Re: Brachy and ear infections?

[Guest guest]

I thought I had read that it was one of the things that had been confirmed. Our LO had 3 double ear infections since Oct. He had tubes put in in early March. The ENT dr. didn't seem to think they are related. Our son has plagio. The orthotist on the other hand does think there is a connection. Diane13 month old son, torticollis, STARband 4.5 months still wearing it at nightSent from my iPhoneOn Apr 1, 2010, at 6:10 PM, natalie <nat.jo.c@...> wrote:

Is there any truth to the statement "brachy babies are more prone to get reoccuring ear infections?"

My daughter had a very flat head before her band (104%) and we are dealing with some pretty infected ears. I read in a magazine that flat headed babies are more prone to ear infections. Our pediatrician says this isn't so?

So is there really any correlation between the two?

[Guest guest]

I don't know what the official answer is. My daughter did have some ear infections early on, but hasn't had any since graduating from her band. However, the number of ear infections was not enough for the doctor to suggest tubes. My son (who has a near perfect, if not perfect, head) did get tubes for ear infections. (My two children are not biologically related since I adopted my son).

Now that I think about it, she had her first ear infection at 3.5 months and I noticed her flat head at 2.5 months. Her 2nd ear infection was a month later. She had another couple the summer that she turned a year old. Then, she had one infection while wearing her band. That was the 5th one and the doctor was starting to get worried, but I believe that it has been over a year since she has had any.

There are several plausable explanations, if it is true. First, it could be that the positioning of the ears in brachy is reflective of a difference in how the parts of the ear are shaped because they have been pushed on. If shaped a certain way, then fluid from colds won't drain correctly and ear infections will occur. In addition, if there is a certain kind of spinal misalignment, the same can happen with the fluid. It turns out that my daughter did have spinal misalignment in this area and so did my son (althought this was the only area for him). Since spinal misalignments can contribute to brachy, it seems possible that the brachy and the ear infections are just symptoms of the real cause in some cases. My son gets adjusted now as well, but since his problems were relatively mild and common for children, he gets once a week treatments for 10 dollars a month when he comes with the rest of us.

Since her graduation, 's head is less flat and her ears have really flattened out so their shape seems different. In addition, we started chiro treatments 3.5 months after graduation and fixed the spinal issues. The chiro also helped with the position of the ears just a little bit.

So, this is a big question. Does brachy cause ear infections? If so, at what percentage does this happen or is it related to how flat the base of the head is and the sides stick out? Again, if this is true, then this should be a medically necessary reason for insurance companies to pay for bands. It would also be a guide to helping practictioners to figure out what severity levels mean for brachy rather than relying on outdated norms (as related to a previous thread).

By the way, at it's worst, my daughter's head was a 95 percent. She graduated at 92.2 percent, but has had hand measurements since then that are better than that, although these measurements have given me inconsistent numbers, the worst number that I have gotten is 91.3 percent. I just mention this to give you an idea that her current level of brachy appears not to be enough to cause continued ear infections.

Regardless, there is quite a bit of literature regarding using chiro to cure and prevent ear infections. We initially learned about it from a friend who is a nurse. She used chiro to avoid tubes in her son. We wish that we had known about it beforehand because we would have tried it as well.

, mom to , 2.5 years

STARband grad May 2009

Chiro and CST

land

Brachy and ear infections?

Is there any truth to the statement "brachy babies are more prone to get reoccuring ear infections?"My daughter had a very flat head before her band (104%) and we are dealing with some pretty infected ears. I read in a magazine that flat headed babies are more prone to ear infections. Our pediatrician says this isn't so? So is there really any correlation between the two?

[Guest guest]

It may have been confirmed, but the doctors don't know about it. That really wouldn't surprise me that much since many doctors think that plagio and brachy are purely cosmetic problems.

Re: Brachy and ear infections?

I thought I had read that it was one of the things that had been confirmed. Our LO had 3 double ear infections since Oct. He had tubes put in in early March. The ENT dr. didn't seem to think they are related. Our son has plagio. The orthotist on the other hand does think there is a connection.

Diane

13 month old son, torticollis, STARband 4.5 months still wearing it at night

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 1, 2010, at 6:10 PM, natalie <nat.jo.c@...> wrote:

Is there any truth to the statement "brachy babies are more prone to get reoccuring ear infections?"My daughter had a very flat head before her band (104%) and we are dealing with some pretty infected ears. I read in a magazine that flat headed babies are more prone to ear infections. Our pediatrician says this isn't so? So is there really any correlation between the two?

[Guest guest]

I have 4 kids. My oldest didn't have plagio or brachy and had severe ear infections her whole first year. She ended up with tubes at 1. Since that she has only had 2 ear infections and she is now 13. My 2nd had brachy that I didn't realize that improved much on its own. He was sitting,crawling,and walking at a very age so I am sure that is what helped self correct. He has only had 3 ear infections in 10 years. My 3rd who ended up with a STARband from age 9 to 12 months also had severe infections. She ended up with tubes 2 different times. Thankfully she hasn't had tubes for about 2 years and has been doing great. She was high moderate to severe plagio/brachy before banding. She is now 8. Last my 4th who was very mild brachy that I repoed, didn't have ear infections that we knew of but during routine screening at 1 failed a test that measures the peaks and flatness in her ears. So she also ended up with tubes at 1. So I probably didn't answer your question but wanted to share our experience. If they continue you may go to an ear specialist and have them check the peaks and flats(can't remember what it is called starts with a T). My 3 that ended up with tubes were also experiences hearing loss and have all corrected with the tubes.

Angie

Brachy and ear infections?

Is there any truth to the statement "brachy babies are more prone to get reoccuring ear infections?"My daughter had a very flat head before her band (104%) and we are dealing with some pretty infected ears. I read in a magazine that flat headed babies are more prone to ear infections. Our pediatrician says this isn't so? So is there really any correlation between the two?