I used to get a lot of ear infections when I was a little girl. The doctors would then give me these very large antibiotic pills which I told them I could not successfully swallow because they made me choke and gag. They of course told me to swallow them anyway because I HAD to do it. So of course I sneakily flushed them all down the toilet and never took them. Then I would return to the doctor and they would look in my ear and say it was all better because I had been a good girl and taken all my medicine. Heh! This was my first indication at a very young age that doctors were not all knowing.

Now 30 years later, recent research has finally come out that there is no statistical difference in rate of recovery between those that get medication for ear infection and those that do not. Research has even shown that having drains put in the ears do not speed recovery (at least not statistically). Heh!

Of course, like any child I ate SAD then. My mother was convinced that toast without butter was good for me and forced me to eat it every morning even though I hated it. Often, I would nibble on it slowly as I left for school so that I could later fling it into the bushes when no one was looking. Better no breakfast than dry cardboard flavored toast! All that time, I thought I was a bad girl but now I just have to laugh and be glad I tried to follow my instincts.

Of course, none of this answers the actual question. But about two years ago, I did get a nasty ear infection in both ears that, unlike in childhood, just would not clear up for months. I worried my hearing would become permanently damaged. It didn't hurt much but it got to the point where one ear was barely processing sound at all and I could no longer determine which direction sounds were coming from. This went on for about a year and only finally started to clear up when I got a new job that involved a ton of walking and also I started eating more lowcarb (didn't know about paleo at that time). I don't know if it was the walking or the food but I am sure both contributed to overall health. The infections started to improve during the first month of the job and after about 4 months, I seem to finally have all my hearing back. Whew!

Earaches can be caused by ear wax build-up as well as infections. If it is wax, the ear must be cleaned out.

If it is caused by a bacterial infection apply a coating of vaseline in the outer ear, place a large peeled garlic clove and secure it with a bandaid. The garlic will usually eliminate the problem in a reasonably short time. Weird but true.

I had a reference from the 1950s where a doctor wrote a short letter to a medical journal advocating that ear infection prone kids to avoid dairy, grains and excess sugar. Basically, a paleo diet.
I've found that the frequency and severity of ear infections for me since going paleo is much less. I've have had a lot of ear infections. I still get some, but I also swim everyday which is a contributing factor.

Dairy can be a big contributor to ear infections. My daughter is paleo (mostly), save for the occasional treat and has dairy sometimes, too. That said, she currently has an ear infection, too. I am treating her with homeopathics and garlic mullein oil. She seems to be better today. I think Paleo definitely makes you healthier in all aspects, but we will still get sick. However, I do think that we recover MUCH quicker. Have you tried RAW dairy? When my daughter has that, she seems to do better overall.