Otitis Media

What is Otitis Media?

Otitis media occurs when the area behind your eardrum gets inflamed.  This inflammation is due to an infection caused by bacteria or viruses.  Otitis media is also called a middle ear infection.  Most people who get otitis media are children, who tend to get it in winter.  In this article we’ll discuss the types, symptoms, and causes of otitis media, and how Chinese Medicine can help.

Types of Otitis Media:

The two types of otitis media are acute otitis media (AOM) and otitis media with effusion (OME).  AOM infections come on quickly and cause redness and swelling around your eardrum.  If you have AOM, mucus or fluids may get trapped in your middle ear, making it difficult to hear.  You may also experience ear pain or a fever.

OME occurs when fluid or mucus continues to build up in your middle ear after an infection.  If you have OME you may feel like your ears are full. You may also have trouble hearing.

Otitis Media Symptoms:

People with otitis media may experience symptoms like:

otitis media
  • Ear pain
  • Difficulty hearing
  • Fever
  • Loss of balance
  • Pulling or tugging the ears
  • Congestion
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Irritability
  • Nausea
  • Loss of appetite
  • Yellow, clear, or bloody discharge from the ears

What Causes Otitis Media?

Otitis media often occurs when a respiratory infection spreads to your ears.  Fluid can sometimes block the tube that connects your throat to your middle ear (eustachian tube).  This can cause a build-up of fluid behind your eardrum.  When bacteria grow in this fluid, it can cause infection and pain.

otitis media

How Can Chinese Medicine Help?

Chinese Medicine has been used for thousands of years, to treat many diseases including ear problems.  In Chinese Medicine, all the organs in your body are interconnected. Every organ has an important part to play.  That means if one organ is too weak, it can affect other parts of your body.  To heal conditions like otitis media, all your organs need to be functioning healthily.

otitis media

Acupuncture is a technique used in Chinese Medicine.  In this technique, your Chinese Medicine practitioner applies very thin needles to specific points on your body.  This allows them to access the complex network of energy meridians in your body. In this way, your acupuncturist can strengthen any weaker organs.

Another way acupuncture can help is by adjusting the flow of energy (Qi) through your body.  This can help to address stagnations, which may be causing symptoms.  In otitis media, fluid builds up behind your eardrum and stagnates.  But acupuncture can treat this stagnation by encouraging fluid to flow away from your ears.

Conclusion:

Otitis media is an infection of your middle ear.  It is a very common infection in children and can cause pain and difficulty hearing.  The two types of otitis media are AOM and OME.  Chinese Medicine is a great way to treat otitis media, as it can help to heal your body in a natural, holistic way.

For more information about how Chinese Medicine can help you treat ear problems like otitis media, click here.

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Centre of Balance: Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine. (n.d.). Archive for category: Ear Clinic.  https://balancetcm.co.nz/category/ear-clinic/

Johnson, S. (2018, September 17). Middle Ear Infection (Otitis Media). Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/otitis

Phua, S. (n.d.). What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine? Centre of Balance: Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine. https://balancetcm.co.nz/traditional-chinese-medicine-hamilton/

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Monica

I am originally from Hebei province in China. I hold a NZ bachelor’s degree of health and science with a major in acupuncture. I am honoured to be an acupuncturist at Centre of Balance. Helping patients to alleviate their pain brings me the greatest joy. Chinese medicine emphasises the unity of human beings and nature. During the treatment, I hope to not only relieve your pain but also help you to understand the principles behind acupuncture’s effectiveness, as well as the significant impact of diet, emotions, lifestyle habits, and living environments on disease recovery. Self-healing is an ability that our bodies are naturally endowed with.

I studied acupuncture in New Zealand and completed one and a half years of supervised clinical internship before graduating. In the early stage of my training, I mainly worked with patients experiencing neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. Under the guidance of senior clinical tutors, I gradually developed hands-on experience and confidence in treating musculoskeletal pain conditions.
As my clinical exposure expanded, I began treating a wider range of internal conditions. Alongside traditional acupuncture, I was introduced to Umbilical Acupuncture and Tungs-acupuncture Points. What interested me most about these approaches is that they often do not require needling directly at the painful area, yet can still achieve very effective results.
I was especially inspired by observing my supervisor use Umbilical Acupuncture to treat common conditions such as insomnia, menstrual irregularities, and even rheumatoid arthritis, with very positive outcomes. Another supervisor was highly skilled in Tungs-acupuncture Points and achieved excellent results in treating pain, infertility, menstrual disorders, and a variety of women’s health conditions. After completing my studies and entering clinical practice, once I observed Dr. Szenan Phua using Tungs-acupuncture points to help cancer patients relieve pain, which further strengthened my trust in this treatment method.
I later completed training in Dr. Tan Balance Acupuncture, which had a strong influence on the way I approach treatment. One of the most noticeable features of this method is how quickly patients often feel improvement, especially with pain conditions. Dr. Szenan Phua’s New Balance Acupuncture combines meridian regulation with structural adjustment and internal organ balancing, including techniques such as pulse balancing and spinal adjustment.
From my clinical experience, pain is rarely just a local issue. It often involves underlying organ weakness or structural imbalance. When these aspects are addressed together, treatment can be more thorough and longer-lasting. I also apply this approach to internal conditions, particularly in fertility and women’s health. This includes supporting natural conception, IVF preparation and embryo transfer, pregnancy support, early-pregnancy nausea, and late-pregnancy labour induction. I combine these treatments with concepts learned from a few additional fertility training, which has given me a broader and more flexible clinical perspective. This has reinforced my belief that acupuncture should be adapted to each individual rather than applied through fixed formulas.
Two other areas of study that have been very helpful in my clinical work are Tongue Diagnosis and Dr. Zhu’s Scalp Acupuncture. Although tongue diagnosis is taught in my standard Chinese medicine training, further study allowed me to deepen and refine my diagnostic skills.
My first formal training was in Li’s Tongue Diagnosis, which looks not only at organ patterns, but also at how different areas of the tongue reflect the body’s structure. This system also explores personality traits and changes during pregnancy, making it both clinically useful and engaging. I later attended online lectures on Yin’s Tongue Diagnosis and studied the related materials independently. this learning has helped me make clearer and more accurate pattern differentiation, allowing my acupuncture treatments to be more targeted. It covers a wide range of conditions, including skin disorders, oncology-related presentations, mental health patterns, and joint or limb problems. In practice, tongue observation often provides valuable insight even before a patient begins describing their symptoms.
In addition to the methods above, I regularly use local bloodletting techniques, which can be very effective for improving circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. I also incorporate auricular (ear) acupressure and stimulation, which I commonly use for allergies, insomnia, headaches, stress management, and various internal conditions.
In my clinical work, I value taking the time to listen carefully to each patient and to understand their overall health, lifestyle, and concerns. Based on each individual’s condition, I also provide personalised dietary guidance and lifestyle or wellness advice to support overall health and long-term wellbeing. I commonly support patients with musculoskeletal pain, such as neck, shoulder, knee, and back pain, as well as stress-related conditions, sleep issues, migraines, digestive concerns, and women’s health and fertility-related conditions.