Barbara O’Neill’s Cooked Onion Hack
24 April 2024 - 16:14
Onions for earache? Who would’ve thought…
Barbara O’Neill On The Wellness Way Podcast
To mark the 100th anniversary of The Wellness Way podcast with host Philly J Lay, we were thrilled to welcome the renowned natural health teacher Barbara O’Neill and her husband Michael. A controversial figure in the world of self-healing, Barbara has travelled the globe to spread her message and has a legion of supporters who value her work.
In this captivating episode, Barbara discusses her journey to becoming a world-renowned natural health teacher. Interestingly enough, it was the advice of an old woman living next door when Barbara was just 25 that ended up becoming one of her first natural health remedies.
The Onion for Earache Hack is just one of the many natural health remedies Barbara O’Neill has been raising awareness of during her immensely successful career, but what exactly is it and why is it important?
Keep reading to find out!
Feeling Helpless
In a world of pharmaceuticals, (that many people feel are detrimental to both the health of human beings and that of the planet), The Wellness Way strives to demonstrate the true power of the body, and by extension nature, to heal itself.
And whilst Barbara’s knowledge is seen as ‘controversial’ by the mainstream, this onion hack goes back as early as the 19th century, perhaps even earlier!
Barbara’s own children suffered from terrible earache as babies, and she initially went to the doctors for it as a young mother in her early 20s.
Her first child: Emma, had 6 weeks and 4 courses of antibiotics, and the earache ‘just kept coming back’, Barbara says in this exclusive interview on the Wellness Way podcast with host Philly J Lay.
This became the catalyst for Barbara’s changing direction. She didn’t know what to do or how to stop her child’s pain. She also didn’t want to put her child in danger, but it seemed the only option was pharmaceutical drugs.
It was a mother’s ‘gut instinct’ that told her that the antibiotics were not going to help her child, which was very challenging for her. And this isn’t surprising. So many parents are told that the only option is trusting big pharma with their children’s health. She remembers asking the doctor at the time whether Emma would be on these pharmaceutical drugs ‘for the rest of her life’, as he wrote her fifth prescription.
They eventually found out after having Emma checked by a more specialised medical team that she was teething.
But over this period, Barbara began experimenting with natural remedies. And 2 years later when her second child started to have the same ear problems, she didn’t go to the doctor or even her family, who she was sure would pressure her to go the pharmaceutical route.
A More Natural Route
She instead went to an old woman who lived next door, asking what her mother did when she had an earache.
It was then that her first natural remedy was discovered, which acted as a domino effect to discovering how the body is designed to heal itself.
The little old lady told her about the cooked onion, and so Barbara, using her faculties of common sense, did the following:
- Steamed the onion leaving the skin on
- Cut it in half, keeping the ends intact
- Applied the open part of the onion to the ear, keeping it covered with a few layers of cloth
- Made sure to keep the onion warm by laying her child on it with a folded up towel
It Worked!
According to Barbara, her son slept for 2 hours and when he awoke, he was happy and not showing any signs of any discomfort. And it was then that this natural hack: cooked onion poultice for ears, went into her first natural remedy book.
After that, according to Barbara, the earache was never seen and heard from again, and her son is now 45.
Mothers ‘Swear By’ the Onion Hack
But Barbara O’Neill isn’t the only one who has sworn by this natural remedy as the antidote to ear infections. Mums apparently ‘swear by it’ for treating their children’s earache, according to this article by Business Insider:
“Before I put the juice into her ear she was simply unable to be soothed,” one blogger said of her sick toddler. But after administering the onion juice, “within minutes her body calmed (she had been contracting her legs and fidgeting a lot because of the ear pain) and she was able to rest peacefully once again.”
While mainstream science says that this natural remedy has limited evidence to demonstrate it works, people who use onion juice to treat ear infections continue to say that it works wonders.
How Does it Work?
There is some science behind why the onion hack may reduce swelling and pain, and it has something to do with the chemicals in the onions, the article says:
“The flavonoid quercetin, which is highly concentrated in onions as well as other fruits and vegetables, could be involved. Lab studies have shown that quercetin has certain anti-inflammatory properties.
Still, if there is indeed an anti-inflammatory effect from an onion, that could theoretically help with swelling and pressure in the ear and relieve the pain.”
So onions are not just flavorful additions to culinary dishes; they also boast impressive anti-inflammatory properties. Quercetin helps reduce inflammation, more specifically by inhibiting the production and release of inflammatory mediators in the body.
Additionally, sulfur compounds in onions have been linked to reduced inflammation and improved immune function. Incorporating onions into your diet (and onto your ears!) may help mitigate inflammation-related conditions and promote overall health and well-being.
Of course, this article is not medical advice, and you should always consult your doctor for conditions that concern you. But next time there’s an issue with your ears, perhaps onions just might be the answer!
Barbara O’Neill is Coming to London!
Barbara O’Neill is coming to London, courtesy of The Wellness Way podcast. This exciting event with one of the world’s most adored natural health teachers is not one to miss!
Early Bird tickets are almost SOLD OUT.
Do not miss your chance to attend the event of the year and get your tickets here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thewellnessway/1215549