Actually, things have changed.
Twenty years ago, the only treatment was antihistamines, which made a lot of kids sleepy and some very hyperactive/screaming reaction (and rarely seizures).
We had to give antibiotics for ten to fourteen days, and most moms missed doses or stopped them early...
Moms and dads smoked indoors, so more stuffy noses.
And a lot of the infections were caused by "H FLU" or pneumococcus, both of which can lead to meningitis (infection of the brain which can be fatal)
Now, we have clariten, which doesn't make the kids hyper/sleepy.
Antibiotics cost more, but usually you can give a couple days of zithromax and that's it.
Most moms and dads know not to smoke indoors.
And with the pneumonia and hFlu vaccines, we see less severe infections of the ears.\
So we probably don't need as many tubes, and we probably don't need to treat all cases with antibiotics to prevent meningitis and mastoiditis complications
Curious, what causes itchy, flaky ears? I was told that fluid tingling in the middle ear caused the ears to itch. And that once one began scratching (like a dog), it would cause the outer ears to become irritated.
I will not argue with your medical expertise, however the only children I know of with chronic ear infections are from homes that are either smoke-free or contain no smokers at all. These homes are also nearly antiseptically sterile.
The one and only time my now 8yo had an ear infection was when she was about 15 onths old. The doctor questioned me about any changes in routine, such as being around other kids she had never been around before. About 4 weeks before it occurred I had started taking her to a play group 2 days a week. 3 of 5 kids had chronic ear infections, including the child of the woman whose house she was in.........that, according to our doctor was most likely the cause.
BTW - my house is not smoke-free.