

And I have heard that blowing in the ear can reduce blood pressure - making
tissues more pliable and thus less resistant to fluid pressure differentials
that are causing the pain.
No bets, however.

fwiw - hope it helps