One hot ear

Part Answer!:
I have had this issue since I was a child (I'm now 25). My mother would always think I had a fever, but this only proved to be true 1 out of 50 times. The heat and redness would either occur in one ear (sometimes moving to the other) or both ears. I never went to the doctor because there was never sever pain; just mild discomfort. It was because of my sister that I learned of Angioedemia. She would often experience swelling, heat and discomfort in her hands/feet when she would exercise. She finally went to the Dr. where she found out she had Angioedemia. Basically the same thing would happen to me, but in my face/ears. Angioedemia is a swelling of the blood vessels just under the skin. It allows for more blood to enter the area and creates the heat and the redness. This is not blushing, or caused for the same reasons! Angioedemia will often occur on one side of the body, and not the other. And it may take moments to appear and hours to go away. The causes are very broad. Allergies are the most common. My sister has an allergic reaction to heat. When her body is overheated it reacts by forcing more blood to the surface. Allergies to foods can cause this reaction, and allergies to many household products. Paint, plastics, artificial food coloring, fake fragrances (dryer sheets are a big one) and other such things can have a big effect on the human chemical balance. Dryer sheets are a big one because the chemicals that are used to soften your clothes/ make them smell better are on your skin for hours at a time and can begin to affect your health over time. http://www.naturalnews.com/001061.html Granted, this is only one small area that affects our body systems.

Other things are simple temperature changes, such as cold to hot. When your body is exposed to the cold it will produce more adrenalin, increasing the heart rate and trying to warm the body. For many people, our body overreacts and creates to much adrenalin and so the effect takes double effect once we are in a warm area.

Another factor is stress/being sleepy. Both cause our blood pressure/temp to rise. Stress is a given, but for sleep it is not as known. Have you ever taken a nap and woken up after 20-30-40 minutes and your body is sweating? That is because our body temperatures rise when we start to get sleepy (and for the first 30 mins (average) of sleeping), and then drops when we are actually sleeping. It is a natural process of the body's internal clock. This is why most people are so hot when they are trying to fall asleep, but then get very cold at night. As we become tired, our bodies increase our temps (which has been thought to be our burning off extra energy...), and for some people it will cause our extremities (ears) to become hotter. The heat is a cooling mechanism. By forcing more blood to the surface, our body cools faster. It is very noticible in the ears, because the tissue is so thin. I hate to compare it to the male genitalia, but it is the same concept. When the male testes are cold, they will pull up to the body, and when they are hot they will move away from the body. It is an internal temperature control.

The human body does all sorts of interesting things without us knowing why.

Hope this helps a few people.

Hi.I have a 6 yr old boy who ALSO has this. I didnt think much of it til today we were online playing games, he sat on my lap and i noticed his warm ear on my face. Its always his right ear. Since we were online i thought i would google it and i came across this, and its very interesting to see how many people have this problem. And now im becoming a little concerned. Its happened before but i didnt really think much of it. I always thought it might have something to do with the weather. Its warm indoors but very cold outside. And now that i read someone the other postings it makes sense that it could be due to the child being tired or sleep deprived. I personally think my son doesnt get enough sleep. But it might also be something not to worry about, because now that i think about it, ive got it a few times too, usually when the heat is on. And my face also gets a little flush too.....

WOW! it looks like alot of people have red/hot ears. Can somebody help me! Im 9 year's old and I can't take this any more. Thi happens exactly every night or sometimes in school. my friends laf at me! Please help me! I GONNA GO NUTS!

I have an 11 yr old boy who has had this problem as long as we can remember. He says its mildly painful. Sometimes it's one ear, sometimes both...hot to the touch and red, red, red. He has ADHD and significant hay fever. I have always assumed this is allergy related, though he takes claritin (and before the zyrtec) daily. The claritin helps the runny nose/sneezing/itchy eyes, but doesn't eliminate the ear thing.

I'm fairly convinced this a food sensitivity or allergy of some kind.

Hello. I'm so relieved that others experience this as well. My five year old son gets this and has it right now. He has had this for a few years now, but today he says it itches. I gave him some benadryl and the redness is going away as well as the itchiness. In the past it never itched but it's generally his left ear and warm to the touch.

I'm 46 and my right ear gets red and hot to the touch. It seems to happen in the evenings right after I shower. I thought it was a blood pressure thing but my blood pressure is fine

How many people here suffer from Acid Reflux/GERD? Here's my theory on the whoe RES thing - food allergies! and this being related to how you are digesting food - if you suffer from chronic heartburn and/or have GERD, more times than not you have a low stomach acid, when you have low stomach acid you are not able to break down or digest food properly - when this happens and food sit in your digestive tract, it makes the liver work harder, particles get in your blood stream and viola Food Allerigies/Sensitivities - then it starts working other parts of your body and the RES is just one part of that. I would bet 99 of 100 people on here not only have just the RES but have something else in conjunction going on with your body - RES typically not going to be a lone and standing issue. To expand on the Acid Reflux, pharmasueticalsand doctors are in cahoots to keep you on dangerous antacids - if you really want to cure acid reflux/GERD, invest in some Hydrocloric Acid/Betaine supplements - ask your doctor about this, and he will look at you like your nuts to put Betaine supplents in your body - its because they dont want you better, they want you to keep coming and fill out prescriptions so everyone in the medical community gets fat on the cat.

I love that this forum is hellishly long and I still can't find out why my left ear is scorching and his counterpart is room temp. Aaaaagh! It's so weird and it won't stop!

so i am not abnormal!!! there are many around with Red ear syndrome...scientists need to do a research over it... My right ear is getting constantly hot and red since few days .....i wonder does it have anything to do with the mental states...

1. not the all red ears r trigered by the same thing, so: some of u have food alergies, some of us got bad circualation( i m sure i dnt have food alergy, because mine get hot when i go from cold to warm, or stay in a cold weather, or touch them even...... and i think someone should give this link to a good doctor to look at it....

My son is seven, and he has had this problem for several years (every night- faithfully). No doctor has ever been able to give us a "smart" answer as to why this happens. My sister is going to school for medicine and presented this to her professor, and he looked at her like she was ridiculous. It's really frustrating for my little boy. When he was little, we first noticed it because he would lick his hand and place it to his ear, repeatedly, in attempts to cool it because he didn't want to stop playing and he didn't realize his ear was turning bright red. The consistent things is that it does happen usually at night after he showers. We have tried relating it to a possible food allergy, but nothing came up from that. I think it is some type of circulation problem- possible??? I wish I could find some rhyme or reason to why this happens as it is very bothersome. We just keep several cool compresses in the freezer for him. Glad to see this is fairly common.

Both my ears get hot when the forced-air heater turns on. In fact, they're so sensitive, they turn red hot even before I realize the heater is on. I then I put my hand on the heater, and go, "yup, it's on!"

I do have acid reflux... but I don't see a correlation yet between meal times and hot ears.

Interestingly, I also get "hot eyes", where the area around my eyes feel hot. This happens when I'm looking at the computer screen and it turns dark outside. It also happens when there is an incandescent light too near my face (but everyone else seems just fine with it).

My solution? I turn the heater off and live in a freezing cold room!

This has happened to me for years.. I'm a 17 year old girl- yeah it seems to happen to people of all ages. It's usually just one ear or the other, but I think I've had them simutaneously as well. My theory is that it has to do with circulation. Maybe more blood is getting to that ear at the time, for whatever reason. I don't really see a pattern with it though, it happens completely at random. But yes, I felt like I was the only person with this quirk. Isn't it embarrassing though? I always want to cover up my red ear.. haha.

This has been happening to me almost daily for about 4 months. Usually the left ear gets beet red and hot around 7:00pm and the right one around 10:00pm. Rarely at the same time. I am a 22 year old male, very good physical condition (I eat healthy and exercise regularly).

Here are my experiences with it for anyone that wants it:

Exercising when this happens does not seem to help (either weights or cardio). And only sometimes does exercising set this off. I was also exercising before this started to happen so it probably isn't the cause.

At first I thought this may be allergies as my Mom said that I used to get red ears as a child when I was congested. But taking Nasonex and even Benadryl (sometimes) has done nothing. I was also never congested or had any other signs of allergies.

Then after going home over Christmas, this same thing was still occuring. And as I never had allergies there I think it must be something else.

As far as I can recall there was no change in diet that could have set this off.

After reading this though, I am going to try sleeping more, and also doing more in the evenings to prevent getting bored and tired. During university I would be working ~80 hour weeks, and got tons of sleep. But now I work 9 to 5 and my evenings are totally free, so I can get bored. I've also only been sleeping about 7 hours a night, I'll try upping that to my University levels (9 hours about) and see if it makes a difference.

This just happened to me for the first time today on my left ear only and it lasted for about 2 hours. I have realized that the hot and abnormally red ear is due to lack of sleep for me, and I'm just glad to see that it is normal, and so many other people have it, because I thought something was wrong with me!

My 7 year old son has this in his left ear.
While sleeping he always keeps his neck well back. He gets burning hot/ red ear in the night.

I am so glad there are other people who have this! My mom has had this for years and I have noticed that it has started happening to me. It seems to only happen in the winter. I wish there was a doctor out there that could diagnose this!

Like all of you here, it's great to see that there are others out there. It's always my right ear, and it pretty much happens every day around evening time. I think it's because I'm tired, but I don't know. It doesn't seem like something I should get checked.
I have to admit though, it's incredibly irritating...it feels a bit like mild sunburn.

Both of my boys, 3 and 5 years, experience red hot ear. I notice it when their body temperature is higher from wrestling around, running, after a bath, etc. I'm not at all concerned. I don't believe it is linked with a food allergy. My oldest son runs for his Thomas the Train ice pack. It subsides within 30 min.

Unbelievable how many people have hot left ears!! Mine is red hot right now and I want to know why??

I know what causes it, but probably no one will believe me. "Demons" (rebellious angels that followed Satan), do that to people because they enjoy torturing certain people, because they get some kind of sadistic pleasure out of it. (Mark 9:22). They take their anger out on people.----There is no other physiological explanation for this phenomena, which has greatly increased in the last 10 years or so. (Rev. 12:12). People's minds are a little weaker when tired, anxious, mad, etc., that's why it happens most often at those times. So forget doctors being able to help you and your children with this particular problem. Sorry, but that's the truth. > freehomebiblestudy.com

There are a lot of things that we don't understand about the Human body, Demons are a easy cop out, but this isn't an appropriate forum for religious beliefs.

Nevertheless, I'm 100 percent positive that that's the cause. It's no cop out, it's just the truth. As I said, few will believe it, but that changes nothing. When it comes to people's suffering, any subject is up for discussion. Forum not limited in scope.

I get a hot red ear after using the mobile phone. Really.
I refuse to deny or confirm that it is usually when I am inviting those cheeky Demons into my soul.

My 6 year old boy has had red hot ears for last few weeks on and off... usually in the evening after his bath when he's most relaxed!
It doesn't seem to bother him! He just wants to know why it keep happening?

Hello friends, long time since posted. Have not had many episodes, not sure why. Was looking for info on trigeminal neuralgia and found site giving info on TACS, which includes cluster headaches (I have); Proxysmal hemicrania (I have) this is another name for RES. Interesting data, but subscription is necessary to read whole article. However, it was enough for me to take to neurologist next visit. On the site: UpToDate For Patients: Paroxysmal hemicrania

gary ur an idiot. perhaps not unintelligent but very misguided. good luck

neway. my dads a dr and he couldnt/wouldnt give me an explanation but said to take a hot shower and my ears were normal 10 minutes later after alternating red to white(regular) for hours. and take ibuprofen but i didnt have to take any although it wouldnt hurt

Well, I was misinformed and unfortunately passed the wrong info along. I apologize. Proxysmal hemicrania is NOT another name for RES. It is a type of cluster headache. So sorry. Hope to have better info next time.

Hey, I am getting my right ear red every now and then. I notice it happens when I am really angry or upset or when I drink alcohol, but it also happens when I don't drink mostly at night sometimes. it's really annoying I don't know what it is but I am tired of it. I just want it to stop. sometimes I am perfectly relax and it happens so it beats me. but this is too weird haven't really gone to doctor to find out but there should be some kind of medical explanation for it. there is a lot of nonsense out there about it. if anyone know the real problem let me know thanks

glad to see I'am not the only one.

Symptoms and signs
The most prominent symptoms of erythromelalgia are episodes of erythema, swelling, and a painful burning sensation primarily in the extremities. These symptoms are usually symmetric and affect the lower extremities more frequently than the upper extremities. Symptoms may also affect the ears and face. For secondary erythromelalgia, attacks typically precede and are precipitated by the underlying primary condition. For primary erythromelalgia, attacks can last from minutes to hours and occur infrequently to frequently with multiple times daily. Common triggers for these episodes are exertion, heating of the affected extremities, and alcohol or caffeine consumption, and any pressure applied to the limbs. In some patients sugar and even melon consumption have also been known to provoke attacks.

im only 10 and ive had ear problems and just a while ago i had both red ears and it was about 54 degrees and a thermal scanner said my ear was over 80 degrees!(both of them wierd) but i do have a one earn prob i know one of the reasons its prob because if you eat(or drink)anything of milk products so look up "milk allergic symptoms" i havent looked it up but at least try

my friend has both his ears red right now, and very warm. too bad theres no real answer to it.

Hi All...I am 48 and about three months ago I noticed that my left ear felt hot and my co-worker said it was bright red. A customer chimed in that a relative of hers had this symtom a lot due to high blood pressure. When I left work I went to a drug store and took my BP at one of those sit down bp stations and sure enough it was 215/105 which I learned was high. Had no idea I had high BP.
Weekend, no dr ava so the next night about 10PM it happened again. Went to drug store and again BP was high. Went to
ER and they gave me a pill (said it was actually a water pill and sent me home.
Told me to come any time it was over 200 if I couldn't see my doctor. A few hours after the visit it was down to a normal 110/74. (I bought the at cuff wrist cuff). Went to DR a few days later and BP was close to normal. BUT,
the hot red ear still happens many times a week and I check my BP it it seems
normal.
I was still convinced it has something to
do with blood pressure but since so many kids and such have it too, HMMMM.
Well, that's just my 2+ cents.

hi all... Im 23 and have had rhe since my early teen age years either right or left ear get red hot and sometimes my cheeks as well, i've never asked my dr about it but im very interested on why this happens i wish there was an answer for it, i do suffer from anxiety and depression maybe that has something to do with it?....

Hi,
I've been suffering for red ears for 25+ years. I'm now 41. Sometimes it may be one ear (left or right) or both. It is not painful, but they can become bright red and hot to touch. Unfortunately, my ears are quite large, and so when I do get this, it is incredibly embarrassing as it is so noticeable. (do others have large ears who have the red ear symptom?).
I notice that I sometimes get this after a hot shower, if I'm in a hurry, or feel enclosed in a room and no circulation, I get hot and bothered, and the ears are the first to heat up.

In addition, my young 7 year old son also gets this issue with very hot and red ears from time to time. Usually, he complains he is also hot. Unfortunately, he took after me, and his ears are rather larger than average. Is there a link here? My older son who is ten and has "normal" sized ears doesn't have this issue (thank God)

I finally decided to look up this "red hot ear" issue and came across this blog. I am amazed so many folks have this symptom. I plan to check out some of ideas here. I am 61 and did not have this until after I have open heart surgery (was 55). Just can't explain it and have not asked the Dr either. I just checked my BP and it was higher than normal. I'll keep checking when the ear goes back to normal. Wierd1!!
The only time I remember having this symptom is when I would play too long outside in the cold as a youngster and if the ears were exposed the warming process caused the redness (and aching)
This is a great collection of information.

Hey I have had hot ears my whole life I am 32 now. It has happened to me all of my life. It is getting very bad now. Every day it turns hot red like on fire. Sometimes it's just one ear sometimes both ears. The only thing that I have found that works is putting my whole head under the sink and soaking both of my ears and neck and head with cold water. Sometimes after I put the cold water all over my head I go sit outside with no coat on. It works pretty good in the winter time. This is the only solution I have found to cool them off fast. And sometimes even after I do all that they will start to turn hot red again. I have no idea what causes it. I don't have high blood pressure. Please let me know if there is any other way to stop it. From looking at all of the posts I don't think there is a way to stop it.

I haven't read through every post here but the technical term for this is not RHE but red-ear syndrome. It's a harmless neurological syndrome. My neurologist has me on a regimen of magnesium (at least 400 mg/day but up to 1200/mg if your digestive tract can tolerate it), Vitamin B2 (400 mg/day), and 1 tablet of CoQ10 (one tablet, Healthy Origins brand). This helps a lot but isn't foolproof. I do find that if I don't eat enough during the day it's more likely to come on and sometimes flare-ups can be counteracted by applying an ice pack to the ear or eating a carbohydrate-heavy snack (like toast). But like I said, "sometimes" these work.

Check to see if you have osteo-arthritis. My husband has it, and his ears get red all the time. They are related.

52 year old male, I've had this one ear issue for 30 years with no concern at all. It feels wierd but I just ignore it and go on with my life. Any body ever says any thing I just tell them it must be the devil coming out and I feel fine. That's the only thing that bothers me is pepole ask "are you ok?" yaaaaa, are you?

I have noticed big improvements after giving up the following:
- Tea and Coffee
- Wheat
- Dairy
I know thats alot to give up but it has helped big time!

Hey everybody, 20 years old here with this sickening red burning sensation on my left ear as I type. Been having this for more than 2 years now. Stay strong!

I have this syndrome and my ears are large too. There is a long break on my ear and maybe the blood issues out and make the ear hot and red?!

Drink water! it does help, so stay hidrated, and when you are showering, go with warm to cold, and oposite. I think you ll see improvement after this.

I have given my opinion of this before - i am always doing research to find out the cause - there always is a cause - i have noticed that if i limit or elminate sodium from my diet, the RES is gone or at least less severe.

and if you have a flare up of the RES, do yourself a favor and take a Benadryl and see if that clears it up. That way you will know if its an allergy, and try to remember what you ate

I have tracked my sodium intake and notice that MSG seems to trigger my RES. Example: 3 days ago, had chinese food (biggest culprit in the history of food industry overabusing MSG on their food)= Flare up --- had tuna fish sandwhich today = no flare up -- tonight a chicken casserole w/ cream of mushroom soup which has MSG = flare up. What i am saying, at least for me i see a correlation between RES and MSG - MSG is hidden in alot of packaged foods, bottled foods and such.

Here man, I have another problem. It's my chin. It flares up after using the old you know, say no more. Just looking for people with similar reactions.

I am 62 years old. Occasionally, I've had hot ear cold ear for as long as I can remember. I always thought I was just odd, or at least odd that way anyway. Thank goodness for the internet now I know a bunch of us are odd and not just me. The effect dosent seem to have ill effects but it is annoying. Just out of curiosity I wish I knew what caused it.

Wow, This has been happened to me now over the last three weeks,never before i have one ear thats burning and everything is ok.

well, is there anybody out there that knows the reason for this hot ear problem?...i have been having this issues for a couple of years now and it really bothers me, im 37yrs old, and one of my ears, never both at the same time gets really hot/ very uncomfortable??????/help

JOIN THE CLUB RAIZA. I wish I knew what the dam problem was. Sometimes I am so
miserable. The only thing that I have found that works is putting my whole head under the kitchen sink and soaking both of my ears and whole head with the coldest water I can get. Sometimes that doesn't even work. I have to keep on doing that sometimes 6 times and my dam ears are still RED. I have had this all of my life and I am 33 now. It SUCKS. Good luck

We could solve it by trying to ask the biggest experts of medicine in our towns, mine don't know, but trying to figure out, so please ask and share with us, that s the only way

I put yogurt on it and it helps out a lot.. it's an old wise tale my grandmother taught me :) hope it helps!

I know what causes this and can tell all of you from experience - it is a MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY. My magnesium deficiency was caused by caffeine intake and a calorie restricted diet as mine started acutely getting red at almost the same time everyday about 5 months ago. A little over a month ago I began to take a magnesium supplement of 500 mg a day tried to eliminate caffeine and sodium and generally unhealthy foods. After about a week or two the red ears went away as the deficiency was corrected.

It is a benign condition caused by your diet. Several different things can block magnesium from being absorbed by your system.

I too, was scared of carcinoid syndrome or relapsing polychondritis and had all the tests run. The doctors couldn't tell me what caused it but said if they didn't hurt then it was nothing to worry about. If only your ear or ears turn red and not your face and chest too then it is NOT carcinoid syndrome. Relapsing polychondritis is inflammation of your ear lasting for several days and would be painful to the touch.

Just remember, at least 500 mg of magnesium a day and a healthy diet and I assure you your ears will get better. I hope this helps some of you as it has helped me.

bout the yogurt,hmm...gonna try it soon
and thanks john...for your sharing..you've done a good deed by just sharing..thanks again

Hey, I have had this problem for a long time and yes just like everyone else here my red ears usually occur at night, never in the morning !!!
I thought of many things tht could cause this and have tried many many things to overcome this as it is reall embarrasing in public when your ears are glowing red for no reason, you feel really stupid.

I saw jonathans comment above about magnesium deficiency and I really think this might be the cure ! I looked at ways to tell if you are possibly magnesium deficient and I fit a few of the points mentioned.

So I am going to buy magnesium supplements and use daily and report back any change or difference they make. I really am hoping this will cure this annoying problem.

Oh, also I found this:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WB5-4JS1M32-3&_user=10&_coverDate=02%2F01%2F2007&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1364497320&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=51c4f3a4d2dd97a3d0b3f952ae98b2e9

It explains that lack of magnesium leads to inflammation and increased blood in the ears (this was tested in rats and mice as mentioned by ft above) so the same would apply to humans, or at least thats what my theory is.

So, hopefully after all this time we have found the reason ! Thanks to jonathan, I will post back with any info. I find !!

Good luck all, lets hope this works well

Earlier someone suggested that rolled oats (oatmeal) eaten every day helped reduce or eliminate their RES.

Then magnesium has just been noted to help.

Interestingly, rolled oats are a very good source of magnesium . . .

i can't tell u for now, maybe magnesium does really help but i must wait for colder time cuz in summer they won t go red

well was at a party last night drinking alcohol (this is usually when my ears will stay red all night) and I can say that after having magnesium supplements on the same day and eating pumpkin seeds(excellent source of magnesium) that my Red Ears problem was very minimal to what it would have otherwise been.

So it does seem to be helping, either that or its all just pure coincedence

I will report back with more info soon

well i was at a party last night drinking alcohol (usually this is when my red ear syndrome is at its worst) and since I have been eating high magnesium foods lately I noticed last night that I got very minimal red ears where as usually it would be much worse.

So i do think the magnesium is helping however I cannot be sure yet. Will report back with more info. when I get more ;)

oops, double posted lol

Yep, I got it too. Mine began about 5 yrs ago and its only gotten worse. Sometimes its so bad that I gota lay down cuz its exhausting sometimes. I am 48 and I began peri menopause whenI was in late 30s and now 10 yrs later, its worse sometimes. Heat, lights, stress,hotflashes.. It sucks, but it is what it is. I had to leave nursing clinicals because it got so bad.I cant take HRT for menopause,so i am on BP meds for the flashes and it works. Loose the caffeine! and anything with cafeine in it! drink plenty of water, and watch spicy foods and that seems to help. God Bless you, my hot ear friends!

doggone dirty demons do it

well had another red ear attack tonight and the same last night and I have been on real high magnesium foods lately, so this does not (much to my dissapointment) seem to be helping :(
Why does no one know why this happens ?????
Everything has reason and cause behind it, surely this is no different ??

Im a 19 year old male who is healthy (dont smoke, drink occasionaly, exercise reguarly, drink loads of water, eat loads of nuts/seed, and other healthy foods) and yet I still get RES

We need to all start listing similarities with why this could happen

Also, this NEVER happens in daytime, only ever at NIGHT, usually after 8pm

Also much more common if in a social enviroment (possible complex ? )

I have found out what my answer is for the RES - I can only state what my experience is but it might not be yours - I have found out that sodium retention is the culprit, when i have to much sodium during the course of the day, my ears flare up. Eliminate the sodium from the diet and my ears are fine the whole day. Now with that being said, its a sodium/pottasium inbalance. Sodium and pottasium fight for their rights is our bodies, when there is an inbalance it manifests itself in physical symptoms, RES being one of those. This is my opinion. Once i decreased my sodium and increased pottassium, i have not had a problem with RES. I'm just sayin.

doggone dirty demons do it. You know me's right!

anyone any other ideas ?

must be food realted i think :S

food diary time

Well, like I said, try to eliminate sodium from your diet, eat more potassium - i know thats hard to do because everything has sodium in it, but generally pre-packaged, canned foods and such are automatically eliminated right off - it would be a good idea to food log that would give you an idea of whats causing it.

iain - i know its frustrating but if you are eating alot of nuts and seeds, those are loaded with sodium - do yourself a favor, lay off the sodium for a few days and see what happens - worked for me, low sodium, high pottasium = eliminated RES -- if people want to choose to ignore my suggestion well then keep living with the RES, i for one am happy i know what the problem is and i took steps to eliminate it. Take this for example, go to a chinese restaurant, order chicken chop suey and see what happens - then next time you go back order it without the MSG, see what happens.

Hi hot ear folks: My left ear gets really warm every so often. Not painful, just very warm. Rycer, thanks for your suggestion on keeping a food log. I am on meds for high BP, cholesterol, diabetes and diabetic nerve pain and a blood thinner; all under control. I'm 76 and this ear thing just started about a year ago. If I ID any suspected cause for my hot ear, I'll let you all know.

Oh, sorry. I meant to include this: my ear does not get red!

mine started last night around this same time, my mum gets it sometimes she claims its during the winter times not sure

my ears have been burning for about 5 years now... it started on a night I had a sleepover with my friend. My friend and I were fighting online with these other girls in an AIM instant messaging conversation. Afterward, my friend says to me, "is your ear burning?" I'm like, "yeah!" After that night both or just one of my ears will burn on and off. Sometimes it will be a burn so bad I could almost cry, but other times it's just a slight burn. It happens randomly thought out the day and night. I've heard of the saying, Left is for love and right is for spite, but honestly I just want it to stop. It can be very painful and I don't care who is talking about me and when.

My diet has varied over the years. I've tried low sodium, low calorie, you name it... nothing has worked.

Hello everyone. I am a 19 year old college student and have been suffering with hot ears for about 8 months. I believe I have finally identified the cause of this malady and a possible cure.

Here is my theory: Red hot ear syndrome is the ear's response to some type of low grade chronic ear infection caused by a blocked or partially blocked Eustachian tube. (The Eustachian tube is the tube that links the pharynx with the middle ear). Everyone knows that when an infection is present, the body heats up to fight it off. Now, if the infection is localized to one area of the body, it is possible for only that area of the body to heat up. If the Eustachian tube gets blocked for an extended period of time for whatever reason, it is possible for bacteria from the mucus to migrate to the middle ear causing an ear infection. This ear infection can be treated, but unless something is done about the blocked Eustachian tube, the infections will just keep coming back.

Now, for the possible cure (it worked for me). I convinced my doctor that I was indeed suffering from an ear infection, for which he prescribed oral antibiotics which I took for 10 days. During this time, I also supplemented my body's attempt to fight of the ear infections with a hot pack (not too hot!) applied to the ears 3 times a day. Finally, I took Sudafed regularly over this time period to act as a decongestant for the Eustachian tube. Its been about two weeks and I have had not a single bout of red ear syndrome. At this point, I am not sure how to keep one's Eustachian tube from filling up again, but I have talked to my doctor and apparently there are types of medications that can be used to keep ones mucous membranes from being overactive.

This is very very encouraging for me and has convinced me that I am right with my theory as I used to get hot red ear syndrome at least once or twice a day every single day. The Eustachian tube theory also explains why young children seem to get this condition alot--young children's Eustachian tubes are not as developed and are more prone to blockage. Anyway, I hope this information helps you as it helped me. If you decide to give my idea a try, please post with your results. It is only a theory after all.

Good luck

ok, anybody rich here, if so pay some best doctor u can get and find out what can help against itand share... i would do that but can't afford it... 2nd chance is alternative medicine, but i'm far from china or india...

I posted to this site on December 29, 2009...this is an UPDATE...my son recently turned 8 (July)..and hasn't had any red ear issues!!! He suffered with it since he was 2 or 3 years olds. So, there's hope for some of the little guy/girl sufferers out there...maybe some will outgrow it:)

"Red Ear Syndrome"

I think the cause on why it develops is around a lack of sleep, extreme heat (like taking a hot shower),an allergy, , too much sodium, or alcohol consumption. Chances usually improve to get it if you are at a young age.

The symptoms are your ear being red, hot, and uncomfortable burning feeling (not unbearable) in the ear.

The cure for now is staying hydrated and getting sleep like any sickness, but also either reducing sodium and increasing potassium or eating magnesium. If you need to add ice if it becomes a problem. Children get RES easier then adults. RES usually goes away at most after 1-3 days.

This is pretty much what everyone has said so far in a nutshell, anyone disagree?

There are many different causes of red ear syndrome, such as taking certain medications, rosacea, genetics, so what you outline is part of part of one cause of red ear syndrome.

The fact that different factors and condtions cause red ear in different people mean that different solutions are appropriate.

One reason for our ears to turn red is that at times our sympathetic nervous system kicks in on its own and causes our bodies to release adrenalin and noradrenalin. Noradrenalin is the chemical responsible for relaxing the smooth muscle in the walls of the blood vessels. When the smooth muscle in the blood vessels relaxes the diameter of the vessel increases and the volume of blood passing through the blood vessel also increases. This is referred to as vasodilatation. When this happens the skin feels warm and may have a pink or red colour.

This usually happens when we feel nervous or stressed and is part of the "fight or flight" mechanism, even though the only "threat" may be social. However, in some people the sympathetic nervous sytem is overactive. This can be caused by inherited genes. We have no conscious control over the sympathetic nervous system so it kicks in without our decision to be "embarassed."

The sympathetic nervous system is part of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), the control system for the body that keeps all our internal organs functioning properly. These maintenance activities are primarily performed without conscious control or sensation, The nerves report directly back to the brain stem and can keep functioning even when the conscious mind is no longer working, hence the ability of some brain-dead patients to continue to breathe. The ANS controls heart rate, digestion, respiration rate, salivation, perspiration, diameter of the pupils, micturition (the discharge of urine), blushing, sweating, and erection.

Uncontrollable blushing is also called Idiopathic Craniofacial Erythema. Treatments include anti-anxiety medications, clonidine (inhibits the action of noradrenaline), beta-blockers, hypnosis, psychotherapy, and as a last resort, surgery.

Sweating is also controlled by the ANS and the cause of hyperhidrosis has been traced to overactivity in the sympathetic component, as opposed to the parasympathetic component, of the ANS.

There are other causes of flushing and sweating. Some people sweat excessively because they are obese or they may be suffering from an overactive thyroid gland. Menopause is another obvious cause of both flushing and sweating. Flushing and sweating can also be prominent physical symptoms associated with the mental health condition known as social phobia. Flushing is almost never due to a serious medical condition with one notable exception, which is the rare condition known as carcinoid syndrome.

Medication may also give rise to flushing. The list of possible culprits includes various hormonal treatments for prostate cancer; gylceryl trinitrate, which is used in the treatment of angina; tamoxifen, which is used in the treatment of breast cancer; raloxifene, which is used for treating osteoporosis; calcium channel blockers, which are used to treat high blood pressure and chlorpropamide, which is used for treating diabetes and can cause flushing if the person takes alcohol concurrently.

Hi everyone... Like everyone else I stumbled across this posting after having another painful and embarrasing episode of bright red burning hands and right ear. I have been seeing a dr for many years, whom diagnosed this being as an allergic reaction to sulphur. The trick to understand is that sulphur can be in packaged foods as an additive but it also occurs naturally in many, many foods groups. Sulphur allergy tends to be culmative rather than reactive, hence why sometimes eating foods does not cause a reaction but eating too much of it in a short period of time or small amounts frequently, always causes this problem for me.

My reactions when mild involve only my ears and perhaps my hands, but more severe and it can be my whole face and arms and even lower legs. The only way I can deal with the pain from the burning is to sit in a cold bath (but I stress that I am obviously an extreme case).

I just thought I would share that with sulphur eliminated from my diet, the problems disappears for me, only reactivating when eating sulphur foods again.

I am not sure if this is the same as what others are experiencing, but it might be worth considering if all else fails.

I have the same issue with my ears burning. My symptoms are induced after eating chocolate (any form). I first noticed this about 17 years ago when I was 9 years old enjoying a chocolate milk. I believe this reaction is caused by a compound in chocolate, not cocoa its self, possible caffeine, although the burning sensation rarely occurs after just drinking coffee. Anyway, glad were not alone, and it is nice in the winter!